The success of a show really depends on what your expectations are. Some retailers were thrilled at the new products they saw; others were concerned that there was no 'killer' product - the one that will make everyone's fortune. Unfortunately, these come only rarely and it does often require a certain amount of insight to recognise them.

While the UK birth-rate continues to rise, the folk at Tommee Tippee have been enjoying a mini baby boom of their own. Since March no fewer than ten babies have been born to members of staff at North-East based Jackel International with another due at Christmas and the 12th early in 2008 - five to Tommee Tippee mums and five to dads.

Recent changes at The East Coast Group, include moving the Bébécar warehousing to the larger and improved facilities at the North Walsham site of the parent company, and some changes to the areas covered by the sales team:

Twelve independent retailers from stores across the country are celebrating achieving their Graco Gold Award after completing a comprehensive training course at Graco's UK headquarters, Fradley Park, Staffordshire.

Diana Grant joins the Bambino Mio team as Sales Support. Diana previously worked for pushchair manufacturer Graco as their Customer Services Team Leader. Diana's previous experience in marketing and customer services within the nursery industry gives Bambino Mio extra experience in dealing with UK stockists.

As from 1 October 2007 the right to holiday entitlement increases. However, before you rush off to pack your bucket and spade it may not result in an increase for everyone. Commenting on the changes Angela Gorton, Head of Employment Law at Fox Hayes Solicitors, says: “Currently, the law only requires employers to provide four weeks holiday entitlement per employee.

The British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) led a summit of ten leading UK toy industry figures to discuss current UK toy safety regulations. Together, the summit members have created a six point action plan designed to strengthen further current safety controls, improve relations with China and educate consumers in making safe and appropriate purchasing decisions.

Ex-Portsmouth footballer Mick Quinn has endorsed the Quinny Buzz with his new baby girl Mia. Mick is also known for his winning title 'Mr Fit Club' after loosing 24% of his original body weight in Celebrity Fit Club 2006. Now a race horse trainer, Mick decided that the Quinny Buzz was the only way for Mia to travel around the stables and race tracks!

Lauded by swim schools across the country, Splash About products are now available to nursery shops nationwide exclusively through leading UK distributor, Cheeky Rascals.

Multi-channel maternity and childrenswear business Blooming Marvellous has been bought by the Icelandic investment group Arev. The London based business was launched in 1983 by Judy Lever and Vivienne Pringle and now has 14 stores as well as a catalogue and online operation.

The internet is becoming increasingly popular with new mums and mums to be offering them constant and reliable help, support and advice in our ever-changing busy world. HiPP organic conducted a research project which surveyed over 3,700 new mums and mums-to-be and revealed that:

New Modelling Agency Beautiful Bumps was launched last month. The agency, set up by two young mums after the birth of their daughters, supplies pregnant women at all stages during their pregnancy to a wide range of companies. Whether you are looking for pregnant women to advertise your new stretch mark cream or model your new summer/spring maternity range, Beautiful Bumps has a variety of women across the country that will fit your needs.

Exhibitors are reporting record levels of business from this year's BPA Baby & Child so once again it's been proven that the quality of visitors is the most important criterion for a successful show.

For the last few years Kind und Jugend has officially opened on the Friday. But recently, many exhibitors have been seeing buyers on the Thursday. This is not an ideal situation as many stands were still setting up so there was a generally feeling of untidiness and boxes and things strewn around.

Computers and the internet are becoming ingrained into our daily lives - for some of us at least! With laptops and wi-fi, many even take their computers on holiday with them and keep in touch, even doing some work beside the pool! But how has the computer revolution affected the nursery retailer?

This year the Launchpad was sponsored by Ni and RFIB and was much increased in size. This was the place to go to see the newest ideas and many visitors did. Launchpad exhibitor Katy Buckley of Mamaflage thought the show was fantastic. “Mamaflage is a new and unusual product. I believe it is fulfilling a need to enable mums to breast feed discretely and this has been backed up by the number of orders and the interest I received.”

Cologne 2007 saw the unveiling of the latest generation of the awardwinning Buggypod - the Buggypod Smorph. Generating lots of interest, admiring looks and worldwide orders (we are currently selling in 20 countries around the world), the Buggypod Smorph is sleek, black and gorgeous, with a new soft concertina fold foot rest, luxury seat pad and a 5 point harness.

With an evergrowing demand for natural and organic products, there has never been a better time to introduce 'green' products to customers. The award-winning 'EARTH FRIENDLY BABY' range has mild and gentle products which look extremely cute and include Organic Lavender, Chamomile and Mandarin aromas of bodywashes and bubblebaths.

The Cheeky Rascals stand looked a little different at Cologne this year! Dedicated to two of our fastest-growing brands, OiOi® and Outlook®, which we are now distributing across Europe, it gave them the space and focus they deserved to showcase their new collections.

No nursery is complete without the charming furniture from John Crane Ltd that was on show at BPA Baby & Child, with the new White Table and Stools from PINTOY® being a particular star of the show.

The launch of the Cuddly Cosy Carrier at the BPA Show has been a great success. The growing trend, to get back to a more natural and instinctive way of parenting, has been reflected by the keen interest shown in the Cuddly Cosy Baby ethos - to provide quality products that are both natural and affordable.

Launched at the BPA Baby & Child Show 2007! An easy to use poncho-style garment that enables self-conscious breastfeeding mums to feed their babies discreetly and comfortably in public. Mamaflage is available in two styles and a choice of colours complete with its own drawstring bag.

The Arm's Reach® Universal Co-Sleeper® Bassinet is a pioneering baby cot that creates a safe, dedicated environment for baby, and also converts to several additional uses - a free-standing bassinet, changing table, play pen, and travel cot. This flexibility is unprecedented in the UK and is as exciting as it is cost-effective.

Lifft™ (UK) Ltd successfully launched their new range of unique paneled pouch slings, receiving excellent feedback from both independent and national stores.

The CONCORD Scout folding carrycot was one of the stars of the show at Birmingham with retailers keen to be the first to order this innovative new component for the CONCORD MOBILITY-SET NEO.

Ideal for travelling, TWIST is small and handy. Kept in a neat case which protects from dirt and germs, TWIST unfolds in a jiffy ready for baby's meal, and back in the case on the way home.

Out'n'About continue their success as one of the UK's leading pushchair suppliers, exhibiting for the fourth time at the Baby & Child show. A great opportunity to update the many customers who visited our stand - it was good to receive so much positive feedback about our products and stand design.

A hugely successful show for Phil & Teds- the BPA Baby & Child 2007 brought customers old and new flocking to the stand. The brand new Phil & Teds Vibe buggy was unveiled and was extremely well received by all. It will be available for delivery from December 2007.

The brand-new TAGGIES™ Essentials Colour Collection is already proving a huge hit amongst nursery buyers! Fresh and bright, these new Taggies Essentials in soft rich fabrics explode with colour! Available from January these bold newTaggies are certain to become best-sellers in 2008!

BABY & CHILD RECOGNITION AWARDS

SAFETY

Explora STS from Britax

Runner Up: Summer Infant Super Wide Custom Fit Gate

2007 has meant big changes at Chicco as they prepared for a number of key new launches at Kind und Jugend in Cologne this September. Chicco UK may be the baby subsidiary of the Italian Chicco parent company, but with the introduction of some key new products, they will certainly be making a big impact on the UK market in 2008.

How is the car seat market changing? What do consumers believe when it comes to buying a car seat? Car seats are an important part of the nursery market, not least because it is one product that it is very unwise for consumers to pick up with the rest of their shopping.

If a pregnant mother is involved in a car crash, there's a 40 to 50 per cent chance of her having a miscarriage if she suffers from serious injuries. Even if the crash or injuries are minor, there's still up to a five per cent risk.*

SCS have a range of competitively priced car seats under the Little Shield brand covering use from birth through to 12 years of age. The Recliner is suitable from birth to five years and can be used in a rearward facing position until 9 months and then forward facing until 5 years.

When choosing any type of product for your child, safety is your number one priority. Britax take this relationship with safety extremely seriously and have set consistently high standards in the Child Travel market over the past thirty years. They were not only the first car seat manufacturer to offer an ISOFIX seat; they're now the only brand that can offer an ISOFIX seat for every stage of your child's development.

Sunshine Kids are well established as the leading manufacturer of car seat accessories, offering retailers profitable add-on sales opportunities. A free rotating display unit allows retailers to display a large part of the range in key traffic areas in store ensuring that car seat buyers are made well aware of the Sunshine Kids range.

This new Group 1 seat has all of the features of best selling Key 1 X-Plus, along with the latest ISOFIX system. Complying with R44/04 it uses the top tether fixing, which is included, and has been approved as a universal ISOFIX compatible car seat. Colour indicators are used on the anchorage points to clearly show if the installation is correct, ensuring minimum risk of incorrect fitting.

The Prince Lionheart Seatsaver® and 2 Stage Seatsaver® offer full protection from unsightly depression damage caused by children's car seats as well as and messy spills and footwear scuffing.

The NEW Strata infant car seat also addresses the health concerns of Parents and Health professionals as a positive solution to the health and safety of transporting newborn babies in the car and on a travel system.

Winner of the 'Show Innovation Award for Mobile Baby' at Cologne, and many Parenting magazines' 'Best Buy' awards, the Solution+ Group 2/3 Car Seat is one of the safest on the market, and is distributed exclusively in the UK by East Coast Nursery Ltd.

For maximum safety from birth, Bebecar offers the Group 0+ Easymaxi SPP infant car seat, now with additional side protection. Highly rated in a recent Which consumer test, an increasing number of parents are buying the Bebecar Easymaxi as they know it is a brand they can trust.

On September 18 2006, the UK government introduced new car seat legalisation affecting all children under 135cms in height. A year on, with the legislation in full force, many parents are still finding the process of choosing the right car seat a confusing one, particularly as their children continuously grow out of one group and into another.

For many years, a parent would buy toys in a toy shop but more recently, there seems to have been a trend towards buying toys for a young baby in a nursery shop. No research appears to have been done on the reasons for this. Is it because so many toys are now sold in large stores such as Toys R Us, Argos and the major supermarkets and parents find it a little intimidating to identify what they might need for the newest member of their family? Certainly more toy companies are targeting nursery shops and more baby toy ranges are appearing.

The now iconic Wheelybugs have rapidly become the toy of choice for the discerning, design conscious parent. To date, Hippychick, the sole UK distributors of the range have sold over 40,000.

All tiny tots will need to put on their thinking caps when playing with the NATLL Good Toy Awards overall winner, the Turn and Sort by GoGo Toys® from John Crane Ltd.

Lamaze has added ten new products to its toy range. The developmental features long associated with the brand are clearly identified by animal icons on new individual packaging, as physical, cognitive, language and social. Existing toys also feature new updated patterns and colour combinations, with character eyes as a focal point for engaging baby.

Petite Star's Green Fingers nursery range has been created to provide beautifully made, practical products, at a really affordable price.

Using the Chicco Baby Steps Activity Walker a young child can stand on its own two feet and take its first steps confidently and safely - to the sound of music. As the walker begins to move, a melody plays. When baby stops so does the tune, so the more baby walks, the more the melody plays, encouraging it to keep toddling.

Retailers want to stock brands that stand out from the crowd, with instant appeal that makes them impossible to resist! Latitude Enfant® has that appeal. Their extraordinary range of tactile early learning toys is beautiful and colourful to look at, features an enticing array of textures, sounds and activities, and delights, stimulates, entertains and educates through play.

The Sassy Who Loves Baby? Photo Cube from Flair takes developmental toys to a new level, inspiring a sense of self in the youngest member of the family.

When it comes to first toys for toddlers the wooden toy collection from Great Gizmos offers a selection of traditional, no nonsense favourites with heaps of play value.

The latest activity toy from developmental nursery toy experts Tiny Love is the 'Activitot', and it is already proving a winner with a Gold Right Start Best Toy Award, and a Silver Good Toy Award. Like all the other great toys from Tiny Love, 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.

Having a character or a brand logo can make many products more desirable and nursery is no exception. The Wilkinet Survey has been asking some very useful questions for us again this month. Do our customers want a character on their nursery products? The Wilkinet survey found that 55% of respondents sometimes buy baby products with characters on - but don't have a preferred character.

East Coast Nursery Ltd have had a long and successful relationship with Disney, and continue to develop licensed nursery products, featuring everyone's favourite bear Winnie the Pooh. Two different designs are currently available, the muted colours and pencil drawings of Sketchbook Pooh, and the more brightly coloured Honey Tree Pooh.

Cute, classic and cuddly - Dick Bruna's charming character Miffy has been a nursery favourite for more than 50 years and now, thanks to Rainbow Designs, the little white bunny stars in an exciting new collection of baby gifts.