K.I.D.S. Announces Graco Partnership to Help Kids

According to the most recent census, 22 percent of American children live at or below the poverty line. Many of these families are unable to purchase new, safe and useable baby seats and other juvenile gear necessary to provide a comfortable and healthy developmental period for their children.

In recognition of Child Safety Day, Kids In Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.), the internationally renowned children's charity, today announced a partnership with Graco Children's Products and Caring For Others (CFO) to provide critical children's essentials to families in need. The partnership hosted an event on February 11 that brought new strollers, booster seats and car safety education to 500 needy families throughout the state of Georgia.

"K.I.D.S and Caring for Others are such incredible organizations, and we're proud to be a part of the great work that they do," said Laurel Hurd, General Manager, North America at Graco Childrens Products. "At Graco, child safety is our top priority, so it's a natural fit to get involved with Child Safety Day. We hope the new strollers and car seats will help make it a little easier for these families to care for their children each day. We look forward to our continued partnership with both K.I.D.S and Caring for Others in the future."

It Is Never Too Soon for Yoga

Preliminary study findings suggest that yoga is helping kids in a big way. Yoga practice can provide a foundation of healthy lifestyle habits that a young child can carry into adulthood. Research is proving that children who practice yoga are more focused in school and better able to deal with stress. One parent told me that her three year-old when agitated would excuse herself from the dinner table and practice a few down dog poses to calm her.

So, when is the right time to introduce yoga to a child? At birth! Start with The Little Yoga Mat, the smallest - - yoga mat on the market created by New York City yoga teacherl Jensen Wheeler Wolfe. The Little Yoga Mat is a new eco mat that's just the right size for children under 4. The Little Yoga Mat is made from earth friendly TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) and the yoga inspired designs, created by artist Nicaela Callimanopulos, are printed with soy-based ink. |t's biodegradable, recyclable and hypoallergenic, as well as latex, PVC, lead, BPA and allergen-free. Little yoginis can choose between a SUN or LOTUS mat.

Available at theLittleyogamat.com for $25.

Five "Best New Product Awards" Present and Baby & Child

Five companies were presented with Baby & Child Best New Product Awards today, with The Wonder Forge™ receiving the "Blogger's Best" distinction for its Angelina Ballerian Dance With Me interactive game. Baby & Child, one of 10 divisions in the New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®), runs through Wednesday, February 1, at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

In addition to the "Blogger's Best" award, Baby & Child Best New Product Awards winners are recognized semi-annually for excellence in four categories: toy, décor, gear and apparel. A panel of editors from print and electronic media outlets, including our own Joann Fallon, selected products that exemplified innovation, design and style.

"These winners were clear stand-outs in a competitive field of outstanding products in Baby & Child," said Randi Mohr, Baby & Child sales manager. "The judges recognized design innovation and creativity which set these products apart from all others."

The winter 2012 winners and finalists, selected from 100 products, are:

BLOGGER'S BEST:
The Wonder Forge™ (Seattle, WA) for its Angelina Ballerina Dance with Me, an interactive collaborative game where kids take the center stage.

TOY:
Winner: Tegu (Darien, CT) for its Tegu Mobility – Dart, a wooden car with 10 classic Tegu blocks, a signature magnetic styling top, and 4 magnetic wooden wheels, Dart is a member of the Compact Line of Tegu Mobility. Finalist: Hape North America (Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada) for its Pancakes. Finalist: Juratoys US Corp (Fort Lauderdale, FL) for its Janod Wooden Toys.

DÉCOR:
Winner: Swankie Blankie (Plano, TX) for its Citron Marbella Receiving Blanket, a washer and dryer safe blanket with a unique design Finalist: Magicforest (Portsmouth, NH) for its Sevi Fly With Me Growth Chart. Finalist: My Boy Sam Ltd (New Milford, CT) for its Baby Stroller Blanket.

GEAR:
Winner: 7 A.M.® Enfant (New York, NY) for its Pookie Poncho, a baby carrier cover and stroller cover in one, made of waterproof materials. Finalist: MadPax, LLC (Phoenix, AZ) for its BUBBLE by MadPax. Finalist: GroVia® (Bozeman, MT) for its Curious About Cloth Kit.

APPAREL:
Winner: Zutano Inc. (Cabot, VT) for its Bowtie, the new accessory for little boys in Zutano's hallmark colors. Finalist: Dabbawalla Bags (Seattle, WA) for its Lunch Knot Purse. Finalist: Tutu Couture® (Atlanta, GA) for its Officially Licensed Collegiate Tutu Line.

The Best New Product Award judges were: Joanne Fallon, Baby & Kids Magazine; Jennifer Cattaui, Earnshaw's; Joanna Dreifus, MyMomShops.com; Caroline Kennedy, Playthings; and Leesa Valentino, TheGiggleGuide.com.

Isaac Mizrahi to Design Line for Newborn

On top of all of his other projects, including a new show on Lifetime, Project Runway All-Stars, top designer Isaac Mizrahi is launching a new line for newborns and infants this fall. The line, which will fall under a manufacturing and distribution deal with bon bebe, will be available in department and specialty stores soon, and is sure to be the must-have brand for discerning babies and parents as soon as it hits the market.

The initial 25-piece collection will be for babies and newborns, but Mizrahi expects to eventually expand the collection to include apparel for older children.

Spotlight on the Asia's Biggest Toy Fair

Environmentally friendly toys, stationery and baby products and a full program of international speakers and award presentations have attracted more than 2,600 exhibitors to four trade fairs, which was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) January 9 – 12, 2012. The HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair is Asia's largest and is actually three product fairs, which ran through to January 11.

The 38th Toys & Games Fair welcomed first-time participants from Greece, Macau, Russia and Ukraine. Exhibitors to the Baby Products Fair were up more than 6 percent over last year and the event welcomed first-time participants from Colombia, Poland and South Africa.

The 12th edition of the Stationery Fair hosted first-time participants from Costa Rica, Italy, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Group pavilions were set up for exhibitors from the mainland, Taiwan and Thailand, and special product zones focus on children's stationery and school supplies, gift stationery, office supplies, and paper and printing products.

HKTDC Hong Kong International Licensing Show's 10th edition built on a decade of success, and attracted more than 170 exhibitors from 16 countries and regions and featuring over 500 properties. The most established event of its kind in Asia, this year's conference featured speakers from licensing giants such as Disney, Sanrio and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Fertility Rises Again

The baby bust in the U.S. is over, according to a report released from Demographic Intelligence, the nation's premier provider of birth forecasts.In the wake of the Great Recession, the total fertility rate (TFR) and the number of births in the United States fell more than 7 percent from 2007 to 2010. Now, the TFR and the number of births in the United States are rising, according to the January edition of The U.S. Fertility Forecast from Demographic Intelligence (DI). The report projects that the TFR will rise from 1.93 children per woman in 2010 to 1.98 children per woman in 2012, and that the United States will register more than 4 million births this year.

According to Demographic Intelligence (DI) analyses, approximately 1.08 million babies were postponed or foregone from 2008 to 2011. Parents considering a second, third, or fourth child have been particularly likely to avoid having a child since the recession began in December of 2007. "Childbearing is partly an economic decision and clearly many couples felt like they could not afford an additional child," said Samuel Sturgeon, director of research at Demographic Intelligence.Nevertheless, the report indicates that births are now rising for at least three reasons: the number of American women in their prime childbearing years is rising, many families do not want to postpone a birth any longer, and pronatalism remains high in the United States.

January's Digital Issue of Baby & Kids Magazine is Now Available

Welcome to the January digital issue of Baby & Kids Magazine

The Baby & Kids digital magazine includes all the same great content as found in the print edition.

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We hope you enjoy this issue and all future digital issues of Baby & Kids Digital. Feel free to contact us with your thoughts and feedback at babykids@talcott.com.

Sincerely,
The Baby & Kids Team