Old Skool Halloween

In our lovely Leslieville shop, we had the fun opportunity to see dozens of bedazzled and bloodied children parading around before the Halloween weekend.

While I was amazed at the store-bought costume choices (I toast that young man who wore his T-bone steak get-up with pride), it made me nostalgic for the homemade kind.

Let me give you an idea of the hand-crafted disasters I had while growing up. I’d love to hear about yours.

1) My mother worked for TD bank for close to 30 years. Back in the 80s, when she helped execute the introduction of the TD ATMs – then known as Green Machines – she thought it would be so darned cute to dress her two eldest daughters as these relatively unknown machines. Imagine it: Me and my sister dressed in green boxes, our white-gloved hands and white-stocking legs sticking out of the sides and bottom, buttons and slots decorating the outside. “What are you?” we were asked by many school yard meanies. We tried to explain that we were these new bank machines where you could deposit your money without the aid of a live bank teller. They didn’t believe that they actually existed. “How can a machine do that? You’re lying.”

2) There was a darling elderly couple in our neighborhood who enjoyed guessing what each child was dressed in. They were often wrong. They often didn’t care. When my little sister was a bunch of grapes, they exclaimed “Balloon man!” When she dressed up as the Phantom of the Opera, they exclaimed “it’s the magic man!” When, as a heavy handed teen, I came to their door and they asked who I was. I said, “I’m Death.” “Oh,” the lady said, “We gotta speak up because she’s deaf!”

Some tips this Halloween for parents of tiny tots:

Think about the cold weather. Can the costume fit over a warm jacket?

Make sure the costume is easy to take off in case of washroom emergencies.

Be sure to bring a larger bag so that your tot doesn’t have to carry so much. Simply have them hold a smaller basket which they can then unload every few houses.

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disaster averted

Don't kid yourself. You didn't just give birth to a baby. You gave birth to a magician. By the time the wee one learns the art of walking, they will also learn the art of disappearing: walking away from you, walking into trouble and not listening in between.

But the most impressive is when they magically transform from human to slippery fish. You know the act: It always happens in the most public place. Say, at the shoe store, at a neighborhood picnic, or when accepting a prize onstage in front of the adoring press, that your kiddo decides to go ballistic. And thank the heavens your child at least has belt loops otherwise, you might as well try and catch a snake covered in Vaseline. That trick with the arched back is impervious to any parent's hopeless attempts to grab hold of their out-of-control kin.

When I was neck deep in toddler woes, I learned my own trick. You see, I had had enough of well-meaning onlookers giving advice about the situation. I mean, when you drive by a traffic accident, do you roll down your window and shout "Hey Buddy, you should have pumped the brakes instead of steering." But yet, people find it completely acceptable if not charitable to tell a parent of a screaming toddler, "Sounds like she's hungry mama. Time to feed her!" or "I wouldn't give him an inch until he says sorry."

Here's my trick: I too would disappear. Once I get the feeling the toddler disaster train is rolling into the station, I'd simply find a quiet place for the tantrum to unfold. This accomplished several things:

*It would probably stop the tantrum before it even started since we were able to talk it out.
*Finding a quiet place gave me the chance to speak calmly and my child the chance to, in her own time, explain what the issue is with little frustration over her communication skills.
*The privacy kept onlookers at bay and their advice at the curb.

In celebration of the wonderful, walking, grabbing, screaming, laughing toddlers in our lives, here are a few items we have in store:

Papoose's felt food are to die for! Practice language skills by playing restaurant, letting your toddler take your order and serving up fun.

We've been hearing the Prince Lionheart Wheelie Toys run across the floors in our store ever since they came in. And it's for good reason. These wheelies are nothing but great times!

The Beaba Babycook grows with your youngster. In only 15 mins meat and veggies are steamed. Then just turn a dial and it purees to the consistency needed for your growing kid.

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Snow Angels

baby on the hip knights you all experts at braving the cold.

We know how you choose a size larger for Halloween costumes to ensure winter coats can fit snugly between the Tigger get-up and your tyke's tender skin.

We see you breathing warm breath into those mittens before putting them on your kin's wee hands.

In celebration of the chilly times ahead of us, here are some great tips:

Nothing more satisfying than doing up one zipper and knowing your kiddo is taken care of. Meet the 7am Enfant Igloo Sac. Waterproof and lightweight, this stunning outerwear will keep out the cold in a cinch.

Picture it: You finally board the bus after waiting in the snow for 20 mins. Of course, this is when your wee one begins fussing to be breastfed. Solution? Use a Bebe Au Lait nursing cover to make breastfeeding through winter layers much more comfortable in public.

We were rejoicing when our baby turned toddler thanks to a few expert steps. That is...until we realized this meant struggling with toddler boots in the winter. Thanks to Kamik winter boots, we don't have to fear. 100 years of experience has helped designed these super-cute toe-snugglers.

Now onto you: What are your favourite ways to keep baby warm?

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Poop 101

baby on the hip is hosting another FREE diapering workshop. Our super-informative staff, Shannon and Nina are ready to dish the dirt on how to handle your baby's #1s and #2s.

Be prepared to flush the following myths right down the toilet:

Myth #1
Cloth diapering is going to transform my bundle of joy into a bundle of rashes. No thank you!
The dirt: Disposable diapers are great at absorbing. But that means your baby will be sitting in its own waste for longer, which means a higher incidence of rashes. Those toxic chemicals don't help either. Cloth diapers means the moment your child gets soiled, the sooner he/she will want to get changed, meaning less rashes.

Myth #2
Cloth diapering will make my friends smell me and my poopy baby from a mile away. What about my social life?!
The dirt: Shannon and Nina can show you the numerous ways to help make cloth diapering fit into your lifestyle and for you to keep your friends. Hint: adorable wet bags in a rainbow of colours.

Myth #3
Cloth diapering is super expensive. How am I going to afford Junior's medical school?
The dirt: Shannon and Nina can show you how disposable diapering is actually pretty darned expensive in comparison. Plus, it often leads to faster toilet training. Sweet!

Myth #4
Cloth diapering is just for earth-loving hippies. No granola, please. I'm sticking to my corn flakes.
The dirt: There's a little hippie in all of us. That's why baby on the hip has turned people from all walks of life into lean, green, parenting machines. With our numerous cloth diapering systems, loving the earth has never been easier. And if you're not down on cloth, we also have a wide assortment of biodegradable disposable diapers to choose from.

Date: Oct 24th 2010
Time: 10am-11am
Location: Our store at 969 Queen St E
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Picture This

Before the staff knew all the features on the Baby Jogger.
Before polyester was a sad memory.
Before MC Hammer was a reality TV star.

This is what we were like.



(above) Floor Manager Wendy's paintings fill our store. But that's no surprise. She was always up to her elbows in paints and colouring books and would take any chance to be creative.



(above) Marketing, Online Coordinator and baby on the hip blog author, Catherine could not be taken shopping because she was either pretending to be a mannequin or giving sizing advice to women in the underwear department at Zellers.



(above) Don't let Sales Staff member Jasmin's friendly demeanor fool you. As an only child, she distinctly remembers playing the role of Bossy Betty on the playground.



(above) Here's a pic of Assistant Manager Shannon laughing it up (or yawning, not too sure which) with her pappy. Note the timely upholstery.



Congratulations to Susan Chaves who won a $10 gift certificate through our "Picture This" baby pics contest. We asked people to contribute pictures of their kin enjoying merchandise they purchased at baby on the hip. Not only did Susan send us this photo of her son Tiago enjoying her blabla doll, she also informed us there's another baby on the way, who her $10 gift certificate is going towards. Her purchase? Another blabla doll.

Wish you had heard about this giveaway? Be sure to become a fan of our page on facebook!