Atlanta Gift Show Forecasts What’s New

As a retailer, a huge part of your role is being on the cusp of trends in the children’s market. Sure, you can surf the Internet and read reviews, but it’s hard to tell what’s really new. This time, we’ve done the work for you! Or, Atlanta did. The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market and Atlanta International Area Rug Market, held July 11-18 at AmericasMart Atlanta was a valuable venue for those who wanted to be in the know about what’s next for the kiddos. In our roaming, we found exceptional accessories, silly slippers, delicious décor, and classy organization techniques. Here’s a taste of brands worthy of recognition: So Snaps, Pop Up Pals, Munch and BabyBedside.

So Snaps Changes Fashion Fast

Have you seen parents carry a plastic bag full of hair accessories around for their little princess? They’re always at the ready to change styles and pick out just the right color headband or bow to make their little girl feel her prettiest. Consumers want “fast fashion” –– looks that can change quickly and are affordable.

Girls love being able to accessorize and customize their look daily, if not hourly. Offer them the convenience and fashion of So Snaps, the perfect solution for the choosiest of children. So Snaps is a line of interchangeable, stackable accessory pieces. These vibrantly colored flowers, caps and ribbons are interchangeable across all So Snaps accessories, including hats, headbands, barrettes and even sandals! This allows girls to maximize their choices and trade within their own collections. The same pieces that are snapped on a headband today can be rearranged and snapped on a hat tomorrow!

Created by a mom of three girls, So Snaps is a clever way to create customizable fashion in a snap. Offer these as the perfect solution to make last year’s school fashion look brand new for a lot less money than a new wardrobe.

Changing fashions is easy at www.sosnaps.com

Pop Up Pals Entertain with Every Step

Slippers are always in style, and new school years bring slumber parties. Make sure you stock the up-and-coming new trend, Pop Up Pals. These are more than old-school fuzzy bunny slippers. They are interactive children’s animal slippers that can even double as stuffed animals. Kids make them move with the power of their own step! Every time the child walks, dances or plays, the Pop Up Pals become animated.

The secret is in a small pressure point in the foot… shhhh, the kids don’t need to know it’s not magic. They’ll think their pals are coming alive before their eyes. There are six animals in all: Playtime Puppy and Fluffy Puppy love to lift their ears when it’s time to play. Lucky Ladybug opens her pretty little eyes anytime of the day. Pretty Pony dances in step with the child. Silly Monkey goes crazy with every stride. Baby Dino chomps his teeth and really likes to talk.

Slippers are available in four sizes: XS (Shoe Size 9/10), S (Shoe Size 11/12), M (Shoe Size 13/1) and L (Shoe Size 2/3). Stock these with fun pajamas or little suitcases and watch them dance off your shelves!

Visit www.popuppals.com for a wholesale application.

Munch Makes All Kinds of Crazy-Creature Décor

Enliven kids’ spaces with delightful, dimensional wooden plaques and painted canvases featured in four new wall décor collections from Munch™. Perfect for bedrooms and playrooms, the color-rich collections are offered in four adorably creative decorating themes: Robots, Forest Friends, Bugs and Safari. Each collection is composed of four colorful character canvases and seven coordinating dimensional wooden plaques ready for instant display.

All Munch décor is decorated with non-toxic paint. Many of the painted 12” x 12” gallery-wrapped canvases are embellished with characters’ names in whimsical felt letters for added dimension and appeal.

Seven motif-appropriate characters are crafted as lightweight wooden plaques, highlighted with layered wooden cutouts and featuring keyhole hangers. These collections go beyond traditional nursery décor. Each assortment is distinctively fresh.

The Robots crew of factory fun characters –– Idea Bot, Antenna Bot and a spaceship, among others –– are painted in bold primary colors. Forest Friends are finished in earthy, but vibrant hues and include an owl, hedgehog, fox and other wildlife. The sunny pastel Bugs collection includes a ladybug, butterfly, mini garden and more. The bold, bright Safari line stars a monkey, gator and other wild friends.

For a Munch catalog, product descriptions and ordering information, visit www.MunchKidz.com

BabyBedside Keeps Care Close to Mom

Buyers looking for baby shower gifts know that new moms need all the help and organization they can get. Just ask Candace Sparks. Married to a military man and recovering from a C-section, Candace knew she would need everything as accessible as possible to take care of her infant for the first few weeks of her recovery. Moving from room to room and bending to grab things just wasn’t going to cut it. Her problem-solver is BabyBedside, a perfectly padded organizational tool that can be placed between a bed’s mattress and box spring and not slip.

Because of the unique flap design, BabyBedside can also double as an on-the-go changing station by simply folding out the soft material and placing baby aboard. But wait, there’s more! It can also act as a diaper bag by folding the flap over! BabyBedside comes in Pink, Green, Brown-Pink, and Blue. It has seven individual pockets for lotion, bottles, wipes and other babycare items, plus one large-sized pocket for an ample supply of diapers.

Consider displaying the BabyBedside complete with all the must-haves for baby’s first few months. Visit www.BabyBedside.com