Baby146;s day out

Though a reason to splurge on kids is just an excuse these days, Children8217;s Day makes for the perfect occasion to splurge on them.

This Children8217;s Day, think twice before lavishing your loved ones

Though a reason to splurge on kids is just an excuse these days, Children8217;s Day makes for the perfect occasion to splurge on them. From special outings to a hair makeover to an all new wardrobe, options are aplenty.

8220;If my kids had their way, I would be shopping for a car right now,8221; laughs model Waluscha Robinson, 8220;But both my kids will have to make do with the Sony Vaio that we gifted my daughter Chanel on her birthday recently.8221; She finds spending up to Rs 50,000 on educative gadgets an investment.

Designer clothes and bags for kids have always made for sought-after gifts, what with special kids8217; line by Burberry where a T-shirt costs Rs 2,500 and a shirt Rs 6,500, Armani and Moschino to name a few. But a kids8217; salon as a concept has picked up remarkably. 8220;I8217;ll treat my 12-year-old to a fancy hairdo this Children8217;s Day; it8217;s a step towards educating him about grooming,8221; grins Indrani Chatterjee, a banker, who plans to take her son Arvind to Watermelon, a kids8217; salon in Bandra. She will be spending anything between Rs 500 to Rs 1,200 there. There8217;s also Tears To Cheers, Warden Road, where the tots sit in car-shaped seats and watch cartoons on a private TV while getting a chop for Rs 350.

The most common activity parents indulge their kids in every Children8217;s Day is to take them for an event. Classic Animation Studio, in an attempt to fire the imagination of animation-loving children five to 14, is organising a day camp at Deokane, a village 120 km from Mumbai. Apart from launching their new animation film, Buji, the animation studio has planned a fun-filled day of activities, games, animation workshops and performances.

And while your child8217;s away at the camp, you could have your interior designer over to do up his/ her room. You can choose from bed and bath linen with their favourite cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, Sponge Bob and Winnie the Pooh by Portico New York Rs 500 onwards, innovatively designed furniture for their room by home Rs 5,000 upwards.

The much publicised sentimentality of Bhavna Jasra8217;s First Impressions is a great option to mere photographs of your kids. 8220;To mount a 3-D model of your loved ones8217; feet and hands in gold, is the warmest way to show them your love,8221; says the entrepreneur who charges

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Rs 15,000 for a set in bronze. Jasra8217;s Photo Concept with Krsna Mehta is an alternate for those with a tighter budget. 8220;We personalise the everyday articles used by children, like bags, satchels and folders.8221;

Parents who believe that a gift for Children8217;s Day should be a tad serious and educative can enroll their children in one of the many hobby classes on offer these days. Toddlers Activity Centre in Worli is a 2,000 sq ft facility for children of up to 14 years. Programmes to introduce toddlers to speech and action, art, craft, music and ballet classes are some of the activities on offer. However, one wonders what a three-month-old will gain from a yoga class, especially if it makes you lighter by Rs 3,000.

There are other such options too; Bhanu8217;s Fit Kids at Tardeo charges an average of Rs 350 per session lasting 50 minutes, where one story is told and one craft model is made, mostly by the accompanying maids.

Whatever happened to the good, old drive and ice cream with dad.