Thursday, February 24, 2011

Friday Review: Modern-twist

Here at the Baby & Kids office, we receive our fair share of the newest and most innovative products in the juvenile industry. And what better way to share them with our readers than by reviewing them here on our blog? Welcome to our newest segment, Friday Reviews, where we share our thoughts and opinions on the latest products for little ones.

We've seen a lot of placemats in our time. Most are generally functional, plastic-coated mats in primary colors designed to keep Cheerios from sticking to your Pottery Barn dining table. But when the folks over at Modern-twist sent us one of their Kidz Placemats, we were intrigued.

The clear silicone-based, food-safe placemat is like a page from a coloring book; kids can color in the images with washable or dry-erase markers. The placemat comes packaged in a cute box with a set of markers, and parents can choose from several designs. We received the DwellStudio Animal Blocks placemat, which features a modern mix of shapes and animals that will certainly appeal to little ones. And the best part? The placemat washes off so your little mini-Mozart can start over at the next meal. Although rinsing the color off the placemat is definitely a job for Mom; we found that it took a bit of elbow grease to wipe away the color.

Eco-friendly parents will appreciate that the placemats are free of BPA, latex and other chemicals, and the whole kit can be repacked in its original box for easy transport. We imagine it would be a good diaper bag essential to keep baby entertained in a restaurant. However you use it, meal time is certain to get a lot more creative.

Photo courtesy Modern-twist.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The February Issue of Gift, Gourmet & Decor is Now Available

Dear GGD Reader,

Welcome to the February digital issue of Gift, Gourmet & Decor Magazine.

GGD February Cover
This Month's Featured Content:
All Aglow
Mad about Mom
Home Safe Home
Gourmet Gift Guide

Luxury at Home
Wall Art

New Feature:
Enchanced Page Zooming Feature Now Available-Zooming is now easier then ever!

Please Note:

GGD Digital requires NO special downloads or applications to view in its entirety.

Please click HERE to begin reading now!

We hope you enjoy this issue and all future digital issues of GGD. Feel free to contact us with your thoughts and feedback at gwnplus@talcott.com.

Sincerely,
The GGD Team

Monday, February 7, 2011

NYIGF Best New Product Award Winners

The first-ever Best New Product Awards took place within the Baby & Child division at the New York International Gift Fair, held January 29 through February 3. Baby & Kids editor Melody Udell was there to help judge product submissions in five categories: apparel, gear, toy, decor and a special blogger's best category.

Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists!

Blogger's Best:

Maple Landmark, Inc. for the Rocker-Feller Rocking Horse

Toy:

Winner: Tegu for the Magnetic Blocks

Finalist: Maple Landmark, Inc. for the Rocker-Feller Rocking Horse

Finalist: Geared For Imagination for Topozoo

Decor:

Winner: Oopsy Daisy, Fine Art For Kids for the A to Z Animal Prints.

Finalist: Zutano Inc. for the Owls four-piece crib set

Finalist: manny and simon for Duck Wooden Step Stool

Gear:

Winner: MadPax for the Spiketus Rex

Finalist: Buggyguard for the Stroller Lock

Finalist: Innobaby LLC for the Keepin’ Fresh Kids Stainless

Apparel:

Winner: Loralin Design for the Handmade Sweater Basket

Finalist: Magnificent Baby for the Elephants On Parade Take Me Home Set

Finalist: 3 Sprouts for the 3 Sprouts Eco-Friendly Art Smock


Photo courtesy NYIGF.


Thursday, February 3, 2011

Dorset’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award Goes to My Carry Potty Inventor

Amanda Jenner, inventor of My Carry Potty, has received the Dorset Business Award for Entrepreneur of the Year.

Jenner launched My Carry Potty in 2009. The product aims to help both parents and kids during the potty training process. My Carry Potty is portable and self-contained, meaning parents don’t have to worry about finding a bathroom for their child when traveling.

The product made its U.S. debut at the ABC Kids Expo in October and is distributed in the country by Regal Lager. My Carry Potty is sold in more than 80 independent retailers and 40 online stores. In addition, the product has sold more than 22,000 units to date.