Feature Articles: Features

Features

Lookin’ and Cookin’ Good for the Holidays

By Sarah Duncan

Time to celebrate, it’s the holiday season! Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve parties make the month of December a favorite time for consumers and sellers alike. Retailers can look to The Giggle Guide^® to find special yuletide products that stand apart from the rest. Your customers will love dressing their children in luxurious clothing from Australian designer Minihaha and Hiawatha Pty LTD; decorating their gifts and homes with festive wrappings and goods from The Gift Wrap Company; cooking up scrumptious recipes from a Handstand Kids cookbook; and providing lively entertainment with a Box of Questions from The Box Girls.

Features

Trendy Tools for Teething Tots

By Jennifer Hill

Teething is a challenging time! Sleepless nights and seemingly endless bouts of crying are difficult enough to struggle through; add in the fact that a teething baby chews on everything in sight, and you’ve got a source of concern. Parents also worry about their drooling infant wearing cold, wet shirts. In the past, parents used feeding time bibs to catch the drool and water-filled, chilled teething rings for chewing. Now there are more trendy tools available! Per Bambini, Dr. Bloom, Inc., ZoLi, Inc., and Amberizon offer fashionable, creative teething accessories that soothe parents and babies alike.

Features

Presto-Chango! Casting the Right Spell for Magical Sales

By Sandra Simmons

What better way to add that certain something to a gift-giving occasion than infusing it with real magic, particularly for children who delight in being “in the know” and periodically having the spotlight? That includes “children” of all ages, since adults also marvel at well-done magic that can bewilder their friends. The Giggle Guide^® reveals magical products from Giddy Up™, Toysmith, Fantasma Magic and Bright Products, Inc. that work like a charm to spellbind your customers and conjure up spectacular sales!

Features

Achieve the Impossible Dream!

By Lauren Rollheiser

Is anything more desirable to new parents than a full night’s sleep? Parents are always looking for ways to enjoy a restful night for themselves and their children. The Sandman seems to be catching a few more zzz’s himself, since innovations in children’s sleep products have more families nodding off peacefully! Help your weary customers get the blissful shut-eye of their dreams with soothing products from sleep specialists SwaddleDesigns, Cloud B, Good Nite Lite, and The Gro Company.

Features

Safe Sleep Environments Ensure Peaceful Nights

By Lauren Rollheiser

There is nothing more precious than a sleeping baby, especially when mom and dad can rest assured their little one is sleeping safe and sound. Sharing the commendable goal of educating parents about the importance of safe sleep environments are HALO Innovations, Greenbuds, Angelcare Monitors and BreathableBaby. These top-notch companies have developed high-tech products specifically designed to make sleeping safe and serene for infants and parents alike.

Features

Make Creative Sparks Fly!

By Sarah Duncan

“So use…your imagination,” wrote Cole Porter. This remains excellent advice today! Imagination, that glorious key ingredient to a happy childhood, builds a strong foundation in the architecture of a fertile, young mind. Children who nurture creativity find unique solutions to life’s challenges as they grow into adulthood. The Giggle Guide^® celebrates the creative sparks that ignite children’s imaginations with a look at crafts and activities from Supereditions, Aliquantum-International, Peter Pauper Press, Faber Castell’s Creativity for Kids and Bead Bazaar.

Features

Puppets Set the Stage for Imagination Theater

By Amy Barnes

Welcome to “Imagination Theater.” Not since Jim Henson created Kermit the Frog from a fuzzy robe and golf balls have there been such innovative options for creative puppet play for children! By offering a variety of fanciful products from Maxim Enterprise, Apple Park, Puppet Hand and Folkmanis, you can bring the world of Imagination Theater into your store, and introduce a whole new generation to the magic of puppets, theaters, and story time.

Features

What’s Fair and Just Makes for Good Business

By Sarah Duncan

Society continues to move forward, and if businesses don’t follow the global lead, they will be left behind. The juvenile products industry, inch by inch, is going organic and placing Fair Trade practices squarely on its business radar. By supporting Fair Trade, organic, and eco-friendly transactions across the globe, both the environment and low income economies are given a fighting chance at sustainability and growth. Every day, more and more children’s businesses are becoming part of the Fair Trade phenomenon, including: noted*, mirasa design, One World Projects, and Maggie’s Functional Organics.

Features

Fair Trade Helps People Around the World

By Lauren Rollheiser

Fair Trade is an organized social movement that focuses on exporting original goods from developing countries around the world to larger markets through fair treatment of producers. Quite often, the artisans are disabled, widowed, or ill. In many cases, income to these workers and their families is double the local average. In addition to providing individuals with the opportunity for a quality life, several Fair Trade companies donate to worldwide charities and orphanages. By purchasing Fair Trade products, consumers enjoy beautifully-crafted merchandise while making a real difference in the world!