Insurance Institute Rates Booster Seats

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently released its evaluation of 62 booster seats for kids ages 4 to 8, naming a record 31 seats “Best Bets.” Retailers and buyers will want to keep this information in mind when making booster seat purchases.

The “Best Bet” boosters, which included the EvenFlo Symphony 65 e3 and the Recaro ProBOOSTER, were those that achieved the best seat belt fit. This means that the shoulder belt stretched directly across the shoulder and the lap belt laid flat against the thighs, rather than against the abdomen.

Retailers should also know that the IIHS tested every function of each booster seat. This means models might have received two different ratings for each function. For example, the Cosco Pronto is a best bet when used in the highback mode, but the IIHS recommends that the fit be checked when it is used as a backless booster.

Check out the full press release, the report and access links to video and more information, here.

Checking In With: Angel Dear

In the second part of our series, Baby & Kids checks in with Angel Dear, which specializes in producing gift items for infants.

Baby & Kids: What’s the history behind Angel Dear? What’s the goal/mission of the company?
Kimberly Perrin: Angel Dear has been providing unique gifts for babies for the past decade. We started with our now famous blankie, which had become a staple. It’s the go-to product for a newborn gift.

B&K: How can gift retailers start branching out to include juvenile products? Why is it important for them to do so?
KP: Even in a down market, people will always buy a gift for a baby. It makes good business sense for gift stores to include infant gift products. Along with our blankies, rattles and pillows, we sell newborn gift sets that include a gown/hat and an accessory packaged in an adorable gift ready, reusable box. It’s perfect for baby showers.

B&K: What trends are you seeing in the realm of children’s gifts?
KP: Angel Dear focuses on infants. We stay true to what’s best and beautiful for baby, avoiding flash-in-the-pan trends. I would characterize Angel Dear products as modern heirlooms.

B&K: What products/categories are you working on for the future?
KP: We are always adding new product, such as our recent addition of Monster Blankies and Sweater Knit Cotton Stuffies.

Image courtesy Angel Dear.

Checking In With: Baby Aspen

This week, Baby & Kids takes a fresh look at some of the industry's leading producers of toys and juvenile products. We spoke with Donna Laurent, director of brand development, to learn the latest happenings at Baby Aspen.

Baby & Kids: What’s the history behind Baby Aspen? What’s the goal/mission of the company?

Donna Laurent: Baby Aspen was founded in 2007 as the sister company of Kate Aspen, known for gift-ready, beautifully packaged, practical wedding and baby shower favors. Using that same premise through the Baby Aspen line, we seek to bring to the market unique baby gifts that are packaged in a clever, unique way, are gift-ready and at a moderate price point, or as we like to say “boutique look, priced right.” We now feature more than 45 SKUs, ranging from adorable socks to bathrobes, layettes, plush and blankets.

B&K: How can gift retailers start branching out to include juvenile products? Why is it important for them to do so?

DL: We keep our minimums extremely low, which allows gift retailers considering adding baby gift to their assortment the perfect means to take that first step. We also lower the risk with products that are proven sellers both online and in-store and with price points starting at $6 wholesale.

The potential for gift retailers to grow with this market is significant, especially considering their already-captured female audience. Add to that the fact that these consumers are specifically seeking gifts, and you’ve got the perfect condition for sales. The baby gift market has a broad appeal, taking the “is it too personal?” question out of the buying decision. Gifts that are universally appealing and can deliver a “wow” factor provide more purchasing power for a wide range of ages and gift-giving occasions.

B&K: What new products/categories are you working on for the future?

DL: We will continue our focus on quality products delivered in creative ways, allowing the packaging to shine almost as much as the product itself. Now that we’ve established more depth in our collection, we are looking to expand themes and SKU types in the mid-level price range, including our snuggle sacks, bath and plush and lovie gift sets.

Image courtesy Baby Aspen.

Getting to Know The Cribsie Awards

It's a great time to be a parent. The rise of mommy bloggers and the increasing role of social media has lead to a more informed, opinionated generation of new parents. But sifting through all of the information on the web can get a bit tedious, so Elina Furman and Tara Mandy decided to help out. The two partnered to create The Cribsie Awards, which rewards the most popular juvenile products on the market for discerning moms and dads. Baby & Kids chatted with Elina Furman and got the inside scoop on the Cribsie Awards.

Baby & Kids: Tell us about the Cribsie Awards. How did they get started?
Elina Furman: The Cribsie Awards started as a partnership between Strollertraffic.com and Alistmom.com. Tara Mandy and I are founders of the two sites, which cater to an urban mom audience and deliver timely news about products, services and information in a concise e-mail format. Having gained traction as two of the leading media properties for moms, we noticed a gap in the market for a definitive and editorial awards program for the baby industry.

In our work, we frequently create "best of" products and website lists. With so many baby products, moms need accurate and timely information to decide which ones are the best investment. Due to their popularity of these lists, we decided to continue this work with a formal awards program. The first annual Cribsie Awards were sponsored by Diapers.com.

The mission of the Cribsie Awards is to create a secure forum for opinionated moms to elect their favorite brands and services from a curated list of best-of-the-best finalists across six categories (toys, mealtime, nursery, fashion, web, gear).

B&K: How does the voting process work?

EF: The Cribsie Awards were launched with a nominations period, wherein the public was asked to nominate their top brands for babies and tots. After an overwhelmingly successful nomination period with more than 4,000 brands in the
baby industry nominated by their fans, the editors of A-List Mom and StrollerTraffic along with industry experts hand-
selected the 344 best products, brands, services, and websites for babies and tots. The final voting period opened to the public and was limited to one vote per user, per award. The voting lasted four-weeks and garnered more than 135,000 votes. Sixty winners were selected based on the total number of votes per award.

B&K: What part does social media and the rise of mommy bloggers play in the Cribsie Awards?

EF: Social media played a big part in the immense success of the first annual Cribsie Awards. There were thousands of Facebook posts and Tweets from brands and their fans resulting in more than 134,000 votes. We also made sure to honor the public's favorite blogs and sites with the web category. Many leading blogs and websites were nominated and honored in the awards.

B&K: In what direction are the Cribsies headed?

EF: We have big plans for the 2012 Cribsie Awards. By creating the "best of" list and displaying the winners on the Cribsie Awards site, we have received amazing feedback from voters who are using the site to create their own registries and shop for products. Having been compiled by editors and the public, the site has quickly become the definitive go-to guide for moms making purchasing decisions.

Click here to visit the 2011 Cribsie Award winners.

Image courtesy The Cribsie Awards.

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

Dear GGD Reader,

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


This Month's Featured Content:
• Paper Power
• Season Greetings
• Paw Prints
• Baby Lookbook
• Top it Off
• Honeysuckle

• Calendar

New Feature:
Now Viewable on Ipads

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

Friday Review: Senario

As kids, the Baby & Kids staff was more into dolls and dress-up than anything robotic. Now that we're adults — and learning about new toys is part of our job — we've found ourselves drawn to the types of toys that our 5-year-old selves would've sneered at and given to our smelly little brothers. So when a package bearing a Zibit came to our office, we were intrigued.

The Zibit, manufactured by toy company Senario, is a little robot that comes with its own remote control to move the bot around. Each robot has its own name and backstory, and the Zibits are meant to be collectibles. Ours was Dinc, known throughout the Zibits world as a clumsy day-dreamer. Dinc can zoom around while making squeaky robotic sounds and lighting up at random. We can definitely see the appeal in collecting several robots; each robot's backstory and personality quirks are certain to pique a child's imagination.

Our favorite feature of the Zibit perhaps reflects our girly childhoods, but one of the best things about each Zibit is how gender neutral they are. We found that ours is pretty cute — much cuter than most robot toys — and his assigned personality makes him appeal toward the girl set. Dinc is also fun and tech-y for boys. Plus, it's a robot, you can't get much more boy-ish than that. Collectible toys are always a great gift idea, and these robots could be given to any child with a penchant for robotics and imaginative play.

Photo courtesy Zibits.

From the Show Floor: Playtime New York

The second edition of Playtime New York, held March 5-7 in New York City, brought together exhibitors, buyers, media and industry representatives to collaborate among the newest products in the juvenile industry. This year's show saw a 14-percent increase in the number of participants and a 25-percent increase in the number of visitors.

Didn't make it to the show? Check out these photos from the event, and plan your trip for the summer edition of Playtime New York, taking place July 30-August 1.

Photos courtesy Playtime New York.