New Products for Latino Toddlers

If you haven't visited the Latin Baby boutique lately, head on over there and check out a few of our newest products!

For all you mamás of toddlers, check out our two newest T-shirt designs.
If you have a rambunctious little boy in your life, why not get him a tee that sums it up? "Chiquito...pero picoso!"
And for those sweet little nenas, don't miss our adorable tee: "Chiquita Bonita"
Both shirts are embroidered and come in sizes: 2T. 4T. and 6T.

For more details, click here.

To commemorate the historic event of our first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, Latin Baby has come out with a limited edition bib, "Wise Latina in Training." The bib comes with the words printed in hot pink, except for the word "wise" which is embroidered in a sagacious purple.

To see this and our other bib styles, click here.

We also have the most beautiful sweaters from Peru in our shop. Handmade, each sweater is a one-of-a-kind piece that your child will love and cherish. With hand-appliquéd images of nature and wildlife, your child will be delighted to wear one of these beautiful sweaters!Each style is available in one size only.

For a closer look at all three styles, please click here.

Sugar Skull Mania...

One last giant post to celebrate Day of the Dead! As predicted, sugar skulls are everywhere. And as I sit here typing this post having to blow my nose every two sentences thanks to the first cold of the season, I am wishing that my head was a sugar skull so that my sinuses would be non-existent. Oh, well.

Here are some fabuloso finds to end this fun season...

First, check out this beautiful flower and sugar skull headband by Liz Miera embroidery. Isn't it bright, bold and beautiful? The perfect accessory to wear to that Día de los Muertos party, no?

And for all you crafty chicas out there, why not pick up a Tuck & Roll Organizer from Coyote Craft for all those crochet and knitting needles you have scattered everywhere? Not into the skulls? No worries, she has many other vibrant styles to choose from.

For the computer nerd, take a look at this sugar skull mouse pad by Vista Latina. Can you imagine what you co-workers would say if they saw this on your desk? Consider it a great opportunity to teach non-Latinos about Día de los Muertos.

Or maybe you are looking for some home decor? Or a little addition to your DOD altar? Well, how about one of these beautiful wallhangings by Carmela Jay? She has a ton of decorative sugar skulls. All of them so equally beautiful that it was hard for me to pick just one.

For those of you looking to add a little splash to your wardrobe, The Blue House has several sugar skull purses/totes with bamboo handles. This bag is also available in black, fuschia and red, but this beautiful tourquoise is my favorite.

For babies, check out these adorable Día de los Muertos bibs. Custom made to order by Stinky Monkey 4 Eva. I really like the colored bibs.

QueJimenez has several of these adult ladies' T-shirts available in various colors. Sizes small and medium are listed on her site, but I'm sure you can contact her directly to order a larger size if need be. The skulls are appliquéd to the front of the long-sleeve tee.

Or what about these awesome mosaic tiles? Garden Candy is offering 36 square porcelain tiles with one larger center tile. Perfect for scrapbooking, jewelry, and other art.

And finally, I'll end this post with my FAVORITE find from Scary Merry. Aren't these pairs of knitting needles the best? Unfortunately, I don't know how to knit! But they'd be worth it just for decoration don't you think? Or if you know someone who does knit, I think they would make a great Christmas present. I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I included them both here.

Happy Halloween a todos!

Picaflor Kids Reflects Latino Culture

A day that started out with a lot of wrongs but ended with a big right. This morning was filled with frustrations - sporadic internet access, a bad phone line, missed calls and finally a flooded laundry room. But, HURRAH, the new phone line is in and the internet is better than it has been since moving (and the laundry room is drying out rapidly in our sweltering heat.)

So now I am able to once again post freely and rapidly - woohooo! I will be announcing big news on Monday, so be sure to check back a week from today.

And now, on to the fabulous find of the week...

I am in love. Again. But this time it is to Picaflor Kids. What? You haven't heard of them, yet? Well, let me fill you in...

The founder and designer of this superb line of children's wear is Nancy Coronado. Though the company is based in Portland, Oregon, Nancy was born in Peru and she uses a family-owned clothing maker in Lima to produce her elegant designs for both boys and girls. Her spring line is fantastic - filled with brilliant colors and attention to detail, my favorites include (but aren't limited to) the Julia Knit Peasant Dress and the Gaucho Set for girls and the Guayabera Set for boys. I love how Nancy incorporates aspects of Latino styles in her creations. All of the styles reflect a timeless and elegant design that is super comfy for los niños to wear. The woven knits are hand-crafted, hypoallergenic and machine washable. You can find her spring line here.

Although it is not on their web site yet, Picaflor Kids' fall/winter collection includes the cutest pair of ruffled pants for girls that has "flamenco" written all over it. I'm looking forward to seeing my daughter in them! I will have to include a picture for you in a few months...

By now, you should all know how strongly I feel about supporting Latina entrepreneurs, as well as organizations that serve Latino children. This is one I am happy to recommend and I was pleased to find out that 10% of all Picaflor profits are directed to charities that benefit children in Peru.

To find a store near you, click here.

Ellaroo Rebozo Wraps Now Available!

Yippee! I am so happy to announce that our rebozo baby carriers from Ellaroo have arrived and are finally for sale at Latin Baby. We have 5 different styles and the colors are super! It is really nice to carry another line of products that supports Latino artisans. All of the Ellaroo Wraps are handwoven by a cooperative of weavers in Guatemala and are 100% cotton.

I am excited about these products for a number of reasons...

1) I so firmly believe in promoting positive, healthy parenting and as many of you know, I am a strong supporter of the practice of attachment parenting. Babywearing is an important aspect of this method of child rearing and I am happy to be able to offer our customers this new product.

2)We are really focusing this year on expanding the number of brands that we carry to make sure we are a one-stop shopping center for Latino families. We added our new layette at the beginning of the year and have now added the baby carriers, too.

3)By covering our basis and offering products for families at different stages, we have seen a jump in our gift registry, which makes me so happy that we are offering the products that you all want.

We have a lot of changes and additions coming to the company. Several projects are in the works with other companies and hopefully will see fruition this year (maybe by the end of the summer!) We are really working hard on our customer service, so please don't hesitate to contact us if you'd like to see us offer a particular product, or even just to let us know what you think of the store. Many of the products and designs we now carry are the result of customer requests. We are listening, Amigas! And we LOVE to hear from you!

If you haven't had a chance to sign up as a Preferred Member (a free subscription), hurry and do so. You can click here for a description of benefits.

Wishing you all a lovely week. ¡Un abrazo a todos!

~Monica

For Excessive Droolers...

As we all know, becoming a mamá has its many challenges. They are different for each of us, but for those of you dealing with the "babas" stage, here is an awesome product to help you out...

All babies go through bouts of drooling - especially during the teething stage - but for Carol Schiller, having a third child brought new meaning to the term "world-class drooler." Her struggles to find a bib that didn't immediately soak through inspired her to create Baby Chaleco performance wear and baby drool bibs, a revolutionary Performance Bib and designed like clothing, but it works like a waterproof bib. They are soft and stylish on the outside with a waterproof underlayer that keeps your baby dry and comfortable all day. Carol's no stranger to the fashion industry. In fact, she's worked at several of New York's fashion houses including Kenneth Cole, Ralph Lauren and Anne Klein. But her experience in the fashion world is much more extensive than that and it shows in the careful research and design of her products.

Now isn't that smart and creative?

They've recently updated their web site with new styles for the spring. So if you are dealing with a baby that has a lot of babas, then check out Baby Chaleco here.

Prospero Año Nuevo...

Happy New Year, Amigas! I hope all of you have had a wonderful holiday surrounded by loved ones. My family had a fantastic Christmas (with too many gifts for the kids from family and friends) and a nice, quiet New Year. We were all exhausted from the last two weeks that we had the best night's sleep anoche and awakened in excellent spirits. What a great omen for the coming year!

On the business side of things, it has been extremely busy (yea!) and Latin Baby has a lot of projects in the works for the next several months. The biggest is the Dallas Market in a few weeks. Retailers, if you are in the area, please stop by our booth (#21) in the KidsWorld Fair on the 8th floor of the Dallas World Trade Center. The Gift Show runs January 18th through 21st and I don't think it is too late to register.

We have many new products that we will be adding to the site, and the onesies (pictured above) are an example of the new layette line we are launching. The onesies are already available on-line, but the other items will probably not be listed until after Market.

I also have some important posts coming up over the next few days with product reviews, give aways and baby shower activities, so stay tuned!

We hope you will check back with us often so that you don't miss any of our new products.

Wishing you all a warm, peaceful, loving, joyous and successful New Year!

~Monica

Holiday Gifts for Abuelita's

Looking for some special gifts for Abuelita? Then look no furter! Latin Baby has some great gift ideas that celebrate the bond between 'Buelita's and their grandchildren. Our "#1 Abuelita" made their debut this year at the State Fair of Texas and were a real hit. It was one of our top sellers. Also, the little Anglito sun catcher above is handmade by JoAnna Ordóñez, owner of Vidriosa Glassworks, and may be customized according to the number of grandchildren. For example, for first time Abuelas, only one red heart may be used. Up to 5 hearts may be added per sun catcher. Throw in a couple of "Dichos de mi Abuelita" Notecards and you have the perfect gift basket!

To view these items, click here.

Holiday Gifts for Hispanic Families

I'd like to feature a couple of my favorite blog sites and their creative owners. They both have web shops were you can find some fabulous gifts for family.

The first is my friend, Carrie Ferguson Weir, of Bilingual in the Boonies. She and her artistic partner have created a couple of adorable new designs especially for the holidays (they are the owners of Los Pollitos Dicen). I believe they have a special price for these designs through the end of the year? Check them out here.

Next, Claudia Marchman, over at Stitchado, has all of her products for sale at her etsy store by the same name. My favorite is the "A de araña" onesie - what a fantastic theme and idea! Wish I had thought of it myself! To view her store, click here.

Latin Baby SALE!

Latin Baby's "Dia de Gracias" Sale is going on this weekend! Check out super savings with prices reduced up to 50% on children's tees, jean jackets, bibs, books and more... This is our biggest sale of the year, so check it out right away! Sale prices are valid for on-line purchases ONLY. Latin Baby products in boutiques, gifts shops, etc... are not included.

While supplies last....

View our products here.

¡Ay! Que Frio...

With el invierno upon us, I thought now would be a great time to feature a few items for keeping our children warm. I was extremely pleased to find this shop on-line. Caserita.com specializes in Bolivian handicrafts. I love their products and am seriously contemplating carrying some of their items.

First, check out the Rainbow Poncho and Hat for children ages 1 to 3. So beautiful and colorful for any child.

And second, how about this 3 Piece Alpaca Set for babies ages 3 months to 3 years? Made of 100% alpaca, it is soft, light and warm. A perfect gift for the niños in your life!

To view these and other products by Caserita.com, click here.

Abuelita's Corazoncito...

Hola, Amigas!!

So many of you have been asking about Latin Baby getting bigger sizes for toddlers. Well, your wish is my command~ Ta-da! I am happy to announce the beginning of our toddler line of tees and sweatshirts. I am hoping to have my complete line up and running by the Spring of '08, but for now you can get a sneak preview by checking out our new "Abuelita's Corazoncito" t-shirt. It is availble in sizes 2T, 3T, and 4T.

For more information check us out here.

Dainty Cups...

Just one more product from Etsy, I promise! This one is from Baby O'Really. These truly are the most beautiful reusable nursing pads I have ever seen! Obviously, they are lovingly and carefully handmade with many different yet delightfully feminine patterns to choose from. This rosebud pair is my favorite, but there are so many others, it was hard to choose just one style. Lucky for mamás everywhere, you can purchase them by the pair or in a gift pack set of 6.

For a full product description, see here.

Toddler Fashion

I am absolutely in love with this little outfit on the left by Hanna Anderson. It is part of her winter collection, labeled "A Thousand Flowers" and I believe it suppose to have an Asian feel, but to me, it just screams beautiful! The rich colores and even the style actually make me think of some of my trips to Latin America.

This collection has several other pieces in it, including a dress for mothers.

If you'd like to check out this little outfit, you can see it here.

Clothing for Premature Infants

According to the March of Dimes, nearly one out of every eight Hispanic babies is born too soon. While the preterm birth rate for Hispanics is similar to rate for the general population, it has grown more than 8 percent in the last decade.
I have a sister-in-law who has twice given birth prematurely and both her children weighed in at around 3 and a half pounds. They had to buy doll clothes at the store for the babies to wear - cute, but not exactly the best given how these little outfits are made with lots of tags and synthetic fabrics for insensitive dolls, not premature babies with super tender skin.
I was very happy to come across Anna's Preemies on-line. They have a wonderful selection of products for premature infants including sleepers, gowns, take home outfits, bibs, diapers and more. All the outfits are made of 100% Peruvian combed cotton, have no scratchy labels, are beautifully designed and don't cost a fortune.
So check out Anna's Preemies right away! You can see their web site here.