I am so glad to see the sun shine and the last of the snow melt! It has envigourated me with a renewed zest for life and business!  I’ve gone into planning mode and have been organizing some in-person shopping shows around Toronto for Kai Kids this spring.

The first will be our own, once again on the Danforth, on Saturday April 4th, in an early celebration of Earth Day!  Peter and I will be in our usual  funky space  at 1390 Danforth along with a bunch of new products we’ve added to Kai Kids boutique lately:

• natural, non-toxic and chemical-free skincare from TruKid
• Bamboo scratch mittens from Bamboobino
•  natural antibacterial hand sanitizer from CleanGeorge
• recycled cotton shopping bags from Bamboosa
• cute crib shoes for babies made from non-toxic leather by BabySoles
• gorgeous cable knit bamboo blankets from Bamboosa
• a fun new design (Town Scene) of Bok Handmade Wooden Blocks from Petit Flaneur

plus a lot more!

Come on out and say hello to us and check out our new lines, ask questions, and meet other green-minded parents. Please feel free to bring strollers and kids, as the store is stroller-friendly, has a couch for nursing, and we always bring lots of puzzles, colouring books and toys to keep your little ones occupied while you shop!

Details: Saturday April 4, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., 1390 Danforth Avenue (north side, just East of Greenwood and West of Monarch Park Avenue). For more information, please email us at info@kaikids.com

Hope to see you there!

A nice boost for us on this  chilly, dreary March day in Toronto: our eco-friendly online boutique Kai Kids is featured in the ParentEntrepreneur Spotlight on CanadianBabies.Ca – the A-Z Directory of All Things Baby. The site has a special section that profiles Canadian parents who have launched their own businesses, to help inspire other moms and also so that readers can find out about new and innovative Canadian products and businesses to support. They also have excellent national and regional newsletters about family events going on around the country and a directory of resources for parents.

Thank you CanadianBabies.ca, for the opportunity!

Hello everyone and happy (belated) 2009!  I can’t believe i haven’t blogged in over a month!  Apologies all around. December got busy with Kai Kids at shopping shows, plus our own kids, Christmas celebrations and then our family got felled by a horrid virus that left us all sick over Christmas and New Years, reeling, lethargic and behind on so many fronts in our life.

But my energy is back now and I’ve a renewed enthusiasm for business, babies and blogging!  Last week Peter and I went to a kids trade show for retailers and saw some excellent new products we are thinking of bringing on board at Kai Kids.

One is the TruKid line of non-toxic, organic natural skin and hair care – safe for babies but really aimed at toddlers, preschoolers and older kids. The scents are fresh and mild, the ingredients are natural, there are all kinds of excellent  products such as a sunblock stick and a natural hair detangler  (no more tears!), and the prices are very reasonable. Look for the line in February.

We were also very interested in a new organic cotton preemie line of hats, booties, onesies and sleepers from the U.S. So far, we have not carried items for premature babies, but i can imagine that parents of such vulnerable wee ones might be even more interested than the average mom or dad in organic, non-toxic clothing for their babies. Are any of you parents of preemies? Would these be products you would be interested in purchasing? We’d love your feedback to help make our decision.

We also just put in our new order for Baby Soles crib shoes. The new line from our popular Little Soles leather shoes for babies, these are soft-soled shoes aimed at babies 0-9 months in a bunch of cute, funky styles. We’ve always loved this natural, Canadian shoe line, but recently we’ve become even bigger fans!

The Calgary-based company has just launched rigorous independent testing of the leather and soles of their line of shoes to ensure they are free from: fomaldehyde, Perfluorooctane Sulfonate, AZO Colourants, and seven toxic elements commonly found in leather: lead, mercury, arsenic cadmium, antimony, selenium and barium. They are a very socially responsible and environmentally-aware company right in line with our own philosophy as parents and owners of Kai Kids  eco-friendly online boutique.Watch for their spring/summer collection coming soon!

Kai Kids is once again hosting a shopping day here in Toronto on the Danforth. This will be our third, right in time for the holidays!

Peter and I will be at 1390 Danforth from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 6 with all of our organic, eco-friendly wares for your family! We will have some special sales to encourage you to get your holiday shopping done, and to help us clear some stock to make way for new arrivals in the new year!

We’ll also have some lovely new eco-friendly products, including funky winter hats made from recycled sweaters (our boys look so cute in them!), and fun animal organic hooded towels and sleep sacks from Toronto’s 3 Sprouts.

As usual, the store is stroller-friendly, we’ll have some toys for your toddlers to play with while you shop, and we have a big, comfy couch that is a perfect spot to nurse if your baby feels the need.

For more information, please feel free to email us at info@kaikids.com

Please come on out and tell your friends!

Since we launched our Kai Kids  online boutique a year ago (yippee, we made it through our first year of business!) we’ve had some amazing attention and support from blogs, Canadian and American. In fact, we haven’t done much advertising at all, and many new customers have come our way via the blogosphere. (thank you TeensyGreen.com, GreatGreenBaby.com, CoolMomPicks.com, Ecochick.ca, Modecokids.com and others!)

This fall, we are thrilled to have finally had some print magazine coverage as well!  Here is a roundup of Kai Kids in the recent print and online press:

-In September, we made it into KIWI magazine’s print edition. They wrote a short piece on natural teething solutions, and profiled our Kai Kids top seller, The Ringley Natural Teething Toy, which we are proud to say, was created here in Toronto by a mom we know, Shaindy Alexander!

-In November, the online home of Parents magazine (a fave of mine) included us in their annual HolidayGift Guide, profiling our Organic Teething Bon Bon created by our friend Tressa Brotsky from Dress Me Up in Victoria, BC. It is a great little teether and is quickly becoming a fave amongst our customers.

-Also this month, Checkerspot Magazine, the bi-annual publication of the World Wildlife Fund, featured Tressa’s Organic Teething Bon Bon in their Organic Holiday Gift Guide in the Fall/Winter edition. Check out the spread to read the review!

Stay tuned as our new Carrot Top Kisses organic PJ’s are about to be featured in Canadian Family’s next edition, plus the gorgeous, one-of-a-kind canvases for kids rooms by mom/artist Sandra from Petit-Flaneur, will also be highlighted in an upcoming issue of Canadian Gardening. 

Today we are busy getting organized for a busy couple of days! Tomorrow and Friday we will have our Kai Kids booth at the wonderful Children’s Trunk Show held at the Distillery District here in Toronto. It’s an amazing arrray of mom-owned businesses featuring gorgeous, unique products for babies and kids.

We did our first one in May and it is a very busy show and the quality of all of the vendors is very high. So, if you are thinking of doing a little Christmas shopping and live in the area, I ‘d highly recommend it. And of course, we’ll be there with our collection of organic, eco-friendly products for babies and kids. Please stop by our booth and say hello!

On Saturday, we will be in the same place for another show, the brand-new Sustainable Style Show! This one isn’t a kids show, there might be one or two other baby vendors there besides us, but there will be a lot
eco friendly fashion and beauty vendors catering to all lifestyles and budgets. All vendors have met one or more criteria, ensuring that you are presented with truly sustainable options. The Sustainable Style Show is a one-stop shop for those looking to put their wallet where their heart is this holiday season – for the planet.

The event will be held at Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District, 55 Mill Street, building # 6 and #7, Toronto ON. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission is $10.

We hope to see you there!

Who came out to our one-day Kai Kids Organic Baby Sale on Saturday!  Peter and I really enjoyed meeting and talking to you in person, and also seeing and playing with your kids. We had an excellent turnout on the Danforth and really appreciated those of you who came from other parts of town to shop and take advantage of our sale.

We also met some great new customers from the Danforth and Greenwood neighbourhood, many of whom were expecting their first babies! Thank you for shopping with us and we hope you’ll consider us if you need any other planet-friendly baby items down the road.

It seemed that our colourful new bibs, placemats and splash mats by Mimi the Sardine were the hit of the day, which was great feedback, as they are a brand new product line for us, so we are happy they were selling and popular with our customers.

For those of you who missed it, we are hosting another upcoming sale closer to  the holidays, on Saturday Dec. 6, 2008, in the same location at 1390 Danforth.  We hope to see you there!

It’s back – this weekend we are hosting our second Kai Kids Organic Baby Sale on the Danforth!

If you are in the Toronto-area, we hope you can make it out to our first of two holiday shopping days on Sat. Nov 1, 2008! (the next one will be on Saturday Dec. 6, 2008).

Taking place in a funky retail space on Danforth Avenue near Greenwood, we will have all of our organic, recycled, upcycled, eco-friendly and Fair Trade products on display to help you with your holiday shopping. Plus, for this one day only, we will have special sales on many items, from BornFree glass baby bottles to organic cotton onesies and sleepers to sexy, eco-friendly maternity and nursing wear!

You can place orders in advance for pickup at our one-day location, or shop in person. Come on out and try things on, have a good look at items you might be curious about and take advantage of our special sale prices.

You’ll also get a look at our newest products:

- Stainless Seal non-toxic, non-leaching, recyclable food containers:

- Dress Me Up’s charming, handmade organic teething bon bons, soft cloth balls blocks, bibs and burp cloths

- Adorable organic cotton fruit and veggie-printed PJ’s from New Jammies:

- Eco-Me’s make your own non-toxic cleaning kits for home and baby:

-Unscented, organic, allergy and eczema-friendly Little Twig bodywash/shampoo, bubble bath and lotion:

Tell your friends, bring along your kids (we’ll have some toys and colouring books to keep the wee ones occupied), and mark your calendars! Join us for green parenting tips, conversation and some fantastic holiday shopping!

Saturday Nov. 1, 2006 at 1390 Danforth Avenue (just east of Linsmore Avenue, one-minute from Greenwood subway station) from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

For more information, email us at info@kaikids.com

We are always on the lookout for great new organic and earth-friendly products for our store, our own family and our customers. The past few months I’ve been especially interested in handmade, Canadian and mom-made baby products, and I’ve been hunting for artisans that use vintage or recycled fabrics. A few months ago I discovered some gorgeous upcycled baby items made by a Victoria, B.C., mom who runs a small company called Dress Me Up.

In July we added her popular Organic Teething Bonbon TM, to our Kai Kids online store and they’ve been selling well and are also starting to get some great media attention! We were excited to add another safe, non-toxic and Canadian teething toy to our lineup, as the Ringley Natural Teether has been such a hit with our customers since last winter!

I blog about our business and family here, and it turns out that Tressa from Dress Me Up also has a great blog over at her site. While reading her blog I found out that she would be making a trip to Naramata, B.C. this summer, which is where my family is and where I am spending this summer with Big Boy and the Little Guy! A few email exchanges and voila, a while back the two of us, both moms with new businesses and small children, found ourselves sitting in the sun at the only coffee shop in Naramata (a tiny village in the Okanagan Valley), drinking lattes and eating sour cherry muffins and homemade granola. It was my kind of breakfast meeting!

We talked kids, retailing and all about the struggles and truimphs we’ve both had so far navigating the previously unknown territory of starting up a business. Tressa and her lovely husband Nathanial also showed me her new lineup of products – some upcycled from vintage fabric finds, and many from oh-so-soft organic cotton flannel. Her products are finished to perfection, no flaws, with lovely modern, subtle designs of leaves and flowers embroidered on the flannel.

I’ll soon be putting in an order for some fun organic soft blocks (great for wee hands to grab, and safe to chew on as well!), adorable leaf bibs, soft balls and burb cloths sets. I am so excited to be carrying Tressa’s line, as everything is beautiful, unique, safe for babies and sustainable! And I’m also happy to have found another Canadian mompreneur to support with our business. I hope you’ll support her and us with your purchases, if you like her organic baby gear as much as i do!

Watch for the new additions soon!

2:30 PM

Here are a couple of pictures from our ’store’ location. It has been quite a different experience compared to doing something like the Greenmom or Children’s trunk show. We have not had as many customers but you get to spend a lot more time with each person, and so far everyone has bought something! We’ve had very positive feedback from everyone who’s visited so far so at the moment we think we wil do it again. We’ve had some gorgeous babies here so far today including 2 Maya’s, a Caitlin , sisters Ines and Isabelle, and an adorable 9- month-old boy named Luca (Luka?). Here are 2 pictures from the ’store’.

Okay, time to go get a coffee before we get inundated with the apres-nap crowd! If there’s time, I will try to post again before we leave the store, otherwise, I will post sometime this evening after the boys are in bed!

Hope you’re having a great day!

Peter…

10:45 PM

The end (?) of the day. It wasn’t quite as busy as we had hoped but it was fun nevertheless. No apres-nap crowd after all. It’s a great space though and I think it has a lot of potential. I have quite a lot of ideas after being there today. We will probably have another shopping day in September, we will let you know as soon as we confirm.

Thanks to everyone who came by today, it was great to meet you all.

Peter…