I cannot believe I am writing this post already. It’s the middle of August. My kids aren’t even back in school yet. Is it really time to start thinking about Halloween?? The seasonal costume shops and Halloween displays popping up already tell me that yes, indeed it is. My goal is to not have an event like last year occur again. My son was set on a specific costume. He begged and pleaded. “I’ll see if I can find it..” I said. I never found it. I waited too long. Every where was sold out and he kindly gave me his second choice and only complained about it a little. I promise.. this year I’m on top of it.
Just as I do with backpacks.. I have certain standards for costumes. Some people think it’s silly considering they are typically only worn for one night and rarely passed down. However, it’s still a purchase.. which means it is not exempt from the scrutiny that all of my purchases fall victim to.
I refuse to pay for cheap polyester. Not going to happen.
It has to look like it’s supposed to. If you want to be a character from a movie.. it had better be recognizable or it’s just not going to happen.
There must be available accessories to complete the look. (I have this weird thing for accessorizing..)
Preferably something that can be thrown in our dress-up bin for at least a year of continued fun. Especially if it costs me more than $30.
With these criteria in mind.. I love the costumes at Pottery Barn Kids. The quality and the material are amazing and the designs are adorable. Not to mention, the coordinating trick or treat bag? Completes the ensemble. Like I said, I love accessories!
The Pottery Barn Kids costumes this year don’t disappoint. From the adorable baby costumes to the fun kids costumes. I am currently hoping my kids will go along with doing a Dr. Seuss theme for our family. How adorable would that be? The Lorax? The Cat in the Hat? Red Fish, Blue Fish? SO cute.
I don’t know that they will go along with it, though. My 4-year-old spotted the firefighter costume… and my 7-year-old liked the astronaut. I can only imagine the reaction I would get if I showed my 2-year-old the giraffe costume! I guess you will have to come back in October to see which costumes won out? 🙂
Have you started costume planning yet or are you last minute costume shoppers? Do you do family costumes or do you let your kids choose what they want to be? How many of you have crazy costume standards like I do? Which is your favorite Potter Barn Kids costume this year? (If I had a little girl, I would definitely put her in the baby owl costume!)
** This is NOT a sponsored post. Just an incredible love for Pottery Barn Kids costumes.
I feel like I’ve written this post a million times and honestly, I probably have. Everyone asks about them. The cute and brightly colored leg warmers that I put on my kids. “They make those for boys..?” They ask. Yes, yes they do. “They are so cute! What are they?” — the question that almost always follows the first. What are they? They are BabyLegs legwarmers. They make them for both girls and boys and their selections are constantly changing. I love these adorable splashes of color.
We have been using the “original size” BabyLegs for our boys for many years. They are very functional, especially in our Northwest climates. Even in the summer months, our temperatures can vary dramatically from the morning to the evening. Our days tend to start out cold, heat up.. and then drastically cool down. BabyLegs have helped me add and subtract a layer without much effort. They have also helped facilitate potty training.. allowing my boys to roam pants free, while still providing some coverage.
Sometime between when I had my middle son and my youngest, BabyLegs released “Newborn BabyLegs” –which I had to stock up on once I got pregnant with my youngest. He was born at the end of July and as much as he was born in a “hot” month.. he was still a newborn and still needed some added coverage. They proved to be perfect for that, covering up his tiny little legs while he relaxed in a onesie. They also worked very well paired with our favorite diapers. I look back at them now, folded up nicely in his drawer of socks, and I can’t even remember when he was so tiny. Now that he is out of them, I will sometimes slide my iPhone into one to keep it protected from scratches. It works perfectly.
Making our collection of newborn babylegs seem miniscule is our collection of the standard leg warmers. All of our children wear them. All of our children love them! Our oldest is 7, while he hates that they are called BabyLegs, he really loves to wear them. He tends to like wearing simple polo shirts in varying colors, so he often adds BabyLegs in a complimentary pattern to keep his arms warm when it’s a little colder outside. He refuses to wear them on his legs, but he doesn’t really need them on his legs anymore. He enjoys being able to pull them on and off as he feels he needs them, and they look like nothing more than a long sleeved shirt layered under a polo. They give him the opportunity to add a little personality to his daily wardrobe, too, which is critical for a little boy who loves to express himself. He also loves the holiday specific BabyLegs that come out frequently.
Our middle son loves BabyLegs regardless of what they are called. He wants to wear them on his arms and legs sometimes multiple pairs on one limb. This has prompted me to buy multiple pairs of the same pattern. As much as he would love to wear green and brown argyle with some bright blue fish, I just can’t always let him leave the house like that. He also has severe eczema which often leaves his arms looking rather wounded. He hated to go out in public because people would look at his arms and hands. He may only be 4, but he is well aware when people are staring. (Take note, people: It is not okay to stare at a child. I don’t care what you think is wrong with them!! They notice.. and you make them more self-conscious than any child should ever be!) He figured out that if he put BabyLegs over his arms, people didn’t notice his “owies” — and he was right. He no longer hated going out. While he liked that it took the attention off his arms, as his parents we loved that it took his attention off of scratching his arms. It created a bit of a buffer between him and his fragile skin.. giving it a bit more of a chance to heal.
The youngest of the group is also a huge fan of the BabyLegs. Like I said above, he has been wearing them since he was a newborn. With him, the biggest advantage they have given us is that he has a hard time pulling them off! He has a habit of removing his socks the instant they are put on his feet. However, if I put a pair of BabyLegs over his socks.. not only can he not get the BabyLeg off.. but he also can’t manage to get the sock off! (Most of the time, that is..) He is also hypersensitive to the cold, so BabyLegs have allowed us to give him an extra layer under many of his clothes without over heating him. For this we like to use their thinner, more breathable BabyCool! BabyLegs. His favorite pair of BabyLegs is currently his giraffe print pair (Or, to him.. his “PhiePhie” legs) — Not only does it add to his outfits and keep him a little warmer, but they keep him entertained. He loves PhiePhie, so dressing like a PhiePhie is more than thrilling to him.
You should all go check out BabyLegs! I don’t know any parent, of a boy or a girl, who uses them and hasn’t loved them for one reason or another. They make great “knee protectors” for crawlers. Provide children (and adults, even..) of any age with an extra layer of coverage from the cold or from the sun. They have many different options. From a bug repellent style to team colors. UV Protection to coordinating socks, even. You won’t be disappointed. Add a little more color to your child’s wardrobe. A little more flare.
After you go check out the BabyLegs site, come back and tell me what your favorite pair is and why!
Note: This is my honest opinion. I was not paid to write this review. We love BabyLegs and have for many years. We hope that you will love them as much as we do!
I always heard about this giraffe baby toy. Apparently, it squeaked like a dogs chew toy and was non-toxic for your kids to chew on. Reviews I had read claimed it to be the best teething toy. I thought it was all hype. During one of our many stops at our favorite local baby boutique, our baby spotted it. Hanging on a wall display. In a cute little brown cardboard box. This Sophie the Giraffe teether. Not the original Sophie, but rather one with handles, in the traditional white with brown giraffe spots. He FLIPPED. With hands flapping, the squealing began and we knew at that moment, we weren’t leaving that store without that little brown box.
Our older boys insisted that we needed to immediately go find a replacement. Back to our favorite boutique we went. They were out of the same teether. What? What were we going to do?? Then, the arm flapping and shrieking started up. Had he spotted one? No. Well, not exactly. What he spotted was a Sophie the Giraffe green colored Vanilla teether. I don’t know how he knew it was the same giraffe, but he did. We, once again, were not leaving that store without that giraffe.That Sophie teether went everywhere with us. And then, the unspeakable happened. While out of town for a funeral, we lost the teether. Heaven help us. My guess is that it is somewhere in a Starbucks parking lot. (What? Isn’t that the most logical place for us to have stopped in order to lose something?) Crying began, sad whimpering. I don’t know what it was about that giraffe, but it found a place in our baby’s heart.
I am very happy to say that we have not lost that teether. After the first mishap, I made sure to tether that thing to anything and everything possible. The love… the infatuation.. didn’t stop, though. Each and every time we go to that baby boutique, or any other baby store for that matter, our older kids go on a Sophie hunt. Once she is located, the baby’s arms start flapping and squeals begin. He doesn’t talk, you see. Talking or not, though, he makes it very clear how much he loves that giraffe.
As I said in the last blog post, we helped at an event this past weekend. Right across from the booth we were working in he spotted her. “PHIE PHIE!!!!” he shrieked. He called for her for the first 15-20 minutes we were there. I didn’t want to lose his “Phie Phie” so I left her in the car. I should have brought her. I almost had to go buy him another one.We eventually ended up with the large, squeaks-like-a-dogs-chew-toy Sophie. He snuggles it. He smiles when he sees it. He actually started referring to it in as much of a word as he can. “Phie Phie.” He spots “Phie Phie’s” from anywhere. We cannot leave without seeing all the “Phie Phies.”
Tell me, do you have any Sophie products? How do you or your kids like them? If you don’t, which Sophie do you wish you had?My piece of advice to you: If you have a baby or are expecting a baby, get a Sophie. Any Sophie. I don’t know a baby yet that has one and doesn’t love it. I have a feeling we will be adding more of the Sophie products to our household, as well as perhaps Sophie’s friends, the Chan Pie Gnon.
Note: These products were not provided to me. We bought them, our children love them, so I am showing them to you in the hope that you will love them too.
