Children's Toy & Clothing Sale

Children's Pillage in the Village is coming up once again on October 3rd in Bloor West Village, Toronto. Check out their site or the image below for details. Last Spring, Erin, Karen and I went and found some useful stuff for the girls. It's all gently used baby items ranging from clothes to toys to books. Be warned though that once you get in the doors (and usually there's a line up first) you need to run in and grab what you want- so plan your shopping list first! The moms are nuts and things get taken right away. There is lay away on site, but it's only for a short period. You also can't bring in shopping bags, they suggest a basket, but last time we saw lots of people w/bags who still got in. If you pay cash exiting is much faster- but they do accept credit card.

Have fun shopping and we might see you in line!

Preparing for Baby

Episode 1

Welcome to the first episode of Little Baby Steps! For complete introductions of our mommies and babies, feel free to visit our website http://www.littlebabysteps.ca/Little_Baby_Steps/About_Us.html

In this segment we discussed the many ways we prepared for the arrival of our baby. From pre-natal classes, OB's and midwives to hyno-birth plans and the newsletters we subscribed to, we all prepared in much the same way. We discovered that there are only so many things you can do to prepare for the unknown but there are a number of excellent books, newsletters and websites available. For a complete list of resources (books, newsletters, websites etc) visit http://www.littlebabysteps.ca/Little_Baby_Steps/Resources.html

So you walk out of the hospital with this tiny bundle ... now what? In this weeks episode we also discussed the items that were critical in those first few days and months as well as those that didn't prove to be very useful. And as you'll see, some items belong in both categories depending on the mom and of course the baby!


Among the favorite "must have" items were: baby bjorn carrier, change table, bouncy chairs, swing, bassinett, and ear thermometer. The reason for our love affair with these items is self explanatory: they made our lives easier, and kept the baby content.

On the "not so useful" list are: coordinated nursery set, bouncy chair, swing, and bath tubs with the molded incline and seat. And, as you can imagine these items were either very expensive for their limited use or were not enjoyed by the baby and therefore were not used.

When looking for gear we suggest that you check out local second hand stores such as Once Upon a Child http://www.onceuponachild.com/ (with locations across Canada and the US), or online at Kijiji (for Canadian shoppers visit http://www.kijiji.ca/ and in the US visit http://www.kijiji.com/). This is a great way to purchase gently used gear and clothing at a fraction of the cost. Each of us have found some great items this way.

You can listen to our podcast by hitting the play button below:

Enjoy!

DoddleBugs closing sale Feb 6th

DoddleBugs (which sells gently used kids clothing/toys) in Bloor West Village is closing. As a result they are having a massive clearance sale this Saturday, February 6th. They are located at: 2323 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON.