What do children want for Christmas and New Year? To have fun, fun, fun! If you’re looking for some great and quirky kids’ gift ideas, read on…
1. Yasemin Serbest’s Funky Giraffe Bibs are for “babies with style”: All made in Turkey, choose from a huge range of bandana bibs, comfy romper suits and cute t-shirts and baby shoes. Pick up personalised bandana bibs (pictured above) from £5 or sets of 5 and 10 mixed bibs from £11.50.
2. Get them saving at an early age with this OT Soldier wooden money box (pictured above): handcrafted and painted with non toxic paint, suitable for children over 36 months. Priced £15, it’s available from Pom Pom Baby online and their store in Bromley.
3. Give your child’s bedroom a makeover with İpek Mobilya. In the UK for over a decade, their well-made furniture offers fantastic value and great storage solutions, like this Champion Racer bed. Visit their Edmonton or Ilford stores for the full range.
4. Turkish Fairy Tales and Folk Tales (pictured above) was first published by Dr. Ignatius Kunos in 1889. The Hungarian discovered these amazing short tales – now translated into English – passed down generation-to-generation as he travelled across Anatolia. With myths and monsters, they are sure to enthral children and adults alike. Available from Foyles priced £9.85
5. Let babies go bling with these fabulous hand-customised baby Converse shoes by Cinders Wish. Set up by sisters Ipek and Petek, they carefully adorn the front, sides and back of baby shoes with ivory pearls and crystals, finished off with delicate satin laces. A snip at £59 + delivery
6. Learning a musical instrument is not only fun, it could also lead to a career. It also helps a child by aiding their concentration, discipline and brain power. The Net Music Academy in Stoke Newington is famed from its fantastic range of instruments including traditional Turkish ones such as the saz (bağlama) and darbuka, as well as guitars, violins, drums and keyboards. They also have qualified music teachers for group and one-on-one lessons. Buy online or visit the store. Free delivery for items over £100.
7. Buggies and Bikes aims to keep “the magic of childhood alive” and its fabulous shop on Broadway Market, Hackney, is an Aladdin’s cave of toys, gifts, bikes and buggies that’s suitable for children of all ages. This large inflatable red dog is perfect for toddlers to play or bounce on.
8. Kids look awesome in this crew-neck vintage-looking Turkey flag t-shirt, available from Green Turtle t-shirts on Amazon for £9.99.
9. How about a personalised bathrobe for kids aged 2 to 14? Made with the luxury heavyweight Turkish cotton, they are perfect for maximum absorbency after a bath. This navy terry towelling robe is just £16 from Biju.
10. You’ll find cool t-shirt designs and plenty of skateboards at Lev Tanju’s Palace Skateboards: nene and dede may not like the visuals on the board, but the kids will! This Brady Pro Sans-Zooted 8 costs £46.
Directory
Buggies and Bikes, 23 Broadway Market, Hackney, London E8 4PH / Tel:
Palace Skateboards, Palace Shop, 26 Brewer Street, London W1F 0SW / Tel: 020 7287 5048
Pom Pom Baby, 16 Plaistow Lane, Bromley BR1 3PA / Tel: 020 8464 6666
