I can hardly believe it is June already and I am three months into my role as Editor of Nursery Industry. We have been working closely with the BPA and I am delighted to announce that Ni is to sponsor the Launchpad at BPA Baby & Child 2009. The show takes place from 11th - 13th October at ExCel, London and promises a range of exciting exhibitors. For some pre-show analysis, check out Peter White's article, and more on the Launchpad.

Lindam has chosen baby and parenting specialist Azaria to head-up its PR. After winning a three-way pitch, Azaria will be working with Lindam's new Marketing Manager Claire Rayner to implement its extensive integrated PR and marketing plan, which has been designed to take the company's success to the next level. 

The Baby Products Association (BPA) is delighted to announce that after three years of absence Silver Cross is to join other nursery suppliers and exhibit at BPA Baby & Child in the autumn.

With still four months to go before the start of Kind + Jugend 2009, all the signs are pointing to another successful trade fair. The Who's Who of the sector, as well as new exhibitors, will once again come together in Cologne in September for the world's leading event for baby and toddler outfitting products.

Hippychick is delighted to announce the launch of a brand new product; the Wallaboo Wrapper.  A petal shape with an inner leaf print, there is a specially designed pocket to pop the baby securely in and wrap up snugly, and options to create a hood. 

The use of digital photos and video can provide young children with a powerful medium to express their voice, as well as facilitating valuable three-way interactions between a child, their home and their early years setting, says education innovator Futurelab. A new video exploring the early development of Dream Catcher, a prototype project which aims to build these communications bridges was launched last month at www.futurelab.org.uk/projects/dream-catcher.

Parenting PR & Marketing consultants PJP has been appointed to work with Parisian made perfume brand Mon Bébé, hypoallergenic, alcohol-free scented water created especially for babies.

Boori Nursery Furniture has appointed Alex Soultana (ex Tomy) and Scott Carruthers (ex Bugaboo) as sales representatives for its Southern and Northern areas respectively. Their roles will include staff training and product advice/updates for retailers.

This year, for the first time, The Childcare and Nursery Show has organised a schedule of seminars which will take place over the show's two day stay at Olympia. The Childcare and Nursery Show 2009, which takes place on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 June, is being billed as `the biggest and best event for everyone in the childcare business'.

Following its success at the 2007 and 2008 Harrogate Nursery Fair, X-Adventure UK importers of stylish prams and strollers from the Netherlands, has announced its new association with Amazon, the online retail giant. The product has also been selected by Mothercare.

Brand Licensing Europe is launching the ultimate advice point for retailers attending the event in 2009: the Retail Buyers Centre.

Kiddicare has expanded its options for online payments by teaming up with alternative online payment provider Paysafecard Group. The move comes following high demand from customers looking for an alternative to using credit cards on the Internet. With the prepaid voucher Cash-Ticket, Kiddicare customers now have access to a solution which is as simple, fast and safe as paying by cash.

A real-life garden shed, stuffed to the rafters with all the paraphernalia of family life, is touring the country to let dads have their say about fatherhood. To encourage the ‘dad debate' Donal MacIntyre, runner up from ITV1's Dancing on Ice and Father of two girls, attended the London leg of the tour to ask the question: "What does fatherhood mean to you?"

Footballer Michael Duberry and his wife Natasha have launched funky new baby products website www.mummysonlinebabyshop.com

Bambino Merino's 100% pure merino sleeping bag has been voted a ‘hot' product by NCT parents in the Cheltenham & North Cotswolds area. Bambino Merino's sleeping bag was given the thumbs up for its ability to keep babies warm when it's cold or cool when it's hot.

Cuddledry's cow print apron towel has been shortlisted by the Gift Association for the prestigious ‘Gift of the Year Award', in the best baby gift category.

German based craft phenomenon, PlayMais has appointed toy industry public relations specialists Aspen PR, to work alongside its UK supplier Top Banana Toys in order to raise awareness of the product across the UK. The initial strategy is to build brand awareness with both parents and children and a timetable of exciting consumer based events is planned - including child centred activity days, working with strategic partners and a full media tour.

Andrew

Taga is a multifunctional urban vehicle, designed to suit the needs of today's parents and children. It combines the benefits of a premium stroller and a carrier bicycle to create a new transportation modality.

Made from Sprigwood, a child-safe, bio-composite material derived from recycled wood and reclaimed plastic, the Sprig Adventure Series harnesses the natural energy of push-and-pump-action play to power lights and other electronics - all without batteries.  Fun Adventure Guide characters wearing LED-lit hats plug into durable, attractively designed vehicles and engage preschoolers with audio that guides them through exciting adventures as they play.

Stellina Baby offers a stunning collection of 100% cashmere clothes for babies and toddlers aged 0-3. The collection consists of beautiful and stylish playsuits, cardigans, jumpers, ballet wraps, dresses and a wide selection of accessories including hats, socks, baby blankets and gift sets. Prices start at £16.

At a time when consumer budgets are stretched to the maximum, retailers will be pleased to know that there is one travel system sure to sell in the current economic climate. With a recommended retail price of just £149.99, the City Bug from Petite Star has compromised on price, not quality. Having viewed the product myself at Harrogate, I am certain that this compact and lightweight stroller will be snapped up by quick-thinking retailers in no time at all.

As the company expands, work on the new showroom and offices in Northampton is almost complete. A purpose built display area on the second floor will showcase the company's ranges, enabling retailers to visit and make informed choices for their stores. Commenting on the new showroom, John Crane said, "Wood is such a tactile product; we want people to come along to touch and play with the products on offer. For all our collections retailers can come along and check the quality, but also really see the innovation and design that has gone into each and every item."

The retailers in the NPD survey have recorded a 7% increase in value of sales for the first four months of the year, with unit sales up 1% over the same period. April itself was up by 6% with double digit growth for categories such as carriers, car seats and wheeled goods. Carry cots also saw a strong increase even though the volumes are still relatively small overall.

In association with Nursery Industry, the Launchpad is an exciting area at BPA Baby & Child that has always been extremely popular with visitors and exhibitors alike, and this year will mark its fifth anniversary. The Launchpad is located at the heart of the show, where companies that have never exhibited at a UK trade show before can promote their product ranges - giving retailers a key opportunity to view never seen before innovations.

Here, MD Roger Cheetham, exclusively tells Nursery Industry readers about the wave of new changes being embraced within his business, and explains why he believes it is important to have a good online presence, especially during times of economic hardship and changes in consumer behaviour.

Safety is at the forefront of every parent's mind and when buying a nursery product, it is a major concern. According to the NHS, every year a large number of children between 0-5 years old are injured, some seriously, in accidents at home. Falls are the most common type of accident, and they also have the most serious consequences. "The kitchen and the stairs are where the majority of serious accidents happen, with a total of 43,000 accidents occuring in the kitchen, and 58,000 on the stairs. Children between 0-4 years of age are most likely to have an accident in the home and boys are more at risk than girls." Such frightening statistics from the NHS indicate the seriousness of the issue for parents and retailers alike.

This is a recently developed reflective unit, designed to enhance the visibility of pushchairs and buggies in the darkness hours - winter evenings and mornings especially. It is a unique design, offering a completely secure,  dependable and highly visible reflective surface, to alert all drivers and motorcyclists to the presence of pushchairs/buggies, when ambient light is at its lowest, and young children, in pushchairs/buggies, are most vulnerable to impact and injury. The reflective unit, when attached, (to a fixed or swivel wheel) can withstand the rigours of normal buggy use.

As a retailer, you will no doubt have strong views on those that trade solely via the internet. However, it's worth keeping up to date with how they operate so that you can identify what they do well and what they do badly, reflecting on your own strengths and weaknesses in the process. Becci Knowles Investigates...

One of the most difficult aspects of becoming a parent is coping with the total lack of sleep! According to Ann Douglas, author of Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler and Preschooler, babies do not start forming powerful sleep associations until they are three or four months old. Making clear distinctions between night and day will help to establish a regular sleeping pattern and a nap and bed time routine will follow. As a retailer, you are probably used to dealing with customers who are experiencing sleepless nights, but there are always new and exciting products on the market that you can offer as a solution.

When The Gro Company founders Rob and Ouvrielle Holmes introduced Grobag, the UK's first Baby Sleep Bag, to the British nursery market in 2000, they never imagined that a global brand was in the making. 

As the leading specialists in cot mattress technology, Kit for Kids is always at the forefront of "The science of safer sleeping".

Launched at the beginning of 2009, the CLARITY Digital Video Monitor by Lindam has been exceptionally successful, already gaining a spot in the NPD market data top 50 nursery items sold year to date [based on value].

Merino Kids^TM is the worlds leader in the use of merino for baby, infant and toddler sleep design since 2003. Medical studies have found that babies and infants sleeping on merino sleep longer, fed better, gain weight faster and cry less. This is due to merino's incomparable ability to breath naturally and release moisture away from the infants skin.

There are a number of fantastic sleep solutions in the Baby Sense range including Sleep Sense - the book that is a must for parents suffering from sleep deprivation - and the Cuddlewrap - the definitive swaddling blanket. Sleep Sense offers simple and sensible solutions that help parents understand the relationship between sleep patterns and typical development.

Easidream® is a revolutionary sleep product that settles young babies to sleep within minutes by recreating the soothing womb experience within the cot itself.

The Japanese inspired Moshi Moshi Kawaii range from MAM, is represented by small stylised rabbits with their own personality. Two of the most popular Moshi characters include Strawberry Moshi and Super Moshi.

An uninterrupted night's sleep is pretty high up on every parents wish list. Hippychick has addressed this and have some great products to ease the pressure of bedtime.

There are a number of breast and bottle feeding products available nowadays, all of which have been designed to help mum and baby make the most out of mealtimes. Depending on how well you know and understand your target market, you should have a feeding section in store, full to the brim with products that appeal to all tastes and budgets.

Feeding problems, in particular colic, are a common cause of distress for babies and their parents. But now there's a non-medicinal solution, Dr Brown's Natural Flow Feeding System. This fully vented vacuum free feeding bottle is widely being recognised by parents and health professionals as the most effective way of preventing the colic symptoms caused by regular bottles and teats.

MAM's up-dated range of bottles includes new stylish designs, and new names whilst continuing to be BPA-free and safe for babies.

Plastic Baby bottles and the chemical, BPA, that some contain have been receiving a great deal of negative press coverage over the past couple of years. Some of the larger manufacturers are finally turning to chemical-free manufacturing techniques, though this has been a very slow process.

Difrax aims to meet the needs of parent and child to comply. Therefore Difrax offers consumers a choice with the introduction of the S-bottle UltraS.

The new and innovative Chicco Polly Magic has quickly become a firm favourite with both retailers and consumers.

Versatile, functional and stylish, Totseat, the washable squashable highchair, is perfect for any family on the go.  It adapts easily to fit chairs (and babies) of all shapes and sizes, whether short, tall, open-backed or even the pavement-café type. 

The sleek new Minui Highchair represents a new approach to dining furniture, taking multifunctional design to a whole new level. The two elements, the Minui Chair and HandySitt seat, can be used independently or in combination, to provide a complete stylish chair or highchair for the home, or a removable portable highchair for away. 

The Wean Machine^TM, an innovative new solution to the problem of preparing small portions of nutritious baby food, is to be launched in the UK and Ireland by Cheeky Rascals this month.

With an increasing number of celebrity parents looking positively stylish even when doing the weekly shop, we can't help but feel a little envious. Gliding up and down the supermarket aisles in a manner more akin to the red carpet, they are the epitome of cool. Far from being weighed down by bags, frantically searching for baby's bottle, all the essentials are neatly packed away without a single ‘mum bag' in sight. Making a style statement of its own, the changing bag merely complements an already great outfit.

The clever 2-in-1 Organizer from Infantino is just one of a number of products in the successful range of innovative products designed to make parents' lives that little bit easier. Combining stylish form with practical function the 2-in-1 Organizer is a compact tote with storage for all the changing & feeding essentials needed for a day out, which then opens up fully and attaches easily and securely to the back of a car seat to transform the back of a car into a baby changing station with everything close at hand. Of course when baby is older it can still be used as back-of-car storage and a handy carry case.

The Tippitoes Girl About Town (GAT) Bag is practical, fashionable and most importantly, highly affordable. A distinct champion in the changing bag market, the GAT Bag has won numerous praise from satisfied customers who simply would not swap it for any other holdall.

German design is arguably the best in the world. The list of cutting edge brands that have become famous across the world includes Porsche, Mercedes and Bosch. Another German brand set to make a big impact in the UK is Lässig.  Lassig bags are exceptionally well designed and constructed with from durable robust fabrics in a range of textiles and styles with raised stitching and other clever features which add real value for your customers.

OiOi® is celebrating the arrival of summer with the launch of the fabulous Kriss Cross Hobo in dazzling pink and orange - too beautiful to pass by.

JJ Cole Collections understand that modern mums want style and practicality when it comes to changing bags.

With its multiple compartments and sleek accessories the ‘System Bag' is specifically designed with the on-the-go lifestyle in mind.

Wallaboo has a beautiful yet practical range of changing bags in regular and extra large sizes.  Made from beautiful, soft microfibre suede and plush shearling, these changing bags are more than just functional, they are stylish as well.

Organisation is the key, that's why PacaPod is unique.  What sets it apart from other changing bags is the pod system that lies at it's heart - It's not just a changing bag, it's a "baby organising system".

The Department for Children, Schools and Families highlights the various stages of child development on its website and is therefore a useful point of reference when selecting age appropriate stock for your shelves. Your business is geared toward the care and development of the next generation. You can support the six areas of learning development set out by the Early Years Foundation Stage, by promoting the importance of learning through play on a daily basis.

The award -winning Tidy Books® bookcase is a new concept in children's bookcases. 

Designed with children's natural love of books in mind, the bookcase attractively displays the books' front covers, making them easily accessible for small hands. 

Orchard Toys has a well-earned reputation for design, quality, durability and affordability. Their beautifully illustrated, award-winning  games and puzzles will help children develop skills needed within the National Curriculum.

The Vario focuses on simple handling, safety and versatility. Suitable from birth the Vario benefits from a reversible seat unit and converts easily from a stroller to a pram or a travel system, covering all eventualities. 

British actress Natascha McElhone joins the ranks of celebrities buying Skibz dribble bibs for their babies.

Market leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of practical furniture, Gopak, has answered the call for colourful, contemporary and comfortable seating, with the Pop stacking chair.