Massimo made it on the Kiddopotamus website!

Recently Massimo Style had a blog post featuring a warm and stylish faux shearling hat from Kiddopotamus. To reiterate, its a great hat and highly recommended for those chilly winter outings. Anyway, it seems like the friendly PR people at Kiddopotamus liked that post (and hopefully the cute photo) so much that they put both on their website! Check it out here...pretty cool huh!

While your visiting Kiddopotamus browse around...they have some very neat kids stuff. And as mentioned in the original, post the Kiddopotamus faux shearling hat can be found at Amazon.

Thanksgiving in Florida

Massimo had the pleasure of spending his Thanksgiving holiday with Nanny and Grandpa in sunny and pleasantly warm Florida. Unlike the frigid weather that gripped New York City for the holiday weekend - the actual Thanksgiving holiday was quite unseasonably warm which was a pleasant surprise for fans of the Thanksgiving Day parade - southern Florida was in the balmy upper 70's and low 80's most of the time. Those temperatures gave Massimo the opportunity to swim in an outdoor pool (not actually swim, of course, as he is only 18 months old but instead be bobbed around the water by daddy) while enjoying both the water as well as the ear-to-ear smiles of Nanny and Grandpa relaxing in the poolside shade.

As most parents are cautious about their little ones in the summertime sun, so should they be cautious about them being in the sun while on holiday. That's why Massimo always has his Body Glove wetsuit with him whenever he travels to warm climates. Not only does it keep his little body warm while he is in the water (yes, children do get chilly even in heated pools of 80 degrees) but it also protects him from the harmful UV rays from the sun.


Although this photo is from a few month ago (yes, we forgot our camera while packing the night before - I cant believe it!) you can see how well the Body Glove lycra wetsuit protects his arms, back, and all the way down to his knees from the sun, while also helping him to keep warm. So when you plan your winter vacation to the warm, clear blue waters of someplace with swaying palm trees and soft sand, remember to pack that little lycra wetsuit.

As usual, Amazon has Body Glove products for children as well as for adults (Massimo's daddy wears one whenever he goes in the water) and at very reasonable prices. Please use the link above or the icons in the right margin to shop for this Body Glove wetsuit or many other products sold at Amazon.

On a recent trip to the Time Warner Center in Manhattan, Massimo visited the Cartoon Network store while randomly running around the third floor.

Here is Massimo pointing towards some comical cartoon character...does anyone know who that character is? Anyway, here he is wearing a stylish sweater from Old Navy. Yes, who would have thought Old Navy has stylish clothing for kids...well, they do! They have an assortment of sweaters as well as other everyday clothes for kids (as well as adults) of all ages.

Please use the link below to visit Old Navy and find a great sweater (as well as many other clothes) for your loved one.

Central Park Autumn foliage is beautiful

On weekend stroll through the chilly fall air in Central Park, Massimo was thoroughly enjoying the rhythmic klopp-klopp-klopp from horse drawn carriages, soft quacks from the mallard ducks in the pond, and crisp rustling of the leaves as well as the beautiful Autumn colors of the fall foliage. In fact he was enjoying it all so much that he got sleepy. Then once he had enough of the beautiful seasonal sounds and scenery, and was all warm and cozy in his Stokke stroller foot-muff, it was lights out and sweet dreams.

Except for the ducks...they may have gotten scared off by his loud cold-induced snoring!

A must have during the holiday travel season

Now that the holiday travel season is quickly approaching we need to keep our little ones occupied on their way to visit grandma & grandpa. Whether traveling by car, plane, or whatever, Sony has a portable dvd player that is perfect for the occasion. The one mentioned below has a long battery life (it can also plug into a cars cigarette lighter with an adapter) and is easily operated with just a few buttons. Pop in your favorite dvd and watch your child enjoy the show.

Two weeks ago we were away for the weekend and friends of ours showed us this model they had for their 3 year old daughter... and they couldn't say enough about it. After they originally bought a cheaper brand which lacked the durability of Sony and also had much shorter battery life, they threw it away after only 2 weeks and went for the Sony. That's all we needed to know.

This model comes in black (as shown) or a more colorful version in red...they can both be found at Amazon by clicking on the link below.

Stylish hat for the New York City winter

It is finally getting cold in New York City and the color of the leaves in Central Park are just beautiful...so why rent a car for the weekend to head for the Hudson Valley, Berkshires, or Vermont when you have Central Park at your doorstep? Also with the cold weather rolling in comes another question...where can i get warm clothing at good prices for my little one and not give up any style? The answer in this case is Amazon.

It is not often we can get Massimo to wear a hat but when its cold enough outside he doesn't complain. This faux shearling hat Massimo is wearing is by Kiddopotamus and not only does it keep Massimo's head and ears toasty, its very stylish. Being warm and stylish is a bonus...especially as we head into the holiday time of the year.

If you are interested in this product or any of the many other Kiddopotamus products for sale at Amazon, please use the link below or the Amazon link to the right of this blog.



Thanks, and check back soon for other great ideas!

Walking made easy

When Massimo first learned to crawl it was hilarious - but he quickly mastered it and moved about the apartment effortlessly. A short time later he was cruising along the couch and chairs with cautious optimism. Then somewhere along the way a neighbor offered us their older child's walker to help Massimo improve his skills. After 2 weeks or so of "walking" behind this walker by Chicco, Massimo was easily cruising around most objects and even attempted to take a step or 2 without any support. Finally on his first birthday, he proudly took 5 steps without any help and has been running ever since. Without question, one of the main reasons his walking skills developed much sooner than many other kids was because of this Chicco baby walker.















If you want to help your child develop their walking skills sooner (or learn easier) get your child a developmental toy such as the baby walker by Chicco. It provided hours and hours of fun for Massimo (in addition to walking behind it, this toy also develops learning through shapes, colors, and sounds) and it will do the same for your child - or make a great holiday gift for someone elses!

To purchase this Chicco walker, or other similar products from Amazon, please use the link below.

Amazon is getting into the holiday spirit early this year. With possibly the widest selection around and some of the cheapest prices, its never too early to shop for those little ones.

Click the link below to watch videos of some favorite toys in action and check out their editor's picks before buying.
http://www.amazon.com/b/?node=370899011&tag=massstyl-20

Curious George Recall

Curious George toys are on recall!!! If you havn't already heard the news that came out today read the full news story from Consumer Affairs here.

Learning & interactive toys

With the holiday season rapidly approaching many parents, grandparents, and relatives will be on the hunt for the latest and hottest toys. They will wait in line at Walmart, Toys R Us, or just about any other store for that hot Tickle Me Elmo and other quick to sell out toys that are usually at the top of the hot list. But the problem with "hot" toys is that they often offer little or no instructional value (do you remember they hype over Cabbage Patch Kids - cmon!). Times, and toys, have changed dramatically over the years. So if you really want to help your little loved ones develop and learn, then look for toys that will help them learn numbers, colors, words, animals, etc.

This interactive toy below, made by Chico and sold at Baby-Wise, has been wonderful for Massimo. He has learned colors (the yellow duck), animals (the black horse), and sounds (the black and white cow - moo, moo). Not only that, it has the option of either speaking in English or Spanish...how great is that!

To buy this item or many other educational toys click on the Baby-Wise link below or use the Baby-Wise ad to the right.

baby-Wise.com: Simply Smarter Baby Products

Preppy Sweaters at BabyGap & GapKids

Gap Kids or Baby Gap are reliable for everyday clothes and are made with the same quality as their adult versions. And although most of the styles are nothing out of the ordinary, sometimes you can find really trendy or cool items at various times of the year. For instance, take this argyle sweater Massimo is wearing. It serves two purposes really...it's functional because it helps keep him warm, and it looks stylish worn over a complimentary color such as his light blue onesy. Pair it all with a pair of tan pants and you have a mini-preppy dude. HAHAHA. Just the kind of clothes he should be wearing as he prepares to cozy himself into a corner with his blankie and his favorite Curious George book.




















These links will take you there to see whats new, functional, and trendy...
babyGap.com
GapKids

Stylish & versitile sweater

Check out this stylish and functional dark brown sweater recently bought at Daffy's as a set with his tan pants. Because of the easy to manage front zipper the sweater goes on without a problem...and the hood can be quickly pulled up over his head for those cold winter days which are right around the corner. The wine colored trim and hood give it a somewhat Euro-style which is always a nice change from many brands of American made kids clothing. But no matter how you look at it, its a great sweater at a very reasonable price.

The sweater and pants set is made by Minibasix which can also be found on the internet by clicking here. But for the best prices around try Daffy's...only $22 for the set makes it worth the trip.

Halloween in New York City

Massimo was a tiger for Halloween - not that you can tell from this picture what his costume looks like but he looked too cute to pass up for this post.

The Halloween event for kids in Manhattan that should not be missed is held annually at The American Museum of Natural History. The museum hosts a wonderful Halloween kids party with music, multiple stations where kids could meet their favorite characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Curious George, and many others, as well as plenty of party favors and candy. If you havn't experienced this event already its worth the effort at least once (once may be enough as it was somewhat chaotic and over-crowded given all the parents, kids, strollers, and others dressed for the event).