- My Buddy Tag
In September, I attended the annual ABC Kids Expo, which is the big event in the baby and youth products industry for manufacturers to introduce their products to retailers and the media. From the perspective of a family magazine like ours, it’s a great venue to discover what’s new and interesting in the industry and tell parents about it.
To this end, one of the most helpful parts of event is Innovation Awards, sponsored by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). It’s the annual competition “for the most innovative products in the market,” and it’s handled extremely well, highlighting innovations and trends that are truly helpful, and products that parents really should know about.
Instead of adding our comments to their comments, the judges descriptions speak for themselves. Nine winners and one overall Best In Show were selected by a panel of industry judges, and one company won the Parent’s Pick Award, voted on by more than 1,500 moms and dads from across the country.
The 2014 Innovation Award Winners are:
Feeding/Bathing/Changing Category: Wow Baby Spill Free 360 Cup By Wow Gear LLC: The Wow Baby transition cup features the Wow Cup’s patented 360 degree spill free drinking valve. Drink through gentle sucking without the need to press buttons, move levers, or sip on straws and spouts. The 360° Uni-Flow drinking edge allows you to just pick up the cup and drink anywhere along the rim. After drinking, the valve automatically seals itself until you take another drink. Spills are virtually eliminated by our patented automatic EVEN-SEAL technology and the Wow Baby cup is BPA & PVC Free and Dishwasher Safe. Featuring the NEW Comfort Lip Edge for easier and more natural drinking. wowcup.net
Safety Category: Buddy Tag by Le Vise Products: Buddy Tag is a child safety wristband that works in conjunction with a free downloadable app for iPhone and Samsung phones. With Buddy Tag, parents can cast a virtual safety net to keep their children safe. Buddy Tag alerts the parents when kids wanders too far away, so it prevents kids from getting lost. Buddy Tag sounds an alarm on parents’ phones if a child wearing Buddy Tag fell into a pool or lake, so it helps prevent accidental drowning. There is also a Panic Button on Buddy Tag allowing the child to alert parents when in fear! mybuddytag.com
Child Restraint Category: Doona Car Seat By Simple Parenting: World’s first 0+ infant car seat with integrated wheels. Supported by global Engineering, Safety and Medical experts, Doona was designed, to achieve maximal protection and comfort for the baby both in and outside of the car. Certified as both a car seat and a stroller, Doona meets the highest quality and safety standards. It includes a double-wall structure that enhances side impact protection, an ergonomic cushion, specifically designed to support a newborn when seated in a car seat, and a unique handle, which serves as an effective anti-rebound bar and more. simpleparenting.com
- Love To Dream
Nursery Category: Duux Bluetooth Baby Protector with Lullabies and Nightlight by Duux International: Turn your child’s room into a sky full of stars and play their favorite music or voice recorded messages over Bluetooth with your smartphone, tablet or PC/Mac. The Dutch designed device features multi-color animated projections, a separate night light and 4 pre-programmed lullabies that can be controlled with sleek capacitive touch keys. It has a built-in microphone that works as a sound activator; once your child suddenly starts crying at night, the projector will automatically activate and start projecting . The auto shut down timer makes sure the projector won’t stay on all night to reduce power consumption. duux.com
Play/Entertainment Category: SoapSox: SoapSox is the next generation of wash clothes for kids. Each character has a soft terry cloth exterior and an anti-microbial sponge interior. When filled with soap and water, SoapSox suds and creates lather for gentle fun cleaning. When bath time is over, simply toss your SoapSox in the washing machine, and tumble dry on low. SoapSox was born when founder Ray Phillips, worked at a residential treatment facility for abused children. SoapSox remains committed to providing safe places for children and give a portion of the earnings to local organizations that provide safe places for children. soapsoxkids.com
Infant/Parent Care Category: Love to Dream 50/50 Transition by Regal Lager, Inc.: The Love To Dream 50/50 Transition offers a unique solution to when babies start turning over and need to stop being swaddled. The “arms up” wings have zippers and can be removed when it is time for transition. Unzip one of the wings and let the baby get used to sleeping with one arm out. When the baby is used to this, simply unzip the other wing and you now have a snug sleep sack, regardless of what method of swaddling has been used. The 50/50 offers a snug fit over the torso, while there is plenty of room for the legs and hips for healthy hip development. A two way zipper makes diaper changes easy. regallager.com
On The Go Category: Chicco LullaGo Bassinet by Chicco USA: Finally there’s a design-forward portable bassinet solution that folds easily, stores in a travel bag, and costs less than $100! The LullaGo bassinet features a sleek design, snap-on leg tubes, a compact folding frame and a padded mattress with a removable pad for easy machine washing. The LullaGo fills the gap between high-end portable bassinets and the more practical entry level units by offering a folding structure, a contemporary look, and a great price. chiccousa.com
Carriers Category: Ergobaby Four Position 360 Carrier: The revolutionary, patent pending Ergobaby Four Position 360 Carrier gives parents four comfortable and ergonomic ways to wear their babies: Back, Hip, Front-Inward, and Front-Outward positions. The carrier’s innovative design features a structured bucket seat that keeps baby ergonomically seated in all four positions, with knees even to or above hips and baby’s spine in curved “C” position. An extra wide Velcro waistband provides exceptional comfort and can be worn high or low on the waist while providing extra support for the low back. The carrier features an extendable back panel for extra head, neck and back support for baby. store.ergobaby.com
Stroller Category: UPPAbaby VISTA Stroller: Its intuitive design folds easily, has multiple configurations, maneuvers like a single and more. Like previous model years, the VISTA is designed to adapt as your family grows. Only its enhancements adjust to changes in life’s momentum – be it weather, terrain or life stage – even better than its predecessor. The new VISTA can comfortably hold two MESA infant car seats and then adapt to two toddler seats (rear or forward facing) plus a PiggyBack Ride. uppababy.com
The 2014 Judges Pick Winner Is: Cloud Q Infant Car Seat from CYBEX by Regal Lager, Inc.: The first ever infant car seat that, when used on a stroller, can recline completely, becoming a carry cot. A clever mechanism allows the back rest to recline completely, and the foot end of the seat flattens out and extends to perfectly support the baby. While used in the car the CYBEX Cloud Q offers the same outstanding safety as the Aton 2 and Aton Q. The base comes with a Load Leg and the seat also has the telescoping LSP (Linear Side-Impact Protection). regallager.com/cybex
- Cybex Cloud
The 2014 Parent’s Pick Award Winner is: Baby Camera 0 Emission by Babymoov: At some level, we all worry about exposure to electromagnetic waves and while there are no conclusive studies about the damage of long term exposure, we know that a child’s brain absorbs 60 percent more waves than an adult one. Babymoov takes a precautionary approach to this problem by developing the first and only 0-emission video monitor on the market. This patented camera uses the PLC (Power Line Communication) technology to move the emission of the video and audio signals away from the baby’s room and into the area of the house where the internet modem and router are located. babymoov.eu
Note: The selection committee included: Nanci Gregg of Baby & Children’s Product News, Paul Banas of PregnancyMagazine.com, Andrea Sanley of Fit Pregnancy, Joe Roedler of Baby Grand, Hollie Schultz of Baby Gizmo, Jamie Grayson—The Baby Guy NYC, Pam Ginocchio of Project Nursery, Susan Jones of Kids Today, and Lindsay Pinchuk of Bump Club and Beyond.
To learn more, visit babysafetyzone.org!
