Skip Hop Blog

At Least She's Still in Diapers

Last Sunday's New York Times Magazine section had a fascinating article on the Conlin-Beavan family - particular Colin Beavan's decision to have his family live for a year without, among other things, toilet paper.  Colin has a blog at www.noimpactman.com.  While I applaud the environmental spirit, there's something that's just not right about how self-promotional this all is.  After all, Colin is doing it for a book deal and taking his family along for the ride, seemingly against their will.

"They eat only food (organically) grown within a 250-mile radius of Manhattan; (mostly) no shopping for anything except said food; producing no trash (except compost, see above); using no paper; and, most intriguingly, using no carbon-fueled transportation."

One of the things repeated in the article is how the family lives without toilet paper.  I kept thinking that at least their poor 2 year old daughter is still in diapers.

posted by Michael Diamant

Celebs Love Skip Hop!

All types of celebrities, from Rachel Weisz to Tori Spelling, are Skip Hop fans!

You may have seen photos of Courteney Cox Arquette toting our Blue Camo Duo.  Rachel Weisz carries her black Expo out and about in New York City and Elizabeth Shue is a proud owner of the Dash in chocolate with pink trim.  Heidi Klum,Claudia Schiffer and Brooke Shields also carry Skip Hop diaper bags. Since our bags are simple as well as fashionable, they are really perfect for any mom or dad. In addition, celebrity also enjoy our Home and Nursery collection. 

Two Raspberry Toolboxes were gifted to Kim Porter and Sean Diddy Combs at their pink baby shower—they loved them! Before Tori Spelling gave birth to her baby boy Liam, she was checking out our Sky Blue Toolbox - we're sure it's coming in handy!

Posted by Susan Gerson

Vroom!!!

I learned long ago to never say never, but with that preface, let me say that we don't have any plans to make apparel.  That doesn't mean that there aren't some kids clothing brands that I absolutely love.  I mean, is there anything cooler than this Vintage Racing Jacket from our friends at Appaman?  Didn't think so. 

posted by Michael Diamant

Skip Hop Gives Back

We know that what we do at Skip Hop is important and that the products we design for parents really make a difference in their daily lives. However, we realize that there are organizations out there that serve a critical purpose and rely on the support of individuals as well as all types of companies. That's why every time you buy a Skip Hop product, a percentage of the profits are given to two amazing organizations that we are proud to support - The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

As a company devoted to parenting products, these are two organizations that are close to our heart. We hope that our small gesture goes a long way in making a difference in the world. We are involved in a number of events that these two organizations produce -specifically Kids for Kids, which is held in downtown New York City and Super Saturday that takes place in the Hamptons. We'll share some more details as we get closer to the dates.

Posted by Susan Gerson

Welcome to Brooklyn, the 4th Largest City in America

For those of you who remember Welcome Back, Kotter, every episode started with a sign at the exit of the Verrazano Bridge that said Welcome to Brooklyn, the 4th Largest City in America.  The sign is no more, but Brooklyn, with a population of 2.5 million, is the most populous of the five boroughs in New York City.  Not only that, if each borough were a standalone city, Brooklyn would now be the third largest city in America.

 

What's amazing is that so many people who come to visit New York City don't even set foot in Brooklyn, and for some reason, I bet that many who live in Brooklyn like it that way. Brooklyn, birthplace of the Dodgers and Nathan's (and so much more, sorry for not mentioning them all my Bklyn friends), is where real New Yorkers live.  Brooklynites probably see themselves as the most New York of New Yorkers, and they're probably right.

There are lots of fabulous Skip Hop retailers in Brooklyn - such as Pizzazz Kidz, below. You can check out our Web site to find many, many more.

posted by Michael Diamant

What is an Urban Parent?

Crowded streets on W72nd Street today, a typical weekend in New York City.  Yes - that's a Skip Hop parent!

Skip Hop was founded with the urban parent in mind.  When we’re talking about the company and our products we tend to say that a lot.  Sometimes you say a phrase so often the words lose their meaning and the word "urban parent" can take on that quality for me.  When we do trade shows and I'm telling people the Skip Hop story repeatedly, the words "urban parent" come out of my mouth but it happens now almost without thinking. 

But we don’t say it because it sounds cool.  As New York City parents ourselves, Ellen and I think about products and the brand as a part of the way we live here.  And it IS a different sort of life. 

One of the huge differences here is that we rarely drive.  New Yorkers really do walk everywhere.  It’s hard for most people in the USA to imagine life without a car, but it’s hard for us to imagine a life where you have to drive to get the basic things you need.  This is the way it is for most New Yorkers – you rarely live more than a block from life’s necessities and strolling for a mile or two every day is just what we do. 

We were reminded of New Yorkers' love of walking today – it’s been an extremely cold March so far and today was the first warm-ish day of the month and the streets were packed!  We live uptown where it’s mostly residential, and the sidewalks were as crowded as Fifth Avenue in mid-December.  This means strollers everywhere – one, two or even three abreast  This is the sort of urban parenting lifestyle we're accustomed to and what we mean when we say "urban parent."  And that makes it obvious why we created a stroller bag first.  New NYC parents push their strollers everywhere! 

The other big difference here is that we adapt to much smaller living spaces than people who live in other parts of the country.  Although not every family living in New York lives in an apartment, many of us are raising families this way and let me tell you, space is at a premium.  That's why you’ll repeatedly see us designing products that save space.  It’s not only that we think it’s more functional.  It’s just what we live!

posted by Michael Diamant

Skip Hop Exclusives at Pottery Barn Kids

We've been having a blast working with our friends at Pottery Barn Kids on a group of exclusive Skip Hop items that can't be found anywhere else!  You can find these in every Pottery Barn Kids store as well as in their catalog and on their Web site.

Our exclusive Pottery Barn Kids Pronto has all the features of our own Pronto, but comes in two fabulous ballistic nylon colors.  It's a cool alternative to our canvas Prontos.  You can get it here.

And we designed this great exclusive item called the Essentials Kit.  It comes with a bottle holder, pacifier pocket and a number of different sized carrying cases.  These are also in ballistic nylon in two colors (available  here).  Currently, the Skip Hop Essentials Kit can only be bought at Pottery Barn Kids!

Posted by Ellen Diamant

Welcome!

Hi!  Today is a fabulous day for me at Skip Hop.  We have a new Web site and – as you can see – a new blog.  Along with the rest of the Skip Hop team, we’re looking forward to being able to speak to you directly now – and share our thoughts on products, design and what it’s like to be in this great business. We continue to get involved with parenting groups all over the country, but now we can hold conversations with all of you directly about the small part we play in the most important time in your lives.

I started Skip Hop with my husband Michael in 2003 when our son was 1 1/2 years old.  As a new mom (and designer) I was immersed in all the baby products that were out there—all the things I had to get. It was immediately obvious to me that in many cases, products hadn’t changed over the years. It seemed that there wasn’t a lot of attention being paid to how parents like me lived their lives.  Little did I know it at the time, but there were big changes brewing in the baby products biz as many other new parents felt exactly like I did! 

Maybe it was a generational thing, but at around the same time we brought out our first bag – The Duo – a lot of other new companies began introducing baby products that spoke to the new parent – the Gen X parent (and now Gen Y).  It seems that at about that exact same time, products from other design-oriented parenting companies like Bugaboo, Dwell Baby and Oeuf were all hitting the market, and all of a sudden, new moms and dads had some great options to choose from!

It’s been a really exciting three and a half years. I’ve juggled running a business (with my husband as my partner), being a mom, and trying to get the most satisfaction out of both.  I’ve also had the chance to build a great team of people here at Skip Hop and we are all focused on making products for new parents that are better designed, more functional and more fun - you’ll be hearing a lot more from them on this blog too!

As you can see from browsing through the site, we now offer lots of styles of diaper bags and have branched out into accessories and products for the home and nursery – things that we hope will make day-to-day living easier (and better!) for today’s moms and dads.   Most of all, what I have loved is the customer feedback—a little thank you or comment from the new parent - it makes me so happy when you take time out from your busy day to let me know your thoughts.  I hope to hear from you soon.

posted by Ellen Diamant