The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are getting closer to the arrival of their first baby next month and Meghan Markle is reportedly enjoying her final stage of baby preps! Last month, friends threw her a lavish baby shower in New York and in the coming weeks, talks of a second baby shower, that will be thrown by sister-in-law Kate Middleton with a handful of people at Buckingham Palace.
The royals have $18 billion worth in property, which means there is a lot travel between homes, and across country lines. Meghan and Prince Harry have been busy overseeing renovations and are expected to move into Frogmore Cottage in Windsor ahead of the baby’s birth. The new home will give them more privacy with a newborn versus the high-profile Kensington Palace in London where Prince William and Kate and their children live.
Photos: @kensingtonroyal
With so much travel, we think the best stroller is the UPPAbaby MINU.At just under 15 pounds, the lightweight stroller has a built-in carry handle and shoulder strap so you can take it on the go. Plus, it only takes one hand and you can fold the MINU in one smooth motion… so even though the royals have a lot of help, you could do it even holding your baby in your free arm. It also has the UPF 50+ sunshade and a comfortable seat with multi-position recline. You can also adapt the MINU to use with your MESA infant car seat or a flat lie bassinet. It’s been the perfect stroller for all our travel.
Even though Prince Harry and Meghan haven’t had their baby yet, the magazines are already speculating about what parenthood will look like for them. We couldn’t get enough of this picture that has Prince Harry with a photoshopped Tula Baby carrier. We love it when dads babywear too! It is a huge help to mom especially in those early days. Tula is our favorite baby carrier. They have so many stylish prints and patterns that you can match your outfit or show your personality. The new Explore carrier allows your little prince or princess to face outward. The Explore also can be worn forward facing or back carry. We love that you can use it from day one with newborns and all the way through their toddler years. So whether you have to carry out royal duties or just load the dishwasher, we find baby wearing essential.
While we love our little bundles of joy, and while we’d love to hold them and snuggle them all day long, it’s just not a reality for most moms. This is why we love the 4moms mamaRoo 4. It bounces up and down and sways from side to side, just like parents do. With five different motions from car ride to rock-a-bye, it’s the only infant seat that replicates the natural motion of parents. Plus it’s bluetooth enabled so you can control the motion and sound from your smart device. We love it so much that we keep a mamaRoo upstairs and downstairs in our house! And we adore this limited edition Little Royal Newborn Insert. Little princes and princesses can enjoy a plush, modern grey fabric with a singular embroidered crown on the front of the insert, and a yellow, grey and white mosaic of crowns on the back.
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is steeped with tradition and class and even the style of the royal children is a reflection of their heritage. Whether it’s a hand-smocked dress, knit cardigan or double-breasted bobby suit, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry will always choose traditional and timeless, rather than clothes that draw attention. So one can only assume Meghan will follow suit — literally.
When we think of vintage style baby outfits for boys and girls the first brand that comes to mind is Feltman Brothers. For more than 100 years Feltman Brothers has featured lace trim, smocking, handmade pintucks, and hand embroidery — it’s heirloom quality baby layette you can pass down for generations to come. We own several items. They wear well, photograph well and attract lots of compliments.
From strolling Windsor Gardens to taking their first steps, we love Young Soles London. They are a London-based company that blends retro cool with classic British heritage styles. We love that they are stylish and made with highest quality materials so they are sure to withstand the adventures of your toddler or teenager. They have so many great styles from classic Mary Janes to fun and funky boots. You are sure to find a pair that will match your little prince or princesses style and personality
For generations furry friends have been comforting kids, joining them on adventures and partaking in high tea. Family favorites from Winnie the Pooh to Paddington, Peter Rabbit and the mice of Bromley Hedge, while our favorite woodland dolls don’t derive from a book, they do come from the beautiful Kentish countryside.
We’re talking about the hand-crafted heirloom collection from Thicket & Thimble. With more than a dozen different animals, each doll is made entirely by hand, is a limited edition design, and arrives boxed and beautifully packaged with a numbered tag and branded cotton dust bag.
The owner is a mum of two and will do custom creations as well. I’m in love with the details. Whether it’s hand-applied 24-karat gold leaf, feathers, crystals, ruffled tutus, or hand painted habotai silk, the quality and creativity is unparalleled. Thicket & Thimble released a Royal Wedding Collection last Spring, and as the newest little royal is about to be born, the heirloom woodland dolls are perfect for your little princess.
While you may not have the paparazzi documenting your every move… you definitely want to make sure you’re taking plenty of pics of your little love. And when it comes to photos, Mixbook has you covered. We love this company because you can totally customize for complete creative control. Plus there are so many photo items to choose from. When it comes to baby, with Mixbook you can create baby shower invitations, and capture the event in a keepsake book. Once baby arrives, you can use Mixbook to send out your announcements and also create a baby book of milestones. We also love the metal and canvas art so you can hang beautiful photos or your kids or the whole family throughout the house.
As the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle’s baby shower hosted by Serena Williams, the guests learned how to make floral bouquets. That is a fun idea whether it’s a baby shower, wedding shower or just wanting to get the girls together for a night out. You can ask a local florist or you can ask a friend that has some experience arranging flowers or creating floral crowns. It Is a great way for guests to interact with one another and they have a fun keepsake to take home with them. With Megan‘s baby shower they donated all of the bouquets to local charities. Kelli and I love Sweet Blossom Designs. We both had her as our florist for our weddings. Her work is amazing. She shared in our TV segment, simple ways to create a bouquet that wows.
Picking a venue is key to any great event. Meghan Markle’s friends chose a lavish 5-star hotel in New York city to throw the shower for the Duchess of Sussex. We decided to keep calm under the California palms at Estancia La Jolla. We love this luxury hotel that exudes charm through its boutique setting. At Markle’s shower someone was spotted carrying in an orange tree — symbolizing prosperity, happiness, and luck— the perfect message for an expecting mother. At Estancia, their ten acres of lush gardens are home to 75 species of plants from around the world and the hacienda-inspired architecture lends itself to unforgettable getaways and special events.
While Markle reportedly opted out of traditional baby shower games, she was led in a dessert-tasting experience during the festivities. Did someone say treats?! We had to have our own signature desserts and set up a Royal High Tea, perfect options from the food and beverage team at Estancia.
One of our favorite gifts to give and receive at baby showers is diapers. Yes we love cute outfits but at the end of the day every baby bottom needs to diapered. We love Dyper because they are free of chlorine, latex, perfumes, alcohol and other yucky stuff. They are still extremely absorbent and durable. Because they are made with bamboo they are naturally hypoallergenic and antibacterial. And the best part is that they are delivered straight to your home or castle so you have one less thing to worry about. While the royals may have people to run errands when they run out of diapers Dyper has the delivery system mastered. They can get you last minute diapers when you run out or if you have extra of a size you can send them back in a prepaid envelope.
While it would be amazing to avoid getting sick, cold and flu season shows no favoritism whether you are wearing a crown or a messy mom bun. We can’t live without Crane USA products. Many people are familiar with their humidifiers which come on a variety styles and colors. The elephant is a cornerstone in our nursery. Every doctor visit we’ve had when our little ones are sick they recommend running a humidifier to help them breathe and thin out any mucus. Recently, Crane added aroma diffusers to their line. We love diffusing essential oils when we are sick and when we are well. Crane’s diffuser has a handful of light settings. Over the past few years, our allergies have flared up. The Crane HEPA Tower air purifier has become a staple in our household. It helps remove 99.97% of pet dander, pollen, dust and smoke. It also helps trap household odors like garbage, cooking, smoking or odor from pets. It has different timer and strength settings depending on how you want to use it.
