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The Crescent Womb


A new and innovative solution for promoting the healthy growth and physical development of newborns the way nature intends.

The Crescent Womb Infant Safety Bed is a hammock made of mesh that attaches to a baby’s crib. When a parent places their newborn in the center of the “womb,” the baby can curl up in the fetal position, suspended in the soft and subtle air.

Inventor James Spencer says it’s the closest thing to the child sleeping in their mother’s arms.

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“Just as a baby grows in a mother’s womb, the idea began its infancy in my head,” James says. “By designing an infant sleeper that removes avoidable risks associated with early infancy, I slept easier as a new father, (knowing) my beautiful daughter is sleeping safely. This idea became a mission to help not only my Stella thrive, but to also help every other beautiful new life thrive.”

The Crescent Womb is destined to help both babies and their parents sleep more soundly, particularly during the first months of sleepless nights. The safety bed is ideal for infants up to around six months, or when they begin to sit up unassisted, roll over and start to crawl.

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Recent research conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics finds 91% of the newborns in the study “had loose or non-approved items in the bed with them;” 21% were placed on “non-recommended” sleep surfaces and 14% weren’t put to sleep on their backs in sleep environments “with established risk factors for sleep-related infant deaths.” It is estimated that 3,500 cases of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death occur in the U.S. each year, and half are cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, according to the Center for Disease Control. Twenty-five percent of the sudden unexpected deaths are caused by accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed.

After consulting with moms and medical professionals, James worked on his prototype for nearly two years before he revealed the Crescent Womb, which has been tested to meet Consumer Product Safety Commission standards. James’ Crescent Womb Kickstarter campaign surpassed its $30,000 goal recently, raising over $100,000.

“I wanted to help a new generation get a head start. More importantly I hoped that Crescent Womb could be the catalyst to a more intimate, natural, and safe approach to early childcare.

I hope this product can bring a sense of relief to all new parents, just like it did for me, and help their little ones thrive, just like it did for Stella.”

Bits of News


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kidpik, the custom head-to-toe fashion box, designed, styled and delivered exclusively for girls 4-14, recently introduced the kidpik basics collection in super-soft materials and yummy colors. Parents can now stock up on all the essentials that a girl needs in multiples at www.kidpikbasics.com. “Basics are an essential part of a girl’s wardrobe,” Ezra Dabah, kidpik founder and CEO says. “We are thrilled to offer a great selection of basics to complement the kidpik fashion collection.”

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MAM Celebrates in 2016

MAM, a manufacturer of award-winning, innovative and unique baby products including pacifiers and baby bottles, is celebrating its 40-year anniversary this year with all MAM parents, thanking them for helping to make MAM the trusted and admired brand it is today. From its beginnings in 1976 as a small company in Vienna, Austria, MAM has grown into a leading global brand in five continents with more than 50 million products sold annually in 60 countries. “We understand and love babies,” says Jennifer Mitchell, CEO, MAM North America. “For the past 40 years our top priority has been the development of products for the well-being, safety and health of babies that make life easier for parents and allow them to focus on the joy of family. We are proud of our heritage and will remain committed to developing products that unify design, technological innovation and medical know-how.

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LÍLLÉbaby® Re-launches COMPLETE Organic Collection

The luxurious, lightweight 100% cotton COMPLETE Organic Collection is available in three new modern, must-have shades – Sea Glass, Blushing Pink and Powder Blue – as well as returning favorites Blue Moonlight and, for a limited time only, the classic Green Meadows. The Collection is now available for purchase at lillebaby.com and independent boutiques.

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Rocyalox Hair Accessories

Charmin K Edwards has created Rocyalox, the first healthy hair accessory for curly hair. Just wrap and twist the cute hair band around hair and you’re stylin’. “Self-esteem starts early,” Charmin says. “When all girls, no matter their ethnicity, are able to find and purchase the same hair accessory, it’s a great thing!”

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Infantium Victoria


European baby & children’s fashion label inspired by fairy tales and Victorian elegance.

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Infantium Victoria, founded 2013 by Julia Gaydina and Dinie van den Heuvel, is a high-end organic, vegan and ethically-sourced kids’ brand based in Germany. This fashion for kids offers chic dramatic styles in three initial collections: By the Sea, URGothic and Dark Romantic. New for Fall 2016: Flowers in Concrete.

“Infantium Victoria is a new dimension in fashion for kids,” Julia says. “We are not at all afraid not to fit in, in fact this what we actively aspire to.”

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Julia and Dinie are influenced by romantic themes and nostalgia, and their brand offers what they call “a true alternative to mainstream fast-fashion.” At Infantium Victoria, they care deeply for the current and future well-being of our children, which is why they use only organic materials and source, produce and distribute sustainably.

Julia and Dinie both have a long history in fashion and share a passion for it. “Baby couture is real!” Dinie says. “We have proven it and we are determined to further explore the limits of contemporary kids fashion.”

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Sustainable Production

All patterns for Infantium Victoria clothes are handmade by atelier D’andt in Lier, Belgium. Based on the patterns and samples, the company’s production partners in North Rhine-Westphalian, Germany, and India create the final fashion. Julia and Dinie select their partners based on their track record of sustainable utilization of resources, sound waste management, ethical working conditions and an independent monitoring of these key indicators.

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Pepperi


What’s a Pepperi?

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Pepperi is a species of frog that displays the most beautiful colors and markings of almost any animal on the planet. Known for being able to see in almost every direction, Pepperi frogs have very powerful legs to help them leap to great distances.

Pepperi is also the spirit animal of a company offering a mobile commerce solution for brands and wholesalers. Great for onsite and online B2B sales, the fully customizable apps for catalog presentation, order taking, merchandising and e-commerce puts everything your sales reps, merchandisers and customers need at their fingertips.

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Children’s Accessories & Toys

For brands and wholesalers of toys and accessories looking to increase sales, Pepperi simplifies ordering with capabilities built specifically for the infant, children’s and toy industries. Product searching can be filtered with attributes such as age, gender, theme, category and sub-category. With Pepperi, sales reps use a mobile app to take more and bigger orders on the go, showcasing product catalogs at customers’ offices, retail stores and trade shows. B2B customers can order directly from your web storefront, anytime, anywhere.

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Pepperi’s business development folks will tell you companies that use Pepperi

  • see a lift of over 20% in sales
  • cut order processing costs by as much as 30%
  • deliver a memorable buying experience for B2B customers

“Over 1,000 businesses in 58 countries use Pepperi,” Business Development Manager Stacey Woods tells me, “integrated to their back-end ERP and accounting systems to transact more than $1.25B a quarter and continually grow their business.”

Based in New York, Pepperi mobile sales software is a game-changer for brands and wholesalers of all sizes across all industries, including Rip Curl, Toy Networx, Boboli, Blue Range and others. See How Simply Southern Tees Integrated Pepperi into QuickBooks for Increased Sales Growth.

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Those Pencil Sticker Things


Just in time for back-to-school.

Do your pencils need a lift? One company has an answer: the perfect kind of stickers made exactly for your “boringville” plain pencils.

081016_CRT_IMG_8001_800When you visit Those Pencil Sticker Things online, you can’t help but get excited. You find out that it’s the best ever website, simply because it’s the place to get Those Pencil Sticker Things. And whether you’re a school-age student or a slightly older wiseacre, you probably have a few boringville pencils that need a lift. They say if your pencils had hands, they would so be high-fiving you now. And it’s true – you can read what pencils are saying about Those Pencil Sticker Things:

“Before I was just a regular yellow pencil that looked the same as everyone else. Then my human got Those Pencil Sticker Things™ and now I’m all different and extra great.”

– Carleton the Pencil

081016_CRT_ThosePencilStickerThings_peelingThose Pencil Sticker Things come complete with (entertaining) instructions on how to pencil stick, critical to any creative learner’s pencil box (as opposed to toolbox, which is what folks usually say here). I happen to be quite the fan of pencils. They help you make mistakes in real time, then fix ‘em easily to your heart’s desire. After all, what fun is learning without mistakes?

081016_Wit_Pencil_Stickers_PRINT_Pencil_Stickers_Original_800Making Pencils Proud

Mark Cohen and the other designers at Wit are the masterminds behind Those Pencil Sticker Things … although I expect they are also “super brainiac aliens from some distant galaxy,” like they say on the About Us page. (By the way, I didn’t even laugh when you mention Atlanta; I lived there twice and loved it. Love more than a few Hot-lantians who still live there, too).

081016_CRT_IMG_8030_800Anywho … your kids are gonna love Those Pencil Sticker Things.

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Little B’s Clothing


From the iconic world of Barbara Gerwit comes a fabulous resortwear line for girls.

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Launching this month – Little B’s Clothing is ideal for little girls ranging in age from two to 14, and every one of these little ladies will be able to rock the colorful prints her Mom has been sporting for decades. Leggings, tops and dresses are retailing for $33 to $48.

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Early Start to Iconic Resortwear Brand

At 12 years of age, Barbara Gerwit starts a fashion career after her Mom gives her a sewing machine for her birthday. From that moment on, she decides to dedicate her life to the world of fashion, and becomes one of America’s foremost clothing designers.

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Easy, Breezy American Dream

After meeting her husband and fashion salesperson Ken in 1976, the two decide to invest their last $500 on their American Dream of manufacturing their own clothing line at affordable prices. The gamble pays off and now, Barbara Gerwit is one of America’s top brands in the resort industry.

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Gorgeous, Colorful Prints

Barbara’s designs for women feature hand blocked, hand beaded embroidered tunics and tops, casual printed knit dresses and tops that are worn from casual daytime shopping to balmy tropical night events in fine resort hotels, restaurants and cruise ships around the world. Her light and airy fabric designs are made from brightly colored cotton lawn, cotton Swiss voile and laundered linen, constructed for easy care and wash-ability.

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Now, Little B’s continues the tradition of relaxing, having fun and enjoying life in comfortable, affordable, breezy resortwear by Barbara Gerwit.

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Baby Pibu


Baby Pibu’s creator is educating parents about proper infant skincare with a free video series that premieres today.

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Renowned dermatologist, Mohs surgeon and creator of Baby Pibu infant skincare – Dr. Amy Kim – launches of a new video series to educate parents about infant skincare needs and demonstrating easy to follow techniques. The series, Dr. Amy’s Daily 4: Splash, Slather, Spot, Soothe, débuts today with the premiere of two new videos on Baby Pibu’s YouTube Channel. Three additional videos will premiere every Wednesday.

Dr. Amy’s video series is born out of recognizing a parent’s need to learn basic skincare. “After watching these videos and learning the ‘Splash, Slather, Spot and Soothe’ mantra, I hope that parents and caregivers will approach taking care of their infants’ skin with a greater level of confidence and ease,” Dr. Amy says. “One of the greatest disservices you can do to a baby is to simply ignore skincare all together because you fear using the wrong products or using them in the wrong way. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to your baby having healthy skin.”

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About Baby Pibu™

Baby Pibu goes the extra mile to provide parents with peace of mind that their products are safe for even the most sensitive skin. With Baby Pibu products, infant skincare doesn’t have to be a confusing chore. Available for sale at stores nationwide and online, Baby Pibu produces the ideal combination of naturally-derived, effective products that are gentle enough to use every day – even on delicate newborn skin. Products are paired with Dr. Amy’s detailed instructions on application and care, so that parents can focus less on figuring out skincare and more on their tiny bundles of joy.

Dr. Amy is known for her 10+ years as a board-certified dermatologist and Mohs skin cancer surgeon in renowned Atlanta practice, MetroDerm PC. After becoming a mom of two young children, she launched Baby Pibu in 2014 as a premium infant and children’s skin care line that offers safe and effective products. The company also provides educational resources to help parents care for their child’s skin.

The only skincare line of its kind available on the market that has been developed by a dermatologist mom, Baby Pibu is nationally recognized for safety and effectiveness by the National Eczema Association and the Skin Cancer Foundation.

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Baby Pibu Video Schedule

Wednesday, July 20 – Splash & Slather

– Splash: Dr. Amy teaches parents how to give their baby the best bath with tips they can add to their nightly bath time routine.

– Slather: Dr. Amy teaches the importance of slathering on moisturizing cream at night after bath time to keep the skin hydrated and moisturized. She also shows how to slather on the sunscreen, particularly when headed out for a day in the sun.

Wednesday, July 27 – Spot and Soothe Diaper Rash

Diaper rash is a common skin condition that all babies and parents face. Since it can be a miserable condition to battle, Dr. Amy teaches parents how to spot diaper rash early on in order to soothe it with the right remedies and prevent flare ups.

Wednesday, August 3 – Spot and Soothe Cradle Cap

Cradle cap is a common skin condition that rarely bothers baby but bothers parents because of its appearance. Dr. Amy teaches parents how to spot it early as well as how to soothe it and prevent flare ups.

Wednesday, August 10 – Spot and Soothe Eczema

Eczema can affect up to 20% of children in the U.S. Eczema appears when a child has sensitive skin that develops a rash when it gets too dry or irritated. Parents will learn how to spot eczema early so that they will know how to soothe it by using the correct washes, ointments and remedies, as well as how to prevent flare ups.

 

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INIMINI


Newly launched, LA-based, unisex baby brand is fresh, fun and mindful.

INIMINI is a new brand of baby essentials conceived by founder and fellow parent Christina Okubo as a simple solution to buying contemporary baby clothes that allow for versatility and embrace children for who they are – regardless of their gender.

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INIMINI (pronounced ‘eenie meenie’) is swathed in sophisticated color palettes and simple silhouettes, thoughtfully designed for babies’ and toddlers’ comfort, offering maximum product life, ease of wear and use.

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“INIMINI is a commitment to provide children a chance to be children, unrestrained by stereotypes and filters that we often find ourselves subjected to,” Christina says. “Why not provide children, an opportunity to be celebrated for who they are and not what they are?”

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The clothes are made from imported super soft 100% cotton, small batch dyed, pre-washed, pre-shrunk, finished in the USA. View the entire line of one-pieces, tops, pants and accessories here.

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The Beaufort Bonnet Company


Announcing the arrival of a highly-anticipated bundle of joy – TBBC’s permanent showroom at AmericasMart Atlanta

The Tale of the Beaufort Bonnet

Once upon a time… many years ago in the graceful Low Country of Beaufort, South Carolina, a simple yet elegant baby bonnet pattern is carefully cut from plain brown paper… Fast forward to 2012. After receiving a baby bonnet cut from the same pattern for her daughter, Markey Hutchinson seeks out the origin of the beautiful gift that garners countless compliments. The bonnet-maker eventually sells the generations-old heirloom pattern to Markey, who takes that single hallmark piece and grows it to the first-ever lifestyle brand for babies born with refined taste.

Now available exclusively in more than 300 upscale boutiques in the United States, around the globe and online at TheBeaufortBonnetCompany.com, TBBC’s collection entails the most darling clothing and accessories you ever did see!

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New Showroom Opens July 12

The Beaufort Bonnet Company (TBBC) is putting down roots at its home-away-from-home in a sanctuary of sweetness to showcase its luxurious clothing and accessories lines for little ladies and gents. Opening July 12 with a splash of pink and a few well-placed bows, the showroom, designed by owner Markey Hutchinson with assistance from Lexington-based Hannah Maple Studio, will serve as the gracious glimpse into the grandeur of The Beaufort Bonnet Company – on the eve of the company’s fourth birthday. Buyers visiting the showroom will be able to view and order current ready-to-ship styles and future seasonal collections while immersing themselves in charming visual merchandising displays and the precious photography TBBC is known for.

“We have been truly flattered by the continued business our amazing customers have brought us season after season and feel the time is now perfect to open a space of our own where we can treat those customers to a true Beaufort Bonnet brand experience,” Markey says. “We want to give them a grand yet warm and welcoming, elegant environment that feels more like our home than a place for business.”

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Guests visiting the nearly 1,000-square-foot space located in Building 3, Floor 13, Suite E110B, will be treated to the hospitality of Summer Place Reps and TBBC in-house reps, who will manage the day-to-day business. The showroom’s doors will be wide open to welcome visitors during all Children’s World and Home & Gift Shows as well as by private appointments year round.

For showroom information and press inquiries, please contact Kim Chapman at 859-388-2091 or kim@thebeaufortbonnetcompany.com. For the most up-to-date sneak peeks inside the showroom, search #tbbcshowroom on Instagram and Facebook.

 

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Tabitha Fink: The Cat with One Eye


I Fink Different.

She may only have one eye, but that’s just what makes her special. Other than that, she’s one fabulously storied cat. The 5-star, award-winning Tabitha Fink: The Cat with One Eye is written for children ages two through five that tells Tabitha’s story in playful rhyme and delightful illustrations that kids totally love.

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“A not-to-be missed story for the preschooler in your life – uplifting, enjoyable, and just plain fun. I loved every word!”

– Ellen Feld, Feathered Quill

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The First Place Winner of the 2016 Beverly Hills Book Award and a Feathered Quill 2016 Bronze Award Winner for Best Children’s Illustrated Book, the stories of Tabitha Fink start with the truth that no one is perfect, that we are all special and unique and that we should celebrate the uniqueness in everyone. Certainly this friendly, one-eyed cat is a fabulous example of that, as she scampers off on amazing adventures that will help children explore their emerging and sometimes challenging worlds. Tabitha’s next adventure is chronicled in Rick’s newest book, Tabitha Fink On a Mission to Mars.

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“The world of Tabitha Fink is a simple and playful reflection of the many special things that are part of children’s lives,” says author Rick Felty – who is one swanky cat himself, especially to me. During the many years we worked together in the broadcasting and promotion business, Rick was THE go-to creative mind, winning every kind of creative excellence award in the business, including the coveted Emmy. So it doesn’t surprise me one bit that Rick has created a unique world for Tabitha Fink filled with entertaining lessons for kids as well as cool products that keep her message alive. Fun t-shirts, hoodies and stickers are just a few that proclaim, “I fink different.”

“An adorable book with an uplifting message. Tabitha Fink teaches children to be happy with themselves instead of trying to be like someone else…celebrating their uniqueness and individuality.”

– Mamta Madhavan for Readers’ Favorite

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The Real Tabitha Fink

Rick is also a photographer, musician and private pilot who lives in New England with his wonderful family, a dog, a bunch of fish and the real one-eyed cat named Tabitha Fink. “We have found that some people want to know why Tabitha Fink has only one eye. This is a very natural question and we are happy to tell you all we know.” Come to find out, Tabitha was adopted that way. The vet isn’t sure why she has only one eye, and thinks either injury or illness played a part in her uniqueness. “In any case, the veterinarian told us that she would be able to live a very full life with only one eye,” Rick says, “and we can report that she does!”

Some cats only have a Facebook page. Tabitha Fink has an entire world for kids to explore and learn from. How cool is that?