Kids Swag

Welcome to KIDS SWAG!!

My name is Kim West. Founder, Mother, Wife, Worker Bee.

I am a mom of two beautiful girls and I am dedicated to ensuring their zest for life and love for self is reinforced by seeing positive images of children that look like them.

The focus of KIDS SWAG is everyday lifestyle items.

WHY?

Great action is taking place to improve diversity in books and dolls and there are a number of different vendors making it easier to find these great items. But what about everything else in your child's world?

You go grocery shopping, what image is on the cute plate and cup set your child wants?

You're want to encourage their creativity, what images are in their colouring books?

You're throwing a birthday party, what are your options?

The list can go on and on. It is an unnecessarily complicated task to source and purchase everyday lifestyle products for children that have black images. These companies exist but one must be internet savvy and social media literate to find them. KIDS SWAG was launched in December 2016 to make it easy for parents to build environments that are reflective of their child's beauty.

Everywhere your child ventures they should be represented.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

A simple premise - a confident child will lead to a confident adult that is unstoppable in their pursuit of excellence.

It wasn't until I was pregnant with my first child that I realised how hard it is to find products (books, party supplies, toys, clothes, etc...) that would reflect her beauty and provide positive reinforcement of her black culture and heritage. I started buying everything I could find and would share my triumphs on Facebook. The immediate likes and inquiries into my purchases made me realise I was not alone.
It hurts my heart when I talk with a parent that relays a story about their child not loving their unique personal beauty. They want to be like the images they see on television, online or in books and unfortunately those images are subtly stating that they do not measure up or worse, they don't belong.

I have been on a personal mission for my girls to enrich their world with images of all types of beauty. Especially images that relate to their culture and beautiful image.

This store is now a way to make it easier for parents to find what they need without scouring the internet. I've done the work for you. I have been doing it for the past five years for my girls and now want to share what I found with you.