With consumers increasingly aware of climate change and the impact that many products can have on the environment, retailers are constantly looking to meet the demand for eco-friendly and sustainable product ranges. Recognising this growing market, BPA Baby & Child 2008 introduces a new Eco Pavilion.

In this issue you can catch up with what's going on in the realm of car seats on p19, and make sure you and your staff are well up on advice cots and mattresses, see p29. It's always useful to be as informed as possible and parents appreciate that extra information surrounding these major product buys.

The Bugaboo Bee is soon-to-be available in bright pink! Yes, the most compact bugaboo pushchair is about to make an even bigger impact on our surburban streets, with a wow factor that can hardly be missed!

The BPA reports that challenges and concerns for manufacturers and retailers in the nursery sector were hot topics for people visiting the Baby and Products Association's (BPA) stand at the recent Harrogate Nursery Fair.

The UK's major reusable nappy manufacturer, Bambino Mio, has been selected as one of the four finalists for The National Business Awards Regional Programme in association with The Daily Telegraph.

This month sees the arrival of Breastfeeding Awareness Week from 11th -17th May, and in celebration the National Childbirth Trust is encouraging NCT branches nationwide to host events and activities in their local area.

Dr Brown's has just launched a new service on it's website specifically designed to help breastfeeding mums stick at it.

Kooltrade is pleased to introduce Larissa Waters as Product Development Manager, a new role within the company. Having previously worked for Mamas & Papas in a similar position this new role will see Larissa being primarily responsible for the My Child range with additional involvement with the Baby Jogger, Inglesina, Firstwheels and Combi collections all exclusively distributed by Kooltrade in the UK.

MAM (UK), has launched the new MAM Silk range to compliment its baby feeding and calming products.

Storksak, the brand that has attracted a devout celebrity following, including Angelina Jolie, (Brad Pitt was photographed in Cannes last year sporting Storksak's unisex ‘Jamie' bag), Liv Tyler, Katie Holmes and Gywnneth Paltrow, is launching several new styles for Summer 2008.

The Red Castle Mini  is a new lightweight stroller with a reclining seat, 5 point safety harness, foot brake, sun protecting hood, net storage basket and carry bag,. It weighs just 5.4kg and is available in black, turquoise or fuchsia. Rrp £85, it's available from Bettacare.

Graco has developed a top-of-the-range travel cot, the Contour Electra Deluxe that provides all the comfort of a permanent cot and much more.

A new independent research report commissioned by the maternity guide, Emma's Diary, has revealed that up to 35 per cent  of mums are buying reusable nappies.

Dr Amanda Gummer, who runs the parents and business support site, http://www.fundamentalsonline.co.uk/, has recently produced a report showing how rewards charts really can make life much easier for parents.

A new programme set to revolutionise the way parents save for their children has just been launched. KidStart, the first business of its kind in the UK, is a free children's savings club which allows members to collect cash savings for their children when shopping at a wide range of online and a growing number of high street retailers and service companies. 

UK Clothing manufacturer Frugi is celebrating being shortlisted in three categories for the 2008 Cornish Business Awards for Best Website, Best Innovation of the Year, and Entrepreneur of the Year.

Stylish accessories from the Cheeky Rascals' product range, namely an OiOi Red Vintage Hobo bag and a fish print Splash About Happy Nappy and Baby Wrap made a television appearance on ‘Young Mums Mansion', the BBC3 reality TV show. 

AnnaCecilia's EasyZip nursing bra collected the top TIPS Award, ‘Best of the Best Nursing Bra' earlier this month.  The TIPS Awards are based on the results of thorough testing by a panel of nursing mothers, supported by Sharon Trotter, Midwife, Breastfeeding expert and Mother & Baby Consultant.  The EasyZip Bra won the vote for the most superior nursing bra in terms of comfort, support, discretion and ease of use. 

Newell Rubbermaid has appointed Robert Harley as Teutonia Account Manager for the UK and Ireland, following more than two successful years as a Key Account Manager for Graco.

The Mother & Baby Awards 2008 deadline is looming. Anyone who has a product they think is the best in its category should log on to www.motherandbaby.co.uk/awards and enter before 23rd May.

The Baby Show in association with Bounty sponsored by Volvo is back at The NEC in Birmingham shortly for a 6th year. Over 200 exhibitors will meet 24,000 new and expectant mums and their families over the three day event.

Summer Fair 2008 will shortly be opening its doors to the public from June 22nd - 25th at Excel in London.

What was your childhood like?

I was born in Chester in 1977,and stayed in the area untilI left for uni. My childhood was great. I grew up in the country and was always making dens in the surrounding fields, building stuff in the garage and drawing/painting pictures. We didn't get a computer or video recorder till 1990 so I had my imagination to play with.

If the population trends recently published by the Office of National Statistics are anything to go by I think we can expect a healthy demand for baby products over the coming years. We may always be subjected to glitches due to extraneous factors (such as credit crunch etc) but the underlying statistics for the projected level of births remains encouraging.

Upcoming Standards

The following standards are expected to be published in the next few months:

BS EN 12221 Parts 1 & 2 - Changing Units
BS EN 716 Parts 1 & 2 - Cots (including Travel Cots)
BS EN 1466 - Carry Cots
BS EN 12790 Parts 1 & 2 - Reclined Cradles

One of the most well used reference books for BPA Retail members and the industry in general is the BPA Yearbook.

As part of the ongoing campaign to reduce the rate of VAT on car seat bases the BPA has mailed 650 separate MP's and heads of departments and all party groups. The mailing included an explanatory letter, a copy of our budget submission to the Treasury and our specially prepared two page information leaflet. We will keep you informed of the outcome.

In the last issue we looked at how to legally protect a product using different kinds of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and some common misconceptions about them. This month we steer you through the common pitfalls and help you avoid paying a very high price as a result

A well-respected Professor of biochemical pollutants at Aberdeen University has questioned the safety of supermarket baby rice, after finding that 35 per cent of the supermarket brands his research team analysed contained levels of arsenic that would be illegal in China.  Inorganic arsenic is a human carcinogen, yet because it is not mentioned in current EU law, many companies follow the  standards based on  British ‘safe' level set in 1959, which Professor Andrew Meharg says is scientifically out of date.

In the UK now we are generally very responsible  about using child car seats. But even now seats are often fitted incorrectly, so when cars crash, the speeds involved can cause severe impacts, which all too often causes death and injury to babies and children.

As the Isofix system continues to grow in popularity with Graco, Dorel, Chicco and now Brio offering this safer  system option inthe UK,  Dorel has recently announced an investment of over one million pounds on its manufacturing capacity for the Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix.  The Group 0+ car seat is hugely popular and the increase is part of Dorel's customer-focused campaign to increase supply and improve service.

With price points ranging from £2.99 to £9.99 Infantino offer a fantastic range of soft infant toys designed to attach easily to any pram, stroller, car seat, or change bag to help keep a baby stimulated and entertained with familiar friends along for the ride wherever they go.

When you have achieved award winning standards of design and usability for aTravel System what comes next?  CONCORD has reached for the stars in its quest for the perfect buggy and the result is the new CARBON EDITION of the CONCORD NEO travel system.  Based on the innovative technology and sleek design of the Concord Neo, it unites all of its advantages in one unique and exclusive model, and has one further special feature up its sleeve: the Concord Neo Carbon buggy has a hand-crafted carbon frame.  

Add a touch of luxury to a baby's car seat or pushchair with the super-tactile Travel-comfy^TM. An intelligent alternative to the traditional sheepskin, this opulent yet practical liner is natural and hygienic, machine washable and quick drying. 

rNew for 2008 from Sunshine Kids is the Monterey High Back Booster seat. Groups 2 and 3 compatible the Monterey has a host of exciting features and is suitable for children from 13.6kg up to 45kg in weight and from 96.5cms to 152cms in height.

Research has shown that the concepts of style and trend are very often mentioned before criteria such as functionality, safety or quality, so that was reason enough for Kiddy to grow its in-house design team and deal intensively with these themes last year.

New and exclusive at the Harrogate Nursery Fair was the launch of the Wallaboo Summertime range from Hippychick. This includes the Infant Car Seat Cover, Grade 1 Car Seat Cover, Stroller Cover, Soft Changing Bag and an Essentials Pack.  All are available in six colours; red, chocolate, black, pink, lime and soft blue - everything the stylish Mum could need.

This 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. 

After extensive research Renolux has found that parents and grandparents are facing difficulty when placing and removing children from car seats.

Ask any new parent what they most wish for and they will always tell you - sleep! Sleep deprivation can make life miserable causing headaches, poor concentration, anxiety and if not checked it can lead to physical exhaustion and depression. So anything that can help a baby sleep better will always be a big hit with parents.

With babies spending much of their early months on their backs, either asleep, in pushchairs, baby bouncers or car seats, there is almost constant pressure on a young baby's relatively heavy and soft head. This can lead to problems such as flat head syndrome which is now widespread.

Following on from a successful Harrogate show, baroo are working on finalising their new toddler bedding designs. The new embroidered ranges for boys and girls, the bamboo range and the bubble gum scratch and sniff got a lot of interest at the show!

The Bushbaby® pop-up nestegg  is the perfect solution for families on the move.  Great as a sleep or play area, and designed for use indoors and out, the nestegg pops up and down in seconds making it ideal for all trips and holidays.  It weighs just 2kg (including mattress) and is small enough to pack in a suitcase.

Sassy, proven to be a brand that parents and carers can trust, was an instant winner with its bright, fresh new look being acclaimed by all that saw it.  This impressive collection of developmental toys, bath time accessories and bibs and teethers benefits from years of extensive research and development and with a substantial amount of marketing support behind the brand it's little wonder it's a winner with retailers and consumers alike.

Kids with a need for speed were more than catered for on the John Crane Ltd stand this year, with the introduction of the Branching Out^TM First Bikes.

The 'For Me' Stroller, suitable from birth to 3 years of age, has contemporary styling and innovative features meaning it has quickly become a favourite with both consumers and retailers.

Cuddledry showed their flair for quality and design once again at Harrogate, with the launch of their new toddler bathtime products.  The ‘Cuddlemoo' and ‘Cuddlebugs' form a funky addition to their range, which is led by their flagship product - the award-winning Original Cuddledry baby apron bath towel - as seen on BBC Dragons Den. 

These new Taggies Lion, Duck and Giraffe hand puppets are just cute! In baby-soft material these playful little characters trimmed with Taggies ribbons will keep those little fingers busy.

A familiar sight on every high street, there are now two different models: the top-of-the-range BuggyBoard MAXI which fits 99% of pushchairs and 3-wheelers; and the new, entry level BuggyBoard BASIC.

The fabulous Bunker from Lodger is an all-seasons Pram Cosy which fits all prams and pushchairs.  Incredibly versatile, it has two sections: a soft, plush, removable inner liner, and a warm, water repellent, outer fleece shell.  The outer and inner linings can be used together or separately depending on the weather.

BuggyWeights^TM are a unique weighting system for prams and buggies to prevent tipping over from the extra weight of shopping bags. The revolutionary design of BuggyWeights helps balance your buggy by providing enough leverage to hang up to 6kg (13lbs) of additional weight from the handlebars, thus avoiding potentially dangerous 'tips' when your child hops out.

Baby Talk Video and Baby Talk Digital Monitors are the newest additions to Lindam's award winning monitor range, using the latest in digital technology.

Designed specifically for women by women, the Venus back carrier from bushbaby is a beauty!  Stylish good looks combine with practical features: a loading leg, increased head support for baby and a sun canopy with side mesh which packs flat and fits in the main pocket.