Red Carpet Baby.

(above: CELEBRITY BABY TREND EXPERT, RACHEL FLORIO-URSO)

Ever wonder how Suri, Kingston and Shiloh always look so hip?  

Well, like any other celebrity they have a great stylist behind their look.

I sat down with CELEBRITY BABY TREND EXPERT, RACHEL FLORIO-URSO to get to the milk and cookies on the top holiday gifts, fashion trends and splurges that will have your baby looking as cool as a red carpet kid!

Q:  How did you become a well known, “Celebrity Baby Trend Expert”?

RF: I Launched Rachel Florio PR over a decade ago and about six years ago I started dressing celebrity moms-to-be and their kids when I started making my rounds on the T.V. segment circuit on “What’s Hot for Tots!”

I gained a lot of  recognition as a “Celebrity Baby Trend Expert” when OK! magazine, Life & Style magazine and People.com began covering my baby connections with Angelina Jolie, Katie Holmes and other celebs. Before you knew it I was quoted in USA Today, the NY Times and on Extra!. I have been on a roll ever since thanks to all of the fabulously pregnant A-list celebs who like what I have to deliver!

(above excerpt from OK Magazine)

(above: excerpt from Life Magazine)

 

Q:  Investing in a high priced luxury item for yourself is easy. You can justify it by that fact that it will last for years to come. Many parents have a difficult time investing in luxury baby items because they grow out of them so quickly. Where should a parent skimp and where should they splurge?

RF: A NEW baby means NEW products! Many things come into play when you are considering your baby-shopping budget – your personal finances, needs, desires, and style.

I am all about buying fewer higher quality items; however I do realize that we all have different financial situations so I try to educate consumers. In this economy, it’s all about making smart purchases. 

If you sit down and make a shopping list you will notice that there are items that can be traded in for multi-purpose products such as an all-in-one swing or a Splendipity Snuzzle Me organic infant seat cover that is also used as a high chair or shopping cart cover. 

(above: Splendipity Snuzzle Organic Infant seat/highchair/shopping cart cover)

As a mom who had multiple c-sections, I realized that a co-sleeper was the wiser investment for my situation. The cradle was used only a handful of times so I could have skipped that purchase.

When it comes to a car seat there is no doubt that the highest safety rated infant seat is the best bet!Never skimp on that! If you don’t happen to like the seat cover pattern simply get a trendier or classier car seat cover (as long as it is safety regulated and approved).

Splurge on your stroller! It is guaranteed to make at least 36 months of parenting less stressful and your back will love you for it! Strollers should be light weight and functional. It’s not easy to run errands with a large Inglesina pram with 16″ rubber wheels. A classic pram is best for walks in the park, but we busy parents need something a bit more practical. Test out some strollers in the store and make sure it folds quickly and takes only one parent to lift it into the trunk. My fave is the hot pink stroller by Stokke. It’s a head turner and it meets my standards!

I am a huge fan of the Boon Flair Pedestal highchair and while it’s a splurge I am all for it. I know how many times we moms have to feed our baby so why not put them in a comfy, hip looking chair while doing so. You could easily spend $275.00 on another bar stool so why not spend that money on one of your baby’s most useful products!

(above: Boon Flair Pedestal Highchair)

 

Q: Holiday shopping season is in full swing. What are your top baby/kids gift ideas?

RF: I love holiday shopping and one gift that celebs and consumers are going crazy over is the “Benatar” graphic on a Little Trendstar t-shirt. This brand can’t keep them in stock! Tori Spelling’s baby, Hattie, has the Benatar in a onesie style. A picture of the onesie appeared in OK! magazine recently.

(above: Benatar Onesie from  Little Trendstar)

(above: Little Trendstar t-shirt)

Another great gift idea is For Two Fitness active wear for expectant mothers.  It has been selling out this holiday season. They are constantly in production, so don’t worry! You can purchase these products for the mommy-to-be in your life by visiting their website. Their yoga pants fit extremely well and their shirts have clever phrases like, “Yoga For Two”, “Running For Two” or ‘Hot Mama”!

 

(above: For Two Fitness tanks)

 

The best stocking stuffer for baby is a Le bibble fashionable bottle bib. Le bibble takes care of the dribble! I love the prints and the concept!

 

(above: Le Bibble bottle bib)

Of course I will be partial to my own brand Designer Diaperz! I have been dreaming and planning out every detail for this brand over the past seven years. I partnered up with Silly Bandz creator, Robert Croak last year. This is a brand like no other on the market and when the diapers hit store shelves you will hear about them, read about them, and see them everywhere!

 

Q:  Looking forward to Spring, what are the top 3 trends in children’s apparel

RF: Pretty dresses! The new couture brand for girls, Djaknemala, is getting major attention with celeb daughters and the media. This high quality, beautiful collection comes from a small town in Sweden and will arrive in stores in spring 2012.

(above: Djaknemala dress)

Mother and daughter (and father and son) coordinating beachwear by Stella Cove has been pre-sold to amazing stores like Barney’s NY and Harrods of London. This is a trend to watch!

(above: Stella Cove)

(above: Stella Cove glasses)

 

Bow-ties will carry through to next spring and will be here to stay since they are a classic accessory adored by both prepsters and hipsters! Chelsea Baby is the BEST of the BEST when it comes to bow-ties. Baby boys are wearing the Chelsea Baby shoes and baby girls are accessorizing with bright colored headbands with snap-on bow-ties. Too cute!

(above: Chelsea Baby shoes)

Q: What is the 1 item EVERY new parent should own?

RF: Wry Baby’s Wheel of Responsibility! Because parents need to have a sense of humor in order to get through the baby years.

To stay up to date on the coolest, hippest and trendiest things in the world of babies and kids follow Rachel’s blog at:

Rachelfloriopr.com/blog

 

 

 

 CELEBRITY BABY TREND EXPERT, RACHEL FLORIO-URSO IS GIVING ONE OF MY LUCKY READERS AN INCREDIBLE PRIZE PACK FULL OF HER TOP PICKS INCLUDING  ALL OF THE ITEMS LISTED BELOW (yes ALL of them!)

T-shirt from Little Trendstar (in winners selected size pictured above)

Shoes from Chelsea Baby (in winners selected size pictured above)

Tank from For Two Fitness  (in winners selected size pictured above)

Dress From Djaknemala  (in winners selected size pictured above)

Bottle bib from Le Bibble  (in winners selected color pictured above)

Splendipity Snuzzle Organic Infant seat/highchair/shopping cart cover( in color choice of winner pictured below)

Stella Cove Sunglasses (pictured above)

 To Enter:

First click here to  “like” Rachel Florio PR on Facebook 

Then leave a comment on this post between Dec. 11 and Dec. 17th telling me why you should win this playground full of prizes.

Good Luck and Thanks for Reading!

For additional entries use the buttons below to “Share” on facebook and twitter.

Last Weeks Lucky winners are Kimiko and  Quoc H.  Congrats!

 

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20 Comments

  1. First! And Ohh Emm Gee, what a fun article for me to read!
    Yesterday was Jude’s due date, and although he’s being a little stubborn (can’t imagine where he gets that), he should be here any day! This prize pack would be an awesomely timed gift for our new arrival!
    Regardless, thanks for the tips! The Little Trendstar Tee is SO cute on that little guy!!!
    Super excited for our new adventure!!!

  2. I have pregnant friends who are expecting soon and I didn’t know what to get them for Christmas! These items would be awesome!

  3. Splurging on a car seat and stroller is definitely worth it. Not only for safety reasons but they will last longer and you will get ur money’s worth!

  4. Have a daughter due April 2012 and she would really get excellent use out of these items…and be very surprised and honored to step out in your styles with her newly pregnancy look…red carpet styling!

  5. I love love these items , due to my husband being laid off my second boy who is three months has nothing but hand me downs .I would love to get these items for me and my boy so for once my baby has something brand new . It’s killing me that we can’t even get them Christmas due to no money so maybe if we won My little man will have something to unwrap under the tree! Thank you so much and God Bless Merry Christmas

  6. Hi, I am so in love with ALL these items. As a tom boy growing up I never thought I would want to dress my little girl up girly until I realized basic onsies and pants were not so cool after all and those Chelsea Baby shoes are amazing!! As a model I am in touch with all the trends and love to style myself and I like to have my kids up with the trends too. Now I usually make sure they are dressed and ready to go before myself! I especially love the Snuzzle Organic Infant seat/highchair/shopping cart cover because it is so important when you are using a grocery cart or a restaurant high chair. They are always so grosssss. Thanks so much!!!

  7. What a great giveaway. I found it through Little Trendstar, so obsessed with them. I would love this giveaway as I am a single mom of a 2 yr old boy and currently studying for finals (I’m doubling majoring in English Ed and History Ed) and feel as if I’m going out of my mind. I also just found out my sister-in-law is pregnant wtih her second baby and the holidays are all about spreading the joy! Thanks for the wonderful opportunity.

  8. I love your blog! I’m so glad I have Little Trendstar added on facebook so I can get introduced to fun to read/new information I didn’t know before like yours. I would love to win all of these products because I just gave birth to a sweet little beautiful baby boy. I would love to win something from Stella Cove because I would like to get matching outfits for my husband and my sons. I think that would be soo cute! I also have a few friends who are having babies and some of these items would be great for them too. Can’t wait to see more of your posts:)

  9. I liked , I should win because my daughter deserves these things !! And they are awesome , it would be a great bday/Christmas present(s) for her (the 18th) belensmama at gmail dot com

  10. Totally on point. I’ve got things that we splurged on when I was pregnant that are still standing the test of time two plus years later.
    And who doesn’t love a cute outfit (or four) when it comes to the little ones in your life?

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