The Biz

The “mompreneur” has become a recognized contributor to American business. Mompreneurs are inspired by their own lives and their children, sometimes creating products or services based on a need they themselves wanted to fill. The following is just a sampling of some of the companies that have made an impression on the children’s market. They cover a wide range of products and age demographics, but they all have one thing in common: they were launched by American mompreneurs. Our review includes: Tattly, cachcach, Diapees and Wipees and No Slippy Hair Clippy.

Scheduling is one of the most difficult parts of family life. It’s tough enough to schlep kids from dental appointments and soccer games to after-school programs and violin lessons — but it’s tougher when children aren’t aware of the time. Families have tried to teach children the value of being on time… with mixed results. Some children always have an eye on the clock, and others can’t seem to find their own watches, much less a clock on the wall. Wouldn’t it be great to have kids want to keep an eye on the time? With the attention-getting pieces from RUBR, families may have just found the answer to keeping kids on schedule.

Shoppers are always on the lookout for special gifts for new parents or shower presents that are not ho-hum. Some items are so filled with fun they scream “buy me!” while others attract because they are ecologically in tune. The more variety you offer, the greater your rewards as customers like having a selection of items at different price points. Great shower and baby gifts help build your business as others ask the happy recipients, “Where did you get that?” Gifts from Nui Organics, Wry Baby, Wupzey and Nova Nature are all well designed, with the right combinations of whimsy, practicality and sensible pricing.

The great thing about offering home, lifestyle and gift items in your store is that most can be displayed without regard to time or season. To ensure they are a selection of new products, buyers will swarm the New York International Gift Fair^® January 26-30. Drawing an estimated 35,000 attendees from all 50 states and 80+ countries, the NYIGF is produced twice annually. Held in January and August in New York City, the Fair hosts about 2,800 exhibiting companies showcasing brands across the home, lifestyle and gift spectrum. The Giggle Guide^® has culled the list of exhibitors to preview a selection of interesting children’s items, including Zipit, Pure Play Kids, Greenpoint Brands and Buzzworthy Baby.