I am absolutely in love with the children’s clothing line Oso + Me, whose ethos is equal parts luxe-traditional and practical. The line’s founder, Claire Hudson, explained to me that ALL (yes, in caps!) of their clothes are machine washable and dryable and “are perfect for playing in and getting messy and also dressing up.” She added that “mostly, we try to make clothes that last longer,” an imperative that led them to devise clever ways to design a fit they call “growable,” so that children can wear their clothes for more than a single season. For example, their boys shorts pull-on with an elastic waistband (though the styling suggests they have a hook!), are reversible (more versatile!), and can be rolled at the knee for extended use.
I’m smitten with their scalloped Claire dresses (shown above and below) in particular and love the idea that it can be worn at least two seasons/summers owing to its wrap style design, which closes in the back with an extra button to adjust to the perfect fit. The scalloped detailing is absolutely precious.
This party dress is also to die for! Claire let me know they would be releasing a long-sleeved version of the scalloped dress above for fall, and I can’t wait to take a peek!
Post-Scripts.
I’m likely going to enroll mini in a toddler ballet class this fall (we’re visiting the studio this week to check it out!). She’s already got her tutu covered, but I’m planning on ordering her a pair of these Bunnyhop slippers, a classic leotard, and — does she need a ballerina Barbie, too? I don’t know where you readers fall on the topic of Barbie; there’s been lots written about her impossible proportions and doll-playing and gender-specific toys in general, but my sisters and I LOVED Barbies and I happen to think they stirred our imaginations. We came up with all kinds of wild and twisted and emotional plotlines. We acted out dreams and emotions. So my girl will probably be a Barbie girl, too.
Have you heard of — or tried? — slow parenting before?
Mr. Magpie and I have been consciously avoiding over-buying toys in part because we don’t think she needs that much (and don’t want to spoil her) and in part because we lack space — but we’ve both noticed that she’s largely disengaged with her toys these days. The only toys she consistently plays with are her pull-a-long dog (named Pretzel), her two dollbabies and some of their feeding accessories, her duplos, and her plastic taxi. The others are fleeting interests at best, more often fun to dump on the floor than to actually interact with. We’ve come to the conclusion that she’s aged out of most of the toys she has, but we’re still months away from Christmas / her birthday, and so we decided instead to gradually introduce her to a new toy a month. (We’ll be saving some of the wow factor toys for Christmas, anyway — right now, at the top of my Christmas shopping list for her are a micro scooter and helmet (the ladybug KILLS ME) and a high chair for her babydoll, which she will lose her mind over. I can’t wait.) This month’s toy? A tea set. READ THE REVIEWS. People love this! I can’t wait for her to open it tomorrow morning. I think she’ll love “pouring” tea and having all the little parts to herself. I also bought her this board book to go with it.
I finally am transitioning mini into the full-sized bath tub. She’s been ready for a good month or two, but it was mainly forgetfulness on my end to buy all the accoutrements for bath time in our big tub. I ordered a bathmat to prevent falls/slips, a spout cover (this has been driving me crazy for the last few months — she’s nearly clocked her head on the metal spout a dozen times), a new set of bath toys (the reviews are crazy for these inexpensive plastic boats!), and some Crayola bath drops, which I’m sure she’ll adore. Incidentally, my sister recently sent mini these, and she is OBSESSED with them. It’s all she does in the bath tub.
Apropos of bath: I would love to buy mini one of these embroidered bathrobes, but feel she’s between sizes and don’t want to invest in something that she’ll wear for only a few weeks. I might use one of these in the interim, especially with all the current promo codes! Plus, it’s precious.
And apropos of coloring: mini was so into drawing in the bath that I discovered and instantly bought one of these “Water Wow” magic coloring books. It’s genius. You fill up the little marker with water and the pages turn color — and can be reused! I’ll be keeping this in my diaper bag for trips to restaurants.
Love the picks from Oso + Me — a new-to-me line that will surely be added to the arsenal of resources I have for future gifting! 🙂
I had & loved Barbies as well, until I outgrew them & just wanted to chop/style/dye their hair. Haha! I understand the fretting around the depiction of womanhood/women’s bodies that they give, but I agree with you that any toy that provides imaginative play is a good thing.
Same page per usual!! That’s hilarious that you would chop and dye their hair…love it! So sad to discover that it wouldn’t grow back, though…
My daughter absolutely loved having a mini stroller to push her doll baby especially when we would go out and walk the dog. A little harder for you in NYC I’m sure! Also she loved to pretend clean and had a little mini broom and dust pan so cute! I am all about Barbies, hours and hours of Imaginative play!
The stroller is the best! And we do bring it out with us to Central Park 🙂 It always turns a few heads — ha!
Mini broom and dust pan — OMG. I need.
I had so many Barbies (only one Ken though!) which brought me thousands of hours of joy for YEARS. While I agree about the message(s) she can send, was I subliminally picking that up as a child? Or did I have enough other role models surrounding me? Either way, well-adjusted, forward thinking person that I am today, I bought my niece a Lottie doll when she turned 3 (My daughter is only 15 months so I haven’t crossed this bridge with her yet). I liked that her body type is realistic, the company has a great mission, and I was able to select a doll who at the time had glasses, a backpack, notebook, and other cute yet smart accoutrements. Was my niece thinking, “geez Aunt Anna, I just wanted a Barbie?!” Maybe.
PS – love the micro mini scooter. My son got it for Christmas at age 2.5, but really did not master it till he was 3!
I love your thoughtfulness here. I hadn’t heard of Lottie dolls but they look amazing and I can get behind those, too! I think any of these toys that promote imaginative play are wonderful.
xo
When my kids were that age and we lived in a tiny space and my husband was a resident (i.e. made peanuts) we asked family instead of gifts for birthdays and holidays to give them experiences or lessons-something that lasted longer for all of us, less clutter and much more enjoyable. Gymnastics, swim, dance, music-and now there are so many more classes available!
That’s genius! I love that idea. Will be tucking that away for Christmas/birthday requests 🙂 xo
We’ve had my daughter in the big bathtub for forever – she hated the baby tub once she got old enough to figure out what it was, so we just started putting her in the big one and all was good. We have the boats and they’re a lot of fun (and don’t collect mold). She also likes the SkipHop bee fountain.
She’s also at the same stage where she’s largely disinterested in her toys, save duplos and balls. She did love the Rody bouncy horse we saw in a toy store recently, but I can’t tell if it’s just a temporary phase or whether to actually get it for her. (Similarly, we’re also limited on room and also don’t want to get her too many toys).
We’ve signed her up for baby gymnastics this fall – I would love to get her into ballet, but don’t think she has the patience for it yet! She is already showing a dislike for following instructions – she Did Not like her swim instructor and I think it’s because he wanted her to, I don’t know, actually do things instead of splash around.
I know, isn’t that the truth?! Sometimes I’m like, “Oh, she’s so into Pooh bear right now…what other Pooh toys are there?!” And then I think, “Maybe that was a phase. As in, one afternoon or one day or one week of loving Pooh.” The only things that have truly stuck are her dollbabies. She just adores those and has since the first day she laid eyes on them. I think it’s generally smart (and space-saving, a cost-saving) to keep things simple.
Baby gymnastics! Keep me posted on that! xo