Your little one is on the move, ready to explore and full of opinions. Luckily, when it comes to the kicks that’ll get them where they need to go, trusted shoe brand Stride Rite has shoes fit for every step—like the Surprize by Stride Rite collection exclusively at Target. With trendy styles, fun colors and a comfy fit, they’ll excite even the pickiest of toddlers. Plus, they’re durable, machine washable and a price you’ll love. Here are our top picks from the fall line:
Surprize by Stride Rite, Flynn, Boys’ Toddler Sneakers
These trendy sneakers have a smart secret: Even though they look like they have laces, it's actually an easy hook-and-loop closure.
Kids have a lot of energy to burn. And beelining it to the snack cabinet or swiping their tablets doesn’t quite cut it. Get your kiddo moving and grooving on their very own stationary bike— The Little Tikes Pelican Explore & Fit Cycle. Bonus points if it’s “parked” next to your grown-up version. Has working out with a buddy ever been so adorable?
They Can Go on Epic Adventures Without Leaving the House
The Little Tikes Pelican Explore & Fit Cycle takes indoor cycling up a notch by bringing kids on fun, interactive adventures. This cool bike offers 3 modes: free trainer-led adventure videos on YouTube, built-in audio-only journeys and play the music of your choice via Bluetooth™. Kids can keep the healthy vibes flowing as they experience the thrills of a mountain bike, snowboard or roller coaster. And to take the fun factor to new levels, the bike safely tilts back and forth for extra thrills.
It’s a Great Way to Be Active Indoors
No matter what the season, the Pelican is always ready to go (while actually not going anywhere at all!). Whether it’s scorching hot or—brrr—too cold, kids can move their bodies in a “just right” environment, whenever they want, regardless of the weather.
They Can Be Just like You
This bike is perfect for motivating children to create healthy habits along with mom and dad. If you already have a stationary bike, chances are your child thinks it’s pretty cool. Thanks to the Pelican, your kiddo can ride nearby and join in on the heart-pumping fun.
It’s Designed Just for Kids!
Made for children ages 3-7, the adjustable seating and handlebars make it a great fit as children grow. The lever can be adjusted to change the resistance of the workout from easy to more challenging. The coil spring mechanism, heavy-duty metal frame and textured grip handlebars ensure a safe, sturdy ride.
So what are you waiting for, let’s pedal to adventure!
LEGOLAND New York has been busy the last year. After finally opening, the amusement park has just finished its MINILAND exhibit with one last must-see build.
What New York landscape is complete without a yellow taxi cab? The Master Builders agree, and that’s why they’ve just wheeled in the a 95,000+ piece taxi that is fit for the ages.
The huge project took over 370 hours of building between four master builders. In addition, it took a designer 117 hours alone to develop and bring this one of a kind taxi to life!
The taxi will join other iconic landmarks in the MINILAND section of the park, including Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Station, Central Park, Empire State Building and more. It’s actually life-sized and you can sit inside for the perfect photo opp.
My mother was so excited for her son and son-in-law that she continuously sent package after package of new clothes to our house. Week after week they came, each filled to the brim to show just how much she loved her new granddaughter.
Newborns do not stay small for long, and with piles of new clothes forming I found some time to go to the store and exchange some items for some bigger sizes. I packed the multiple bags of pink, purple, and pink/purple pants and shirts into my car, excited at the prospect of getting some greens, yellows, and grays into my new daughter’s wardrobe.
I walked into the store and quickly learned about the “boys” and “girls” sections: girls were meant to wear three colors: pink, purple, and pink/purple. Dresses and shirts were adorned with phrases such as “World’s Best Mom” or “Mom Knows Best.”
Across the aisle in the boys’ section, I saw gray pants, green sweatshirts, black vests, and superheroes. Lots of superheroes. Absent were any “World’s Best Dad” or “Dad Knows Best” shirts, let alone clothes with designs and slogans geared toward kids rather than parents.
After repeated trips to the store to make exchanges—my mom’s packages kept coming—I quickly developed a strategy to find the clothes I want: Ignore the sections; pick eye-catching colors; and get clothes that fit my daughter’s developing personality. As a parent of a child with two Dads the same sentences went through my head every time I went to that store: “Right. I’m different here too.”
Being a new parent is hard. You’re quickly confronted with lots of decisions and few people to help you navigate them. You are also confronted with all the stereotypes and prescribed narratives that come along with being a “mom” or a “dad.” As a gay man, I was used to creating my own narrative. I realized that now, as a gay adoptive parent with my husband, we would have to chart our own course.
And here’s what I realized: Past experiences figuring it out on my own set me up to feel totally comfortable crossing that aisle from the girls’ to boys’ section in the store: I’ve dressed in drag, I like the color pink, and why would I ever let a clothing store dictate to me what was in my closet, let alone my kid’s closet!?!
One thing that’s clear with kids is that they see the world differently than we do. They take things less seriously and like to play. So why not encourage that through their clothing? Why not make fashion an enabler of expressing who they are rather than telling them they have a limited sandbox in which to play?
We have been lucky to be in a generation where more and more we see boys running around in dresses and girls wearing all black. We love seeing kids play with gender, mixing and matching styles that speak to them rather than the outside world. We love the freedom that comes from picking clothes the same way we pick our food at the supermarket: choose what nourishes you and your body. Food is meant to be enjoyed, mixed and matched, played with through new and old recipes. Clothes should be too.
Eventually my mother’s boxes of clothing stopped coming—our daughter passed age 8 and she was ready to choose her own clothes. She is still amazed when we shop for pants and remembers history books that talk about women being admonished for wearing pants. She asks: “Why would anyone care? Who made those rules?” Good questions!
Our kids are ready to have playful fashion that matches their ability to see each other as people, not strictly as boys or girls who fit into a box. Let’s take that box, shake it out on the floor, and mix and match until our kids pick what they want to wear. Everything ends up dirty in the laundry machine anyway!
Elizabeth Brunner is a San Francisco-based designer and the founder of StereoType, a gender-free, style-forward kids clothing brand that’s designed to celebrate individuality and freedom of self-expression by blending traditional ideas of boys’ and girls’ wear. StereoType combines style, design and comfort to inspire creativity, individuality and freedom of expression.
Who’s getting excited for Halloween? In anticipation of the ultimate spooky season, Disney just expanded its Adaptive Roleplay kid’s costumes and wheelchair cover sets to include even more options this year.
Disney’s adaptive costumes came on the market last year and included options like Disney Princesses and Pixar characters. Now, kids can also choose from Marvel Studios’ Black Panther Adaptive Costume, a Star Wars: The Mandalorian Adaptive Costume and Star Wars: The Mandalorian Wheelchair Cover Set and more!
Kids and adults who use wheelchairs and have other accessibility needs will find the adaptive costumes a great fit. The costumes are made with stretch fabric that opens in the front, is open in the rear and has a long inseam.
Each costume has flap openings on the front center with self-stick fabric closure to accommodate tube access and the wheelchair cover sets fit most standard wheelchairs with 24-inch wheels. The sets include plastic piping pieces for added support and long self-stick fabric strips to secure the pieces.
The 2021 Halloween collection is live on shopDisney.com and already has tons of costumes for new releases like Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon as well as classic films. You can find decor, clothing and accessories to last you the whole season!
Whether you have a major Disney princess fan or a little who loves a good dress up sesh, Janie and Jack’s newest line is fit for a queen (in training).
The Disney Princess Collection by Janie and Jack is a 50-item lineup of apparel, shoes and accessories all inspired by the most famous princesses of all: Cinderella, Belle, Ariel and Tiana. Each mini collection includes both casual and party clothes, in addition to items like headbands, gloves even wands!
We love the over-the-top cocktail-style dresses, but can’t wait to get our hands on adorable and comfy items like jumpsuits, leggings, joggers and sweaters.
The collection ranges in price from $16.50 to $135, and in sizes ranging from three months to 12 years.
In conjunction with the new collection, Janie and Jack have also launched the “Everyone’s A Princess” campaign, which shares the message that every child can be a princess by embracing attributes like courage and kindness––just like a Disney princess.
The campaign is highlighting the stories of five inspiring kids on Instagram, who are real life “princesses,” performing good deeds and sharing kindness in their community.
You can shop the new princess line at local Janie and Jack stores and on janieandjack.com.
As we ease out of summer and into fall, retailers everywhere are getting amped for warm weather duds. When it comes to Halloween, Old Navy is ready for the spooky season!
The retailer just launched the first round of Halloween pajamas, T-shirts and socks that will get your excited to scream boo! While clearly there is more to come, we couldn’t help but get excited at the products available so far. Keep scrolling to see our faves!
Gender-Neutral Snug-Fit Skeleton Graphic Pajama One-Piece for Kids
You’ve made the big decision to add a pet to your family and now it’s time for another important choice: What kind of animal will you get? Once you’ve narrowed your choice down to cat or dog (or bird, or lizard!) you’ll also need to figure out which kind of pet best fits your family’s lifestyle. We’ve teamed up with Hill’s Pet and five moms to see how they decided on what kind of pet to add to their family:
As a mom to two tiny humans and two dogs, Nashville Wife Styles has her hands full! When it was time for her family to get another dog, she knew that a pug mix was the perfect loyal pup to join their fam.
The Jamie Lynn Show and her three little ones love to fill their weekends with activities and adventure, which is why they decided on a Goldendoodle. This energetic pup is always prepared to join them as they explore!
While Texas Forever Farmhouse is a fan of both cats and dogs, when it came to getting her own family pet she knew that a cat was the best fit, thanks to their independence and quiet presence.
The Gingy Pants had her pup Fin before they started growing their family with children, but she always knew she wanted her kids to grow up with a dog. Having an older pup who is a little bit calmer has been a perfect fit for her two little ones!
When Ann Marie Bailey’s family was spending more time at home last spring, they decided to add a pup to their family. With three kids, they wanted a dog that was full of energy, but as a family with sensitive skin they also knew a hypoallergenic dog was best for them.
If your kid is one of the 30 million who subscribes to Ryan’s World on YouTube, they’ll be stoked for this news! Skechers has collaborated with the kid star to release a limited edition shoe collection, out now. It’s the first time a major shoe brand has offered a young YouTube personality a global footwear deal.
Of course, Ryan released one of his signature videos to break the news. You can watch it now and go behind the scenes as the collection comes to life!
With three styles to choose from, your family will be back to school in style. Ryan’s Challenge is a light-up slip-on style with bungee laces, Gamer Ryan is a slip-on with a Magna-Fit toggle closure and the classic Red Titan sneaker is canvas with Ryan’s superhero character design. The shoes range from $57 to $62 and come in sizes from a kid’s 10.5 to 5.
The shoe collection is limited edition and available now online at Skechers. No doubt your kids can’t wait to unbox these!
For the first time in 20 years, the Daisies, Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts are getting new official apparel! The wardrobe will pay homage to ’90s style and feature eco-conscious touches—plus the Girl Scout uniforms will be upgraded with recycled materials.
If you’re shopping for your younger Scout, you’ll find a collection of fashionable oversized T-shirts, slim fit pants and fun accessories like scrunchies and headbands. All pair perfectly with the iconic sash or vest and allow girls to show off their style and personality. You can buy items starting in late August through the Girl Scout Shop.
The collection will range in price from $10-$39 and is designed with comfort and durability in mind. It’s color-coordinated by grade level and will offer both casual and formal options. Best of all, it offers inclusive sizing options ranging from XXS to PXXL..
Meanwhile, the updated Girl Scout uniforms will feature the same colors and designs, but be made of a fabric that includes 40% recycled material. The Girl Scouts will also begin an upcycling program to turn old uniforms into new materials, like aprons, pillows and totes. Starting in August you can purchase these items through the Girl Scout Shop and select council stores!
