The Biz

“Have baby, will travel,” seems to sum up what most parents are doing today. Portable, lightweight baby gear options are much needed necessities. Kim Strong and Jamye Baker are two moms who understand just how hectic life can be for families. One of the pitfalls of being so active is that mealtimes do not often happen at home. Kim and Jamye created the ciao! baby portable high chair with that fact in mind. The ciao! high chair, with attached tray, is a great solution that helps make mealtimes and snacks on the go much easier for parents and baby.

Maybe you are a people watcher with a gift for observing what makes others happy. These special individuals have a gift for paying attention to the details in everyday life. They don’t just watch people: they truly want to understand others so they can meet their needs. If the thought of meeting others wants and needs makes you feel alive, then partnering with a designer who shares your interests is definitely a step toward success. Clare Chen, creator of baby and lifestyle goods, puts her sharp observation skills through a vigorous workout and then produces functional, unique items.

There is a clear relationship in the improvement of hand-eye coordination through the manipulation of individual puzzle pieces. Another bonus comes in the cultivation of patience. Children who work on puzzles understand that the completion of the project requires a time investment, making it easier for them to approach school and real-life problem-solving situations. According to research appearing in the September 2012 edition of Science, early childhood experiences are particularly important, making it the ideal time to stock up on fun, educational toys that enhance mental development, like those from Red Fish Toys.

When was the last time you saw clothing that was an absolute showstopper? With the increasing buying power of the global middle class, clothing manufacturers are eager to cater to the unique styles and tastes of their customers. And many customers don’t want just anything: they want clothing that turns heads, makes them feel good and gets compliments. These are exactly the kinds of items that should be stocked in every retail store. But it’s hard to keep track of all the new and upcoming designers. One company that will save you time on that search is Lotty Dotty, which blends comfy organic cotton with playful creativity that will turn heads.

Worker B, a Minneapolis-based company, goes beyond just supplying quality organic skin products –– it also keeps its own bees. Quality ingredients form the foundation of Worker B’s success, since all of them are either organic or GMO-free. Worker B’s mission is simple: to help people with common skin problems. There is a large contingent of folks who cannot get relief for skin conditions from conventional treatments. Worker B is there for them with a natural skin line that contains no toxins, fillers or petrochemicals.

It’s comfortable, it’s cuddly, it’s convenient and a classic… it even reached pop culture status by appearing on an episode of Friends. It’s Boppy, one of the most popular baby products of all time. Is there anyone in the baby biz that doesn’t know that the Boppy is a soft, uniquely-shaped pillow designed to provide a comfy, supportive cradle for a baby’s delicate head and neck, making it easier for a parent to hold and feed the infant? This simple yet revolutionary invention has become a household name in the last 23 years, and the company is now poised to serve a whole new generation of moms with fresh designs and styles.

Being a new parent is a stressful enough experience when baby is healthy and happy; when a baby suffers from colic, ear infections or other common infant discomforts, the level of stress and worry is often magnified. For years, parents have heard and tried dozens of folk remedies to calm their restless newborns, but it’s only fairly recently that studies have shown a link between baby bottles and common infant complaints like earaches and colic. Coddlelife is a company that offers baby feeding systems designed to reduce gas and other feeding-related problems.

Over the years, baby gear manufacturers have looked for ways to make lighter, easier to maneuver portable playards and cribs. Some of these efforts have worked quite well, allowing parents more freedom of movement. Still, the perfect folding playard remained elusive; there were always too many parts or too much bulk to allow for truly smooth transport. Finally, there’s the journeyBee, an ultra-light, ready-to-travel folding crib from ParentLab.

So many comforters, so few cribs on the retail floor. Nursery furniture stores always have a difficult choice to make for coveted display space. There are so many styles of coordinated crib soft goods available. Colors, textures, traditional or modern, and bold or neutral are just the beginning of many decisions retailers and parents need to make. For our latest bedding review, The Giggle Guide® looks at Bacati, The Little Acorn, Cotton Tale Designs, and Trend Lab.

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