March is the issue in which we traditionally preview the Harrogate Nursery Fair and this year is no exception and you will find everything you need to know about the show from the special Supplement included with this issue. There’s lots to see and lots to do so make sure you allow plenty of time.

After a record number of entrants last year, the Practical Pre-School Awards 2007 nominations are now open. It covers all childcare products: from toys and education products to safety equipment, snuggle blankets and baby transport systems.

Plans are stepping up for this Autumn’s BPA Baby and Child and with the organisers looking to ever improve on previous years’ shows, news of a new feature will be welcomed by many toy companies looking for a showcase to exhibit their early years brands.

The Baby Show is delighted to announce that following the success of the ‘Out and About Brand Showcase’ at their Earls Court show, Dorel have now signed up for all three Baby Shows in 2007, starting with the new launch show at ExCeL London on 9-11 March.

Andrew (Rollie) Rollinson and Anthony Butters received a very nice Christmas present this year. Their hard work has been rewarded by their appointment as Directors of BabyStyle; Rollie has been appointed Financial Director and Anthony, Technical Director. The paperwork for Companies House along with newly printed business cards were wrapped as their Christmas presents.

Britax is delighted to announce the appointment of three new sales representatives who will be looking after independent retailers. Abby McAllister will be taking care of the Midlands and South West, Nick Porter will be responsible for the Northern region, and Graham McFarlane will look after the North East, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Baby Products Association is proud to announce the launch of Concept 2007 – the perfect platform for inventors of products for babies and children to showcase their ideas and designs. Would be inventors, whether a professional designer, student, mum, dad, grandparent or anybody who has an idea, are invited to put forward their designs and prototypes for this year’s competition.

Worlds Apart is delighted to announce its partnership with the world's number one pre-school toy brand Fisher-Price. Worlds Apart has developed The Fisher-Price Discovery Pop Up range of activity toys for babies aged 6 - 36 months to be launched in Spring 2007.

House of Dee is delighted to announce the launch of its new website www.houseofdee.co.uk . This new and exciting website enables both consumers and retailers to view all of the brands House of Dee supplies, including Tiny Dee, the award winning brand leader in the U.K. for premature and low birth weight babies, Dormouse Collection basic baby essentials and Christeningwear, Dee accessorized for kids belts and braces and finally for fashion, Doodle Dee and Joufflu Dee.

The bébéPOD PLUS is sure to catch the interest of retailers and consumers alike with its bright colours, multi-function versatility, and value for money. The pommel attachment allows baby to sit upright in a safe and comfortable seat (from the time baby is able to support his/her head), allowing baby to take in the surroundings from an upright position.

Grafton Manufacturing Ltd has signed a joint manufacturing agreement with Wardle Storeys (Earby) Ltd. Together they are expanding and developing the Nursery product range currently produced by Grafton.

Sunshine Kids recently hosted a Forum day at their offices in Tamworth designed to promote an open discussion between retailers, agents and the company itself. We felt that rather than trying to report on the success of the day that the following text received from Andrea Harrison of Lullabys summed up the day.

Q: When and where were you born?

A: Dudley Worcestershire (in those days) - 1950

Q: Education?

A: Tettenhall College - Wolverhampton

It is important to spend time getting the design and content of your advertising correct and to build in some kind of brand building so that consumers start to recognise that the ads are yours. This helps to build confidence in your target audience.

Many companies do not realise the gaps in their knowledge. Yet once a mistake has been made, it is hard to correct it and the cap on Unfair Dismissal awards now exceeds £60,000. Try your hand at this short quiz to test your ability to stay out of trouble. The answers are at the bottom of the next page.

To make this as fair a test as possible our secret shopper presented the same specific brief to each shop assistant. The brief was as follows: Secret Shopper is a first time mum looking for a robust travel system suitable for walking dogs on country paths. It must be transported regularly in a car, therefore easy to collapse and fit different attachments. She is very safety conscious regarding the car seat and as far as budget is concerned, getting the right product is more important. Whilst in the shop she is also interested in gaining information about other products that she will need as she currently has nothing. Over to SS…

TDA RIP

From December 12 2007 EC Member States must apply the laws, regulations and administrative provisions to comply with Directive 2005/29/EC better known as the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD). This new EC Directive effectively replaces the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 (which will then be repealed) thus ending the forty years’ reign of one of the most effective pieces of consumer legislation.

Licensing is big business. But does it really affect you? The short answer is yes. True, tiny babies are completely unaffected by a picture on their changing mat but babies aren’t the people buying the products! And as children get older, having their favourite character on their belongings makes a big difference.

The First Years’ sub-brand Säva welcomes a new license for 2007, Disney Pixar Cars! The feeding range has also been expanded throughout the current licenses Disney Winnie the Pooh and Disney Princess.

The Disney Honey Tree Pooh collection available from East Coast Nursery Ltd features the ever popular bear floating through the clouds holding onto a balloon. The collection includes a wide range of coordinating nursery accessories from changing mats and temperature change bath mats, to bouncing cradles, room thermometers, and car 'Baby on Board' signs; with many of the accessories making perfect presents for a new baby.

Play is at the heart of a baby’s development and there are numerous studies to show that playing with this sort of toy helps that bit of development. Child psychologists have plenty to keep them busy looking at how children interact with their toys. What interests them and what are they learning?

The latest activity toy from Tiny Love is the 'Activitot', a new concept in baby activity gyms. The Activitot has been designed to stimulate the development of physical and intellectual skills in babies and toddlers, so that they can learn through play.

Craft Time and Gift Time DVD’s aim to make the hours count and provide an exciting way to stimulate children whilst having fun as they watch, create and learn. Each DVD uses basic techniques which can then be used for many different designs.

Activity centres are a great way to keep infants amused for hours and the new collection from Sassy offers lots of brightly coloured learning for inquisitive toddlers. The All Around Abacus, suitable for nine months plus, is a sight to behold with its bright vibrant colours that are immediately appealing.

Toy Fair was held at the end of January and generally it was thought to be a very successful show. Toys is a very big industry. Figures recently announced by NPD Group on behalf of the British Toy & Hobby Association show that the toy market in the UK saw a strong performance in 2006, growing by 5 percent by value in 2006.

Activity Toy of the Year in South Africa, Planx offers unlimited scope for children aged 3–103 to build and create shapes, buildings, towers and towns, helping to develop coordination, balance and dexterity from an early age.

As a leading name in nursery toys, John Crane Ltd knows that stacking and building is a favourite nursery pastime and with the Hide and Seek Cubes from PINTOY® the fun will be endless. These rainbow bright cubes feature the ‘four friends’ animals seen on many a PINTOY® toy.

Discover the latest collection of adorable Grannimals, now available in the UK exclusively through leading UK distributor, Cheeky Rascals. A modern take on a traditional toy, Grannimals are retro-trendy, hand-knitted animal characters that come beautifully presented in their own personalised ‘shoe box’, as if sent by Granny.

This Autumn/Winter Tomy introduces Discovery KaleidoDisc Lightshow & Activity Centre – a fantastic new addition to their popular Discovery Range.

The No.1 sun shade in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, has just got better - with a handy new central panel in the lower mesh that unzips to give quick and easy access to the child. Practical when passing food and drinks, or when going into the shade or the shops, once unzipped this panel can be folded neatly out of the way into the built-in pocket.

The HandySitt™ Company is getting ready for Spring with its fabulous new range of coloured HandySitts. Bright and bold, there are 4 new colours to choose between - Blue, Pink, Green and Orange.