Barley and Birch poppy top

If you've been wondering what to buy as a shower gift for that pregnant person in your life, look no further. This is it. It is the perfect onesie from Barley and Birch. In fact... if it came in adult sizes I might be tempted to say it is the perfect tshirt... but yet again, the babies get all the best designs. This one ticks all the boxes being made from organic cotton and water based inks. Seriously, perfect.

Couture maternity wear?

Looking for something a little spesh to wear this time round mid-pregnancy? Jean Paul Gaultier has just the thing... underwear as outerwear for the very boldest of soon-to-be mums. I'm not knocking it... I just don't think I could quite pull this off. Let me know if you plan to have a go though...

Fauna tees

A print stylish enough to grace anyone's tshirt, I think... boys, girls and grown ups alike, it works! It seems to be becoming almost standard for beautiful things to be 100% organic cotton... and these silk screened shirts are no exception. Hooray! Along with the amazingly detailed gorilla print, you can also choose from rabbits, seahorses, puppies and pigeons... a slightly strange animal selection but they are beautiful to look at.

Wing boots!

Oh yes... These are as awesome as they look. Magic boots! Enough to make me wish I was little again so I could wear them myself. Difficult to decide which colour to get... would both be excessive? Cleverly they have velcro fastenings at the side to make them super easy to get on. If being the focus of envious looks from your parent and baby group is a motivation to you these boots from Chickpea Kid are sure to do the trick.

Flirty Bird hair accessories

On the look out for the ultimate baby hair clips? Me too! I'm quite into hair accessories generally and so tend to make a bee line for the cute hair clips when I go in to baby shops... general conclusions? There is a lot of pink out there... most things I come across are a bit same-y and uninspiring. But not these gorgeous ones from Australian store, Flirty Bird... also, I love the name! The patterns are bright and cheerful featuring apples, cupcakes, cherries and tonnes more. Check them out...

Organic Lightening tshirt

Something for your little bright spark... this hand silk-screened organic tshirt is very appealing, especially if you're looking for a little relief from the usual fare of Thomas the Tank Engine or Dora the Explorer. I think even the most dedicated fan of cartoon characters would find this tshirt decidedly wearable. And the lightening effect is super realistic!

Thula Thula bespoke playsuit

Guess what arrived in the mail this morning! This absolutely gorgeous playsuit by Thula Thula... I found this seller on the Made It website and became obsessed with this little number. The woman behind the label is Naomi and she makes gorgeous things (to order if you ask nicely) and has a new line coming out soon. I'm just about to head off overseas for a family visit and this little suit is perfect for summer frolics. Best dressed baby award heading my way I think...

Cuckoo Nest felt creations

Ooooooh.... these amazingly detailed felt creations from Cuckoo Nest are great! I love them... I don't usually get quite so carried away about toys... honest. But these little pieces are pretty special. I think I'll have to get one for my daughter just so I can have a closer look. Check out the tiny squirrel having tea inside the cuckoo clock. The handbag gingerbread house would make long journeys more attractive to your little one doubling as a bag and a toy house and I really love the strawberry shortcake hedgehog house with its teeny tiny tea set and bedside lamp... cute!

Green apple shoes from Pedrosprout

Oh, the cuteness! Some funky little shoes from a Brisbane seller called Pedrosprout. The shoes are fully lined with no exposed seams... made from, get this, kunin ecospun... what's this I hear you ask? Well, the website says this is a material made from 100% certified recycled plastic bottles! Wow... really? My old water bottles can become these shoes? A-mazing!

Reinhard Plank hat collection

Just right for the dress up box but also stylish enough for the little one to want to wear all the time. I love the Robin Hood style feather hats... quite dashing! There are a few to choose from but it looks as though you have to add your own feathers. I feel genuine envy sometimes about the fact that kids can go out in stuff like this and look cool... if I did it I'd look certifiable.

Floral belt by Black Eyed Susie

OK... I'm officially buying things for my daughter that I secretly want to wear... look at this pretty, pretty belt! I found it on Made It... everything here is handmade and there are some absolute gems. I mentally spent about $500 in the first half hour I looked at it and had to put my trusty laptop away. I've already ordered a bespoke little playsuit from another seller Thula Thula (but more about this talented lady later). I know when you see some of the simpler handmade items on these sites you might think, "I could make that"... but, will you? I find that the prices are seriously reasonable for these lovely, often bespoke items and well worth it. I urge you to buy your baby gifts from sites like Felt, Made It, or Etsy. The bonus being that your gift won't be duplicated and it will help support these cottage industry crafty people.

Mini Margot by Erica Tanov

Brrrrr.... it's cold down here in the southern hemisphere. I just got an email from a friend who works in town and he said he sees snowflakes drifting past his office window... in Wellington! It never snows in Wellington. So these lovely winter coats hold a lot of appeal right now. Trench coats look amazing with almost every outfit so I'm very tempted by the plaid number. The only problem... no hood!

Amoretti Designs - Frou Frou with a capital F!

These pretty dresses and skirts are just on the right side of girlie. I'm all for having a tonne of jeans and tshirts in my daughter's wardrobe but every little girl needs a gorgeous party dress. I love the crossover detail on the back of the dresses... extremely stylish. And I'm always a sucker for twirly skirts. Rebekah, the woman behind the label, is from Idaho and lives in England... the combined influences seem to have produced elegant clothes that make me think of market days in Italian villages... if only they came in my size!

Twinkle Wrap favour box kits

I really like this idea... Twinkle Wrap have come up with a nifty way to package the little goodie bags given out at birthday parties. Ecological consciousness is very important to these guys and they use materials that are about as safe as anything can be, with a stringent certification process that tests for over 100 harmful chemicals. So why not get something a little bit different for your party favours? This creative bunch also do some amazing matching onesies... they'd be super cute on twins but I'd happily buy the set just for my daughter.

Cranky Pants from Mahar Dry Goods

OK... time to post about one of my favourite sites... Mahar Dry Goods sell a great collection of vintage and artisan crafted items and is well worth a browse. What do you think of these woolly cranky pants? Personally I think they're lovely... they are hand knitted by a woman who has set up a fairtrade wool supply from Peru. Do you ever wonder where all these arty people get their energy from? It must take so much work! Anyway... if you need more convincing just imagine your wee one crawling around with a monster face on their bottom.

Bo Mini Moo Boots - Tan & White

I think these are a little bit Hollywood for me but no doubt they will appeal to the more fashion forward amongst you. Each Bo Boot is unique with patterns varying between pairs... I can picture them on the trendsetter babies down at Oriental Parade in Wellington. They are pretty cool, huh?

Standard Issue knitwear for kids

I am a BIG fan of Standard Issue... I haunt Starfish in Wellington waiting for the new pieces to come in. If you haven't come across it before it is the best knitwear around. They work in merino and cashmere. I have the most amazing red cardigan which has somehow been knitted into little crinkles... it's beautiful and I love it. I've just noticed they have a kids wear section which is pretty exciting. I like this poppy-coloured hooded dress... imagine how snuggly it would be in this current weather we're having. The blue striped hoodie is a great staple for winter. It's a New Zealand label and there are lots of stockists but here's a good online shop. The grown up range is certainly worth a look too!

Baby it's cold outside... Sudo winter collection

I think Melbourne must be one of the creative centres of the southern hemisphere. So many amazing designers have set up shop there. I live in Wellington and I always imagine Melbourne to be Australia's equivalent to this place. I love these winter coats from Sudo. I think my favourite is the grey ruby coat (above). It's simple and elegant... this is another one of those things I wish came in my size. The purple trench coat is amazing... quite glam. Your little one would feel as though they were playing dress up when they put this on, which could be useful during the put-your-coat-on struggle. Sudo also do a lovely leather jacket for boys which would look great over the red Alex shirt (below). This shirt feels very antipodean to me.

Album di Famiglia ensemble

This is a bathing suit in the old fashioned sense... not so much for getting wet as for looking super stylie by the beach. It has a bit of a fifties vibe to it. I think it's never too early to start playing dress up. The Album di Famiglia range is full of gems... I could happily buy the whole lot.

Tammy Donohoe's babywear

Check these babies out... I like! All of Tammy's designs are gorgeous. She has even come up with a novel way of dressing up a pacifier by turning it into a brooch. It's certainly not at the budget end of the spectrum and Tammy uses a lot of high end fabrics like silk. But if you have money to burn and a model baby who never spills anything on their clothing this is the collection for you. Perhaps for a special occasion...

I'm always amused by the clothes designers designate as being "for boys" or "for girls"... usually you can re-read it as "unisex" or "frou frou", respectively. The shirt style onesie above is lodged firmly in the boys section but I think it would be lovely on any baby. Same goes for the cute all-in-one below... I'm developing a bit of a thing for these woolly suits. Maybe it's because winter is looming.