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BOOKS
Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters by Andrea Beaty
Both of my girls are huge fans of Rosie Revere, Engineer. Helena once dressed as Rosie for World Book Day and totally inspired her classmates to jump on board with reading the book. Florence has continued in the enthusiasm of the characters and when I saw there was a new range of chapter books showcasing ...
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TUESDAY TIPS
Memorizing Poetry, a lost art? Let's talk about the benefits.
I'm just back from Community Meeting at my children's school, which is a short weekly gathering of all the children in grades PreK-3 (so, ages 4 through 8 or 9 years old) and their parents. Typically at Community Meetings we sing together or listen to presentations from various classes on their studies, but the theme of ...
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BOOKS
Picture Books for Toddlers: Wilkie's current favourites
About a year ago, I shared a selection of Wilkie's favourite picture books, many of which are still on rotation as his favourite bedtime reads. But he's beginning to enjoy the slightly longer stories now, and we have a few to add to that list. I snapped a photo of his current go-to books, most ...
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BOOKS
"Hotel Flamingo" by Alex Milway -- a sweet series for the young
A friend recently told me about Hotel Flamingo so when I saw a copy in our local library I immediately picked it up for Florence. It is absolutely delightful and we've both fallen in love with the characters, especially Madame Le Pig, the amazing chef. It's a new series by Alex Milway and true to the ...
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BOOKS
'Would you Rather...?' by John Burningham
I remember the first time I played a 'Would you Rather...' game. I was a freshman in college and we played in my friend's dorm room, laughing our heads off. So fun! Who doesn't love thinking about silly, outrageous potential circumstances and weighing up your favourite (or least terrible) of your options?! Haha. When I ...
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BOOKS
Early Riser Companion: Rhythms & Rituals, Traditions & Transitions by Elizabeth Antonia
Longtime readers of this blog will remember reading posts from Elizabeth Antonia in Los Angeles. She has been a friend of ours for many years, has contributed to this blog, supported our LA-based ShopUp events and has been a wonderful supporter of Babyccino. I remember the first time she told me her idea for the ...
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PICTURE BOOKS
'Hey Grandude!' -- a picture book by Paul McCartney!
Grandude is not your everyday kind of grandfather. True, he has some stereotypical grandfather characteristics. He lives in a very normal house in a very normal street. He has snow-white hair and a tendency to fall asleep in his armchair. But, he also has something extraordinary and utterly amazing: he owns a magical compass! When ...
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TUESDAY TIPS
Encouraging children to read! Here are ten tips.
Both my oldest children are avid readers. Especially Sara is the kind of person who reads everything she can get her hands on: novels, series, educational books, newspapers, magazines, the back of cereal boxes -- you name it. So recognisable: I was exactly the same as a child. (I always thought it had to do ...
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BOOKS
The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle by David Litchfield
The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle has recently become one of our favourite reads. Written by David Litchfield this is the sequel to the wonderful The Bear and the Piano.  Hector, the fiddle player, and his dog Hugo are the bestest of friends but when Hector retires, Hugo learns to play the ...
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BOOKS
'Cookies: Bite Sized Life Lessons'
Cooperation is, “how about I add the chocolate chips while you stir the cookie dough?” Patience is waiting, waiting, and more waiting for the cookies to be finished baking. And respect is offering the first cookie out of the oven to your grandmother. The book Cookies: Bite-Sized Life Lessons, is just that -- a book ...
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BOOKS
Our Summer reads
We are off on the road this week, so I have just come back from a last minute dash to the WH Smith down on Rue de Rivoli to pick up some good summer reads for all of us! I do have a Kindle but I still don't have to instinct of reading on it. ...
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BOOKS
'Read to Your Baby Every Day' edited by Rachel Williams, embroidered by Chloe Giordano
I adore gifting books and when a dear friend recently became a mama I was thrilled to find this beautiful book, Read to you Baby Every Day -- a compilation of 30 classic nursery rhymes to read aloud to your baby, each perfectly accompanied by the most stunning embroidered art work. This is a book to ...
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BOOKS
Nell & the Circus of Dreams -- an inspiring book about dreams coming true
For seven years I have been to the most magical and inspiring summertime event in the UK called Gifford's Circus. I wrote about our family trip to Gifford's Circus last year, (if you live in the UK, book tickets today! It is truly amazing!!!). And last weekend, as our last holiday as a family of four ...
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FOOD
A cookbook addiction
I would say on a scale of 1 to 10, I am somewhere around a 7 regarding my addiction to cookbooks. Every time I am in a bookshop, an unknown force pulls me over to the cookbook section, where I can spend hours looking at pictures, deliberating over recipes and projecting myself into my kitchen ...
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PICTURE BOOKS
Tad -- Sometimes the biggest stories have the smallest beginnings
Tad is tiny. She is the smallest almost-a-frog in the whole wide pond! She is even smaller than all of her tad brothers and tad sisters. As they are rushing through the shallow waters together, she has to wiggle her tail twice as hard to keep up. As the days go by, the tadpoles grow ...
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BOOKS
'Harold Snipperpot's Best Disaster Ever' by Beatrice Alemagna
Beatrice Alemagna is an author/illustrator living in Paris with her husband and two daughters. She has now published more than 30 books, including On A Magical Do Nothing Day and The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty, which Vanessa has shared about here. Her newest book, Harold Snipperpot's Best Disaster Ever, is as delightful and whimsical ...
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BOOKS
Witchfairy -- a book about being brave and finding your place in the world
Witchfairy by Brigitte Minne and Carll Cneut is a new favourite book in our house. This is a book about finding your own place in the world, and I can't imagine any child wouldn't like the delightful messages in this book. An adventurous and brave daughter fairy who has an independent and curious spirit questions her ...
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BOOKS
Tales From Nature: A cheerful new wildlife series for young children
Spring is in the air (hurray) and with that are these recently released gorgeous new board books, Tales from Nature, highlighting the cheery new wildlife we see in nature. There are currently two titles in the series, 'Bird' and 'Rabbit' and they are just delightful for all young readers. They are bright and engaging with ...
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PICTURE BOOKS
'The Ear' by Piret Raud. A book about the importance of listening.
When Van Gogh famously cut off his ear, the question arose -- what happened to the ear without its head? Estonian writer and illustrator Piret Raud was inspired, and wrote a beautifully illustrated story about that one lonely ear. The ear at first is quite helpless, as she is alone and without guidance. But before ...
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EDUCATION
Greek myths for children -- fascinating and magical!
We're going to Athens this weekend! It's going to be a short trip but we're all super exited. I've been to Athens a few times before, and I just love that city -- the mix of the old and the new is so magical. To get everyone in the spirit of the (Old) Greeks and ...
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BOOKS
'There are no Grown-Ups' by Pamela Druckerman
  It really is a funny thing getting older and having older children. Babies and toddlers keep us so busy that we don't have a lot of time to think, and though it is exhausting and exhilarating at the same time, it does have the benefit of distracting us from the realisation that we are ...
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BOOKS
'Everyone Eats' by Julia Kuo, a cute book for toddlers
We've recently added the cute book, 'Everyone Eats', to Wilkie's book basket in his bedroom, and it's quickly become a bedtime favourite.  It's a cute and simple book, featuring different groups of animals on each page and the foods they eat: rabbits eat carrots, deer eat lettuce, bears eat honey, etc. Not only does Wilkie love ...
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BOOKS
A Murder Most Unladylike - A Whodunit Series for Tween Girls
Helena recently received the first book in the series Murder Most Unladylike and she is utterly hooked. The series, which is written by British-American writer, Robin Stevens, tells of the mysteries that two friends must solve whilst at school at Deepdean School for Girls. I have overheard Helena tell her friends and family over the holidays ...
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Gather & CoPlaymats and cushions for spending quality time together, anywhere
FrugiSuper soft, comfy and colourful childrenswear, sustainably made from organic cotton
Fin+ZeeEthically made, globally influenced, clean-cut designs for 0-4s
PRINTSHOP by Denise CrewFresh photographic art prints for the modern family home

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Use foraged sticks and leftover ribbon to make a Sunday craft! We love these from our #babyccinocrafts archives. You will need: Straight twigs (between 10-20cm long, nobbly bits are ok) Scraps of ribbon (wider ribbon is easier to work with for younger children) String or garden twine Cut enough strips of ribbon to stack along the length of your stick – leave strips long enough for little hands to tie, you can trim later. Start at the bottom of the stick and work your way up to the top tying loose knots around the stick. Leave a few centimeters at the top of the stick for your hanging loop. When all the ribbons are in position adjust the ribbons so that they lay straight and flat, then tighten the knots. Trim the edges of the ribbons to create a Christmas tree shape. Starting at the bottom, cut the edges at an angle gradually making each row shorter until you have a fairly symmetrical triangular shape. Tie a loop of string or twine around the top of the stick to hang your ornament. So simple and pretty and a great way to recycle all those old Christmas ribbons from last year. #babyccinokids
17 hours ago
We asked @readtealeaves how she slows down and enjoys the countdown to Christmas without the stress and she told us... “At this time of year we honestly try to make every night feel like a mini celebration. This isn’t to say there’s any big fanfare, but it gets dark out so early and we need a little bit of extra sparkle to get through those long nights. Every evening we turn on the Christmas tree lights, light candles on the kitchen table, turn up the Christmas carols and read all of our wintry children’s books before bed. It gets us all in the spirit, even if it’s happening in the midst of otherwise mundane weekly responsibilities (or, let’s face it, toddler meltdowns).” #babyccinokids
17 hours ago
Capturing the love between people is photographer @_katrinacampbell_ and she’s offering a wonderful gift for London families. Memories that last forever with the gift of vouchers. Katrina has a special package : £125 for a weekend family photo shoot (normally £150) to be redeemed anytime in 2020. What a wonderful gift for the whole family. #babyccinokids #christmasmemories #2020 #lonfonfamilyphotographer #london #londonlifestyle
3 days ago
Christmas sweaters only last for a fraction of a second, so instead of buying into disposable fashion do a homemade DIY one. Tips today from @laraoflondon link in bio.
3 days ago
A beautiful group of women to discussed Cultural Richness Around Bringing Up Children, was a really joyful exchange of experience and point of view. Seyi, Kim, Amandine, Africa, Fatima and Lauren shared feelings on the conscious choices we make in a multicultural world. Read more on our blog ... and what do you think ... Do we want the same for our children as we had ourselves? How do we navigate festivals and celebrations with extended and blended family? Have we carried on old traditions or developed new ones with our children to feel festive or community minded, to partake in the celebrations of others or to live seasonally? We’d love to hear your thoughts from our panel. Link in bio. @theshopup @themontessoristudio #babyccinokids photos by @_katrinacampbell_
4 days ago
Last year Courtney discovered @inkandhoneyillustration on the Babyccino portal and immediately fell in love with the sweet personalised baubles. They’re now the most treasured ornaments on our Christmas tree. How sweet! The baubles are now sold out for this year, but the shop will re-open in January, and it’s worth taking a note of these for next year. #babyccinokids @courtneyadamo
5 days ago
Need something new to do with all the natural trinkets that seem to fill yours and your kid’s pockets this time of year? Take them to your playdough! We love this idea from @addieladner ... more on today’s post. #babyccinokids #babyccinocrafts
6 days ago
On our blog, tons of photos of our London ShopUp event! There are so many wonderful ones, we just couldn’t choose! Thank you @_katrinacampbell_ for capturing all of these wonderful moments ️ #theshopup @theshopup
1 week ago
Make your own Christmas wreath with our popular blog post by @laraoflondon ... it was such a hit from last year that we decided to share it again! See stories or bio for link. #babyccinokids #babyccinocrafts
1 week ago
Do you keep things even and fair in your family? For example, if you get one child a new pair of shoes, do you get the other one a new pair too? Read more, link in bio. And tell us your thoughts below... what is your parenting approach? #babyccinokids @addieladner
1 week ago
Here’s a video of our latest ShopUp in East London (shot and edited by our lovely and talented friend Nadine Brandt). It encapsulates the ShopUp atmosphere really, really well, and it makes us so excited for the next one!
1 year ago
Our beautiful new book, '9 months: A month by month guide to pregnancy' for the family to share, is AVAILABLE NOW! You can order it here: UK: http://amzn.to/2n6eCT7 / US: http://amzn.to/2nVWOZo / AUS: http://bit.ly/2nDYggy
2 years ago
Check out our new book! 9 months: A month by month guide to pregnancy for the family to share. PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY HERE: UK: http://amzn.to/2n6eCT7 / US: http://amzn.to/2nVWOZo / AUS: http://bit.ly/2nDYggy
2 years ago
Check out the cool vibes of our Shop Up event in London in December!
2 years ago
Our 2nd live shopping event in Brooklyn was amazing! Great shopping, delicious treats, tons of kids activities and a super cool family photo booth!
3 years ago
Esther shows us her recipe for delicious mint syrup.
3 years ago
Our live shopping event in London at Chelsea Old Town Hall in 2015 was a big success and so much fun.
3 years ago
Here we show you how to harvest rhubarb from the garden, and make it into a delicious compote. If you make oatmeal at the same time, you have made a delicious and nutritious breakfast that your family will love! (Ours do!)
3 years ago
This gym bag is such a fun and easy project, also for beginners this is a nice sewing project. Esther, Emilie and the kids had so much fun going to the market choosing all the supplies. The fabrics from Little Cube are the cutest!
3 years ago
Our first live shopping event in Brooklyn was a great success. We loved seeing the best boutiques under one roof, combined with great food and fun activities...and some dancing! Hope to see everyone this year again on September 18th & 19th at 501 Union, 501 Union Street in Brooklyn.
3 years ago