In this issue I'd like to introduce you to the first members of our new expert panel. All will be contributing to the magazine on a regular basis, ensuring the features and comments on a wide variety of issues concerning the industry, are up to date, valid and of course grounded in fact. And we've more contributors to come, so watch this space next month.

Looking stylish and positively radiant Myleene Klass was spotted out and about in London pushing her new baby girl Ava in the trendy Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix and Quinny Buzz pushchair travel system.

B&H Liquid Crystal Resources Ltd, has won a two year licensing deal with Chorion, (which owns the Inellectual Property Rights to the Mr Men®) to help produce a new Mr Men Child Safety Kit retailing at £9.95.

K'nex Brands, one of the world's leading construction toy companies, is expanding its international distribution deal with Tomy, the leading worldwide toy manufacturer, to include the UK, Belgium and Holland.

American company Summer Infant Inc. has announced its recent acquisition of Kiddopotamus, a leading manufacturer and supplier of infant nursery, travel and feeding accessories headquartered in Stilwell, Kansas, USA. Coming in addition to its buy out of Basic Comfort Inc., this will significantly increase the company's portfolio of products and share of the American market.

The recently launched toy website www.john-crane.co.uk looks set to be a hit.  Helpfully the site is not a shopping portal, but allows consumers to browse the entire product range from the comfort of thier home and once they have decided on a purchase, directs them to a local retailer.

PacaPod was launched at the recent Harrogate Nursery Show and the feedback was overwhelming both from small independents, major multiples, on-line and the high street stores.

The Nuna highchair from Mamas & Papas stylishly transforms from a highchair suitable for a child of six months up to a toddler table chair, and then to a junior chair suitable for a child up to the age of 12.

Hot sunny days, big blue skies and warm summer nights are the colours the beautiful new range of award-winning Zias are wearing this season.

The bestselling Tigex Bath Support distributed by Cheeky Rascals has won the Tips Award for Best Support in the Ergonomic Baby Bath category.  The Tips Awards are based on the results of thorough testing by a panel of nursing mothers, supported by Sharon Trotter, a Midwife, Breastfeeding expert and Mother & Baby Consultant. 

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.

Parthenon Entertainment Group Ltd, the global entertainment rights company, has announced that Tomy will be the European master toy licensee for The Magic Roundabout.  Tomy is planning a series of product launches for spring 2009.  

Frugi, a small,  organic clothing company had triple successes at Cornwall's Business Awards recently, including the most coveted of all; The Winner of Winners award.

Felicity Mitchell, 22, has joined the expanding My Little Helper team at their new Sheffield offices as the company is set to launch the world's first 4-in-1 highchair and five further new nursery essentials between this coming August and March 2009.

Leading licensed character gift company Rainbow Designs is continuing its growth and expansion with the appointment of two new sales executives.

Tippitoes, has announced the appointment of two new regional Sales Managers.  Sandra Christy and Paul Smith have been appointed to reinforce the existing sales force and help drive new business development in the South of England and Midlands.

John Crane Ltd has recently  disclosed that Steve Asbey will soon join the team at as National Sales Manager.  A well-known industry figure, Steve will take up the role on July 1st, working alongside Sales and Marketing Director, Keith Elmer. 

FunToSee  which supplies imaginative children's wall stickers in a choice of themes, has just appointed a new Sales Administrator, Lisa Taylor.

Where and when were you born and what sort of childhood did you have?

I was born and brought up in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. We lived on a ‘pick your own' fruit farm so my brother and I spent a lot of time outside in the countryside looking after goats, Vietnamese pot bellied pigs and eating strawberries!

The credit crunch and tough trading conditions are forcing many companies to cut costs by laying off staff. But before you make any such changes to your business, its vital to check the details thoroughly, or your exercise in cost cutting could quickly lead to additional costs you hadn't expected.

Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, warned recently that Britain may well be facing two years of economic pain and consumer confidence is currently quite depressed. Consequently it's not surprising that many companies are feeling the pinch and tightening their belts. We at the BPA wondered if the current climate would have an impact on our industry exhibition taking place at the NEC, Birmingham in October.

Whilst the BPA has received considerable interest in BPA Retail membership and has sent out numerous application packs in response to requests, retailers still seem reluctant to commit themselves and as a result take up has been slow.

You may recall the BPA has an ongoing commitment to getting the rate of VAT reduced to 5% on ISOFIX and belted bases for child car seats. Currently treated by Revenue and Customs as an accessory these products, which dramatically improve the correct fitment of child seats and consequently child safety, carry 17.5% VAT.

We can now confirm details of the Pre-Show Press Event taking place at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster, London on Wednesday, 3 September 2008. This is the first time that BPA has held such an event and in celebration of BPA Baby & Child's 25th anniversary, the association decided to make this year one to remember and give significant added exposure for exhibitors.

An exciting new development for BPA Baby & Child 2008 unravelled this week when a soon-to-be well-known TV celebrity agreed to participate in this year's show.

The on-trend impulse of a new parent is to consider the more eco approach.  With a heightened sense of responsibility, parents start their environmental crusade with organic food, clothes and skincare (reducing their baby's exposure to unnecessary chemicals) and a move to more sustainable and traditional methods.

Although most children do not start to get their permanent 'adult' teeth until the age of six, the first five years of their lives are vital to ensuring a lifetime of healthy teeth.

Dear Louise,

       'There's an awful lot of discussion about ISOfix car seats, but do you feel they are really that much better than the standard fit designs? Also could you explain what the most important points about fitting an Isofix model for a newborn baby, and also the larger Group 1 types seats for toddlers too please. Many thanks for your help'

A lightweight, folding buggy must be top of the summer essentials list. Ideally it should lie back well to allow a small baby to sleep and have a good upright seating position, so a curious toddler can thrust their head forwards on the move without the danger of slipping out. Bettacare, iCandy and of course Graco have good examples that are simple to use and provide great value. But don't forget the matching parasol or sun canopy that comes with it, or check out the sunshades at Cheeky Rascals.

Little children's eyes are particularly sensitive and therefore need protecting from the suns harmful rays.  Chicco's range of children's sunglasses have been designed and developed working closely with the Italian Institute for the certification of optical products to ensure quality and safety.

Designed to keep direct sun off the car interior, so protecting babies and toddlers when on the move, the Little Shield Sun Shades come in a fun Winnie the Pooh design, fix easily to most car windows, fold away for easy storage, and come in a choice of two sizes: one to fit side windows, and a larger one to fit the rear window. The side window shades come in a handy twin pack, and retail for only £4.99.

Part of the new Travel Time Baby range launched by Infantino at the Harrogate Nursery Fair, the Stroller Sun Shade offers a compact, quick & easy way to extend a stroller's canopy to provide plenty of shade on hot, sunny days: great for summer holidays - sometimes even in the UK!

The bestselling sunshade in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, the Outlook shade-a-babe^TM is a buggy shade which blocks up to 99% harmful UV rays, reduces glare, acts as a windshield, and keeps irritating insects at bay whilst giving great visibility and ventilation.  Its unique 3-layered design allows parents to choose the level of protection required and, once in position, needs no adjustment. There's a handy zipped panel for easy access to the child, and an indulgent range of colours to complement the latest pushchair fabrics. 

Children spend proportionately much more time outdoors in the summer months than adults do.  The need to protect young skin from the sun is well understood. Intermittent, intense sunlight exposure, particularly in childhood is believed to be a major cause of melanoma.

It's shocking to hear stories of young children having to have teeth removed due to dental decay, but sadly it's becoming more common. Hidden sugars in drinks, snacks and convenience foods, means that children's teeth are exposed to attack more frequently. In the last national survey of Children's Dental Health in 2003, which closely monitors children in different age groups every ten years, cases of plaque in children aged 5 and up was on the rise.

From £2.99 to £6.99 Infantino offer a number of teether toys to help soothe sore gums and distract baby from any discomfort. All are representative of Infantino's trademarks of value-for-money; quality; fun, colourful design; and great presentation at the point of purchase. Many of the range include link-rings to attach easily and securely to stroller bars and elsewhere to make sure they stay in easy reach of baby.

Teething can be a miserable time for both baby and parent, so Sassy's range of teething products are thoughtfully designed to help soothe sore gums whilst offering additional play and sensory capabilities to distract little ones.

MAM (UK), the United Kingdom's leading company in the innovation and design of baby products has launched a stylish Soother Pod.

With the vast array of toys available in the UK, its easy to forget just how much work and research has gone into bringing them onto the market. Toys and safety testing go hand in hand and suppliers and manufacturers have to work hard to keep up with legislation.

The continued success of the award winning Chicco Baby Steps Activity Walker makes it a must for any serious pre-school range. 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.

The Discovery range of toys is Tomy's signature developmental range and is enjoying strong growth. 

Taggies First Touch Black & White Football is bound to score with all those football-crazy mums and dads - as well as their babies and toddlers! In baby-soft fabric there are plenty of Taggies ribbons to keep those little fingers busy and it jingles when you kick it too!

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.

Soft infant development toys and activity plush are a big part of Infantino's growing success, offering fantastic potential for all nursery & toy retailers. Expanding our highly successful infant toys range, July will see the arrival of many great new toys in the Infantino line-up, including three fantastic activity plush characters (Speedy the Racer Pup, Flip the Frog & Artie the Elephant) to compliment the current best selling monkey and cow designs.

There are so many new and innovative toys joining the John Crane Ltd Collection this Spring we can't possibly mention them all!

If you are looking for a toy brand with instant appeal, look no further than Latitude Enfant. Their exceptional range of soft, padded early learning toys is beautiful and colourful to look at, featuring an enticing array of textures, sounds and activities to delight, stimulate, entertain and educate children through play.

As the nursery retailer looks to increase the potential for add-on sales the inclusion of appropriate toys on the shop floor becomes increasingly important; hence the emergence of traditional toy companies in the sector such as Flair Leisure Products.

The adorable Wheelybugs from Hippychick scream quality and in a room full of toys children always make a beeline for them.  Their ultra simple lines, cute looks and vibrant designs instantly stand out in a sea of plastic.  The sturdy wooden frame and padded layer of sponge covered with tough polyurethane mean that the ‘bugs' can withstand any amount of robust love and fun.