Which baby rocker to choose?

THIS is the piece of furniture that you absolutely need when you are back from nursery. Why? Your little baby might request a permanent presence, might need to be slightly rocked to fall asleep and lying down position could not be possible if his/her stomach is sensitive. Unless your crib has wheels so that your baby can stay close to you in every room of the house, unless your arms have been trained for Baby Olympics, you will need a baby rocker.

Some key things to remember before choosing a baby rocker: Can the chair welcome new born? Can you actually rock the baby with the chair? Are the fabrics washable? Is it heavy? Are there some straps to hold baby? Is the colour compatible with inevitable stains? Can baby sleep and play in it? and finally is this really comfortable for a baby to stay hours for years?

Among the trendy baby rockers, my favourite is the Bamboo model from Bombol and designed by Frederic Gooris. All the criteria mentioned above are smartly addressed. Design lovers will be tempted by many of the colours proposed: yellow, beige or grey (cf hereafter).

Bamboo baby rocker, Bombol

www.bombol.it

Another proposition is the Coco rocker from Bloom Baby. The lines will easily merge into your living room. 2 woods are available: wenge or birch, and several colours for the fabrics (white, black, blue, etc).

Coco baby rocker, Bloom baby

www.bloombaby.com

You can buy them both on Les Enfants du Design website (www.lesenfantsdudesign.com).

Design & Kids - Inspirations on trendy decoration and style for kids, by Louise every week.



Couture dolls

KARL, but also Chantal, Jean-Paul, Albert and Sonia.  French designers now have their couture doll thanks to My Name is Simone. Dolls are not only portraying designers but also "normal" everyday people, or historical icons, such as Josephine.

We were waiting for these dolls, trendy and not cheesy! And kids will love these dolls too as they are full of colours and easy to grab. :-)

They also have a collection of fun cushions, tote bags and drawstring pouches. Have a look at the website.

Mister K, My Name is Simone

Jean-Paul, Sonia and Chantal, My Name is Simone

Josephine, Doll and cushion, My Name is Simone

www.mynameissimone.com

Design & Kids - Inspirations on trendy decoration and style for kids, by Louise every week.

Which baby changing-table for me?

BABY changing-table. Again, an important piece of furniture that we are not quite sure about.

 

Indeed, they are rarely beautiful (practical, yes, but not enough!), they are rarely small (and we have to recognize that they are actually BIG), we always wonder how long would we use them and more importantly what are we going to do with this piece of furniture once baby does not need it anymore. But we have to admit that we will feel being bad parents if for the sake of design we will skip this object. Good news: no need anymore (phew!).

 

Here is a non exhaustive selection of changing-tables which are NOT a compromise between practicality, safety and aestheticism. Their creators just designed them with a different mindset.

 

The second function

 

The dresser

 

 

 

Surprise dresser (Buffet surprise), Laurette

The changing-table transforms into a dresser. cf previous article "Surprise"

9 colours to pick for the external side; idem of the internal parts

www.laurette-deco.com

 

The desk

 

Changing table, Leander

It transforms into a desk.

www.leander.com

 

 

The limited space on the floor:

 

On the wall

 

 

Wall mounted diaper changing station "Nathi", Bybo Design.

3 colours: birch, walnut and white100% safety: max load weight 50kg

www.bybodesign.se

 

 

On the chest drawer

 

Joy drawer chest, Quax

www.quax.eu

 

 

Several other models and brands also propose modern baby changing-tables. This is now your turn to decide the kind that will fit best your lifestyle...

 

 

Design & Kids - Inspirations on trendy decoration and style for kids, by Louise every week.

 

How to choose a baby bed?

HERE it comes. The 1st important thing to buy for the baby. The bed! It will give the tone of the room, it will be there for several years and thus, we hesitate... quite a long time. Here are some tips for you to keep in mind while choosing THE bed.

Marie-Sofie baby bed

www.quax.eu

 

#1: EVOLVE with the kid

1st thing you need to know is that the bed will need to evolve with your child or you will need to replace it after 2 years. You might hesitate looking at price twice as high as other beds, but you might be happy to have the possibility to propose smooth transition to your child while growing up, up to 5 or 6 years old. All about evolutive functionality!

Leander evolutive bed, 5 positions, from birth to 7 years old.

www.leander.com

 

 

#2:SECURITY is a no-miss

You could think about bargain hunting, looking for vintage baby beds in antique fairs, or use your own baby bed? Not recommended. You have to remember that they would not be compliant with current safety norms (European norms for baby beds: NF EN 176). Stability up to the toughest conditions, non-toxic lacquers, space between bars between 4.5cm and 6.5cm so that your baby cannot get stuck and mandatory round angles. When safety and design put an end to "prison style" beds.

Roulotte, evolutive bed, Laurette. Available in 9 colours.

Baby can safely be rocked thanks to wheels equipped with brakes.

www.laurette-deco.com

 

#3: RESPECT for the environement

When it comes to pass down our own values to the next generation, it also starts with the choice we have made in selecting food, clothes and furniture. Here it is more a personal choice and there is no requirement to strictly follow a rule. Just good to know that some manufacturers made a real commitment to offer natural, recyclable or renewable materials, while ensuring an eco-friendly manufacturing process to ensure sustainability. Another way to avoid waste is to consider getting a recent second-hand baby beds: there are a lot of specialized boutiques proposing just-like new baby objects.

 

The selection of beds presented will help you sharpen your choice. These are IT beds, all reconciling evolutivity, respect for baby safety and environement while offering unique trendy design.

 

 

Rhea crib, Oeuf NYC (2 wood types, birch/white or walnut/white)

www.oeufnyc.com/rheacrib

 

 

 

Other examples:

 

 

 

 

 Joli môme, evolutive bed, Laurette. Also available in 9 colours.

www.laurette-deco.com

 

Vogue bed, Zinezoe

www.zinezoe.com

 

Kalon Studios bed

www.kalonstudios.com

 

 

 

You thought that the hardest part of the journey was behind you? You now have to decide shape, wood type and colours. Good luck parents-to-be! :-)

Design & Kids - Inspirations on trendy decoration and style for kids, by Louise every week.

Birds on the wall

ONCE the walls are painted and the furniture are in place, kid's bedroom might sometimes look a bit like a design catalogue. Should you want to add personality and poetic charm, do not hesitate to put Mimi'Lou's wall sticker. You will appreciate the fine drawing and the refined colours which will just match the other accessories you previously chose. These assets are also available for cushions. You now have to choose which one will better fit into your kid's room...

Mimi'Lou

Sticker frieze pearls and birds

 Mimi'Lou

Cushion birds

www.mimilou-shop.fr

Design & Kids - Inspirations on trendy decoration and style for kids, by Louise every week.