April Peveteaux, an editor at Babble.com, an online magazine for modern parents, shares some of her favorites on Etsy for our Handmade Kids series.

When I came to work at Babble, I noticed our awesome Droolicious bloggers were always highlighting hot finds at this place called Etsy. Being a non-crafty gal, I assumed Etsy was a hip store in Soho that somehow had escaped my notice. But after looking at the prices on the adorable hair clips and hand knit animals, I realized there’s no way this was one of those overpriced New York boutique. For starters, nothing had come close to costing a thousand dollars. Then I took an afternoon to peruse the Etsy website and it was just like Christmas. Except I had no excuse to shop with abandon as it was the middle of the summer. Didn’t stop me.

I flipped at the Renegade Craft Fair a few years ago and got hooked on the original clothes, artwork and housewares most likely done by people with whom I went to college and/or rock shows in my pre-baby life. Discovering Etsy made me realize my kid could also live the renegade life and dress in something that wasn’t from a foreign factory (not that I don’t do the quarterly Old Navy trip – I do). The clothes and toys I’ve found for my toddler on Etsy look like a zillion bucks without costing a small fortune. Again, when you’re not so swift with a needle and a thread, discovering beautiful shirts crafted from dishcloths is a little like winning the scratch-off lottery. We don’t know how you Etsy people do it, but we like it. Our  Droolicious blog would be a sad, empty place filled with LEGOs and BabyGap sales if not for you.

Here are some of my favorite items:


Attractive nursing pads – who knew? Babble editor Gwynne discovered these nipple nurturers. By BabyOReally, $5.


I recently bought this magical unicorn backpack for my gal’s pre-school treks. Love it. So does she. By bratsacksbaby, $26. [the unicorn bag was sold this past weekend, but never fear, she has a pony one or you can do a custom listing for the fancy pants unicorn!]


This Kid Friendly Pocket Cubie-Gwennie and Ellee is a perfect example of something on Etsy that makes me froth with desire. What is it? I don’t know, but I want it. Or rather, um, I’m sure my daughter wants it. Etsy sellers have a way of blowing the minds of the non-crafty.  By SamariaProject, $30.


Gwynne is getting these denim pants for her Little Boss. Ridiculousness in cute.  By tattoo1981ink, $15.


The fish speaks volumes without uttering a gurgle.  The fact that you can find amazing works of art on Etsy in this price range is astounding. New Zealand-born photographer, Frances J Melhop, has an entire series and they’re all dreamy.  By enchantedpond, $24.


I snatched up this Earhart hat last winter when facing yet another northeast nightmare of wind and sleet/snow/ice. It was ridiculous the number of compliments I got while sporting this around town. Friends, co-workers, the hot dog vendor – that’s no joke. I couldn’t go a day without stopping foot traffic in this leather and embroidered number. By karadean, $50.