The Biz

Kids are dirt magnets. Between dropped pacifiers, chewed-up toys, and snack-time on the floor, parents need to be one-step ahead of babies and germs. This is part of the reason why a growing number of child products are developed from silicone. Already known for its many industrial and medical uses, silicone brings an added dimension of safety and durability to kids’ products. From the innovative teething devices at Mello & Co. and RaZbaby to the products from ChooMee and 5 Oceans International that make mealtime a snap, silicone is helping parents keep kids cleaner and safer than ever before.

For softness, warmth without weight, and the luxe that is inherent to the material, nothing beats cashmere. This much sought-after fabric is what makes up the high quality items produced by LabelLamb, a Yorkshire, England-based company that offers very special clothes for special kids. Not only are the garments crafted from cashmere, but this is recycled cashmere, so it benefits the planet while being kind to the sheep who provide the yarn. Handmade with care and lots of love, items from LabelLamb are all one of a kind so there is never a chance of duplication.

Swedish company Little Jalo has its eye on developing the finest in children’s products. Started by industry veteran Marie Sammeli, Little Jalo brings the best of kids fashion into line with the finest in materials and design. But Little Jalo’s Euro-style is not only popular on the continent. “We have had a very good consumer response,” Sammeli explains. The mother of four has a strong vision for the company’s products — beautiful, earth-friendly, sustainable creations — and knows how to meld it with the durability and quality that parents need.

What does it take to make that indecisive customer happy? Offer a comprehensive children’s collection that spans ages, genders and tastes. Honey Bunny brand products are a vast collection of affordable baby accessories that make grabbing and gifting super simple. They are all unique but complementary enough to mix and match. For the baby basics, Honey Bunny features rich flannel receiving blankets and contoured crib sheets. Thermal blankets littered with cute characters like giraffes, crocodiles and koalas will also be a hit.

Many parents know the feeling: You take your little girl to a party in a cute and frilly dress, only to find that she and her friends are more interested in crawling around on the floor pretending to be dinosaurs than they are in sitting demurely for photo ops. Kids will be kids, and get-togethers are meant to be fun after all, so it makes sense to choose some clothing pieces that kids can wear to events, but that can also stand up to normal wear and tear. Truffles Ruffles is a children’s clothing company that offers a variety of pretty, feminine dresses, pants, sets and accessories for little girls.

“Why should a mom be deprived of fashionable outfits for her child based on their gender?,” opined Noreen Kidwai, founder of Noreen Kidwai (NK), a company that provides customers with luxe, stylish pieces for boys under two. Kidwai spent time trying to find the boys’ counterparts for all the great designs and variety available for girls. Coming up empty was frustrating — and Kidwai found that many others were expressing the same feelings. It was then she realized that she could use her own strong sense of style and marry it with top-of-the-line textiles to create clothing that many other families would also want.

Saving water is an important step in conserving our earth’s resources but many find it difficult to do. Low-flow shower heads are one of the most common ways to avoid wasting household water. ConservCo, a Nevada-based plumbing distributor, has taken on the challenge of creating products that save water without diminishing the convenience of everyday life. Their Rubber Duckie & Friends line of shower heads for kids allows youngsters to enjoy bath time even more, while helping keep water usage to a minimum. The shower heads are available in five characters: the classic duck, a rhino, a frog, a hippo and a dolphin.

“Almost every parent has experienced a drooler at one point or another and dealt with traditional bibs,” said Lauren Anderson, the mompreneur behind the UnderBib. “When my first baby started drooling, I looked everywhere for something to protect her skin without covering her outfits or irritating her neck. I realized there wasn’t anything out there that solved my problem.” Like other hands-on moms, Anderson rolled up her sleeves and developed the UnderBib, a tot-sized covering that slips under clothing to protect baby’s delicate skin.

Some pregnant women obsess over chocolate and pickles, but not Johanna Franks. When she was pregnant, her cravings were more about cloth. After leaving her interior design job to stay home with her two children, she was itching for something creative to cling to. Instead of letting her diaper days get her down, Johanna found inspiration in her children. Their ceaseless curiosity and effervescent nature gave her the gumption to create Love Frankie. She took her love of kids and her love of color, mixed it with vintage fabric finds and great Scandinavian design, and founded a line of kids clothing your customers will love.

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