The 2018 New York Baby Show took place on May 19-20, 2018 at Pier 94 in New York City, introducing thousands of new and expectant parents to a variety of products and services in the baby and maternity realms. This year’s Best In Show Awards named five winners and five honorable mentions, with the winners including leaders in the stroller, app, sleep, and monitor categories. Collectively, the winners and honorees are notable for their innovation, design, functionality, variety, and overall excellence, the kinds of products with the potential to be trendsetters in their categories.
The largest consumer event in the country for expectant and new parents, the annual New York Baby Show is a joint effort of Family Media, the corporate owner of New York Family, and the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), who are producing a series of Baby Shows in large metropolitan areas through out the country.
The Best in Show Awards for the 2018 New York Baby Show were selected by a prestigious panel of judges with representatives from media, retail, and local parenting enrichment programs. The judges were: Charlene Barkulis of Well Rounded, Pete Brown of Baby in the Family, Shari Criso of My Baby Experts, Natalie Diaz of Twiniversity, Rebecca Dixon of Mommybites, Nicole Feliciano of MomTrends, Debra Flashenberg of the Prenatal Yoga Center, Eirene Heidelberger of GIT Mom, Alison Jacobson of First Candle, Kira Kohrherr of FitBump, Jennifer LaBracio of Motherly, Andrea Lee of City Births, Children’s Sleep Consultant Rebecca Michi, Marianne Ryan of Marianne Ryan Physical Therapy, Lance Somerfeld of NYC Dads Group & City Dads Group, Jada Shapiro of Birth Day Presence and boober, Alex Taylor of of New York Family, Mia Weber of New York Family, Caitlin Wolper of of New York Family, and Adam Woodman of Pregnancy and Newborn.
5 Best in Show Winners:
Baby K’tan Original Cotton Wrap Baby Carrier
The Baby K’tan Original Cotton Wrap is sized to fit the parent or adult who will be carrying the child (age or weight of child is not a factor). Baby K’tan’s sizing calculator helps you determine your ideal baby carrier size–simply enter your clothing size, height and weight. “The original baby wrap from Baby K’tan is not only soft as can be, but incredibly durable and sturdy,” one judge says. “The workers at the booth did an amazing job at showing how to put it on and take it off safely and efficiently. And all of the attendees at the booth were beaming and excited to grab one of the wraps.” babyktan.com
Lunii My Fabulous Story Teller
Lunii lets children compose their own stories, boost their imagination, and learn–all while having fun and enjoying novel and age-appropriate technology! Lunii allows children to enrich their vocabulary by leading them on exciting and unexpected journeys. My Fabulous Storyteller comes preloaded with 48 adventures stories where children choose certain specific starting points–the rest is done by Lunii magic, ensuring a new story every time; plus, it’s lightweight and portable and never requires WiFi of BlueTooth to operate. “It’s no wonder the MoMA design shop picked up this item,” on judge says. “Kids can create a story by choosing various elements—the hero, setting, magical objects to personalize the story they hear. It’s simply designed and quite elegant to behold. I love that it encourages kids to use imagination to picture the story.” lunii.fr/en
Micralite FastFold Stroller
Micralite strollers were designed to make life easier for parents, by combining the robust build of off-road strollers with the maneuverability and compact fold of lightweight city strollers. Every element has been engineered to help parents get out there, wherever it is they want to go. As well as a featuring a clever hybrid design, Micralite strollers are built around a revolutionary patented one-handed fold mechanism which allows parents to fold the stroller quickly and easily. “This stroller features an extremely attractive design, a super comfortable ride, and SPF 50 protection,” one judge says, adding: “What more could you ask for?” micralite.com
Nanit Smart Baby Monitor & Sleep System
The Nanit Camera, Nanit Insights, and the Multi-Stand work together to create a solution to monitor baby day and night, so everyone in the family gets more sleep. Nanit offers 24/7 HD live streaming with unparalleled night vision and zoom to get in close, and background audio lets you hear baby, even when your phone’s screen is off. Plus, it offers an easy cable management system, real-time sound and motion sensors, and the ability to keep streaming over Wi-Fi, even when your Internet connection goes down. “Not only does it track sleep, give guidance and sync to your phone–it attaches to the wall (in a sleek design) and gives a birds eye view,” one judge says. “No more trying to figure out where and how to prop your camera up in your nursery.” store.nanit.com
Pumpspotting App & Breast Express
Touted as the first ever mobile social network for breastfeeding moms, pumpspotting is a destination for women who are breastfeeding to share, discuss, and support one another. One notable feature of the app is a Yelp-like aspect where users are able to find the best places to pump or nurse and connect with other moms in their given area; users can also upload their own thoughts on given spots and rate businesses based on their breastfeeding-friendliness. The pumpspotting team is also on a national tour with their Breast Express RV from now through August 8. “The RV is traveling cross-country in a 40-ft ‘pumpsuite’–it’s a big RV designed to bring communities together and create awareness and support for breastfeeding,” one judge says. “Momming is hard enough–breastfeeding shaming simply has no place in modern America. I’m thrilled this van is hitting the road to help educate and support new moms.” pumpspotting.com
5 Honorable Mentions:
Doona Infant Car Seat
Doona is the only infant car seat with fully integrated wheels—that means that it converts from car seat into stroller with the easy push of a button! Doona was designed to provide parents with a safe and practical mobility solution for their baby, both in and out of the car. Doona meets the highest quality and safety standards in both the car seat and stroller categories. “[Doona] is an very versatile product and great for those in the city where you could be walking down the street at one moment and then needing to jump in a cab the next,” one judge says. “The transition to making the stroller a car seat is easy and a much safer option then holding your baby in a cab–which is allowed in NYC. Also–this is great for restaurants where space is often limited and the stroller can collapse right into a car seat and go on a seat at the table.” shopdoona.com
Hollamama Mama & Me Jewelry
Founded by two sisters-in-law (both moms), Hollamama is an accessories brand for women, mothers and children. They offer adorable mama and me options for women and children that make for lovely gifts for baby showers, birthdays, Mother’s Day, holidays, and more. Hollamama is about bringing together love, style and spirituality. “I love everything about this company! Their love for what they are doing, the quality, the manufacturing process and most importantly the price point,” one judge says. “[Hollamama] makes for a home-run baby shower gift!” hollamama.com
Love to Dream Swaddle UP 50/50
Love to Dream’s Swaddle UP is the only zip-up swaddle that allows your baby to sleep in a more natural position with arms up. It is your baby’s natural sleep position that allows your baby access to their hands for self-soothing. Babies often use their hands to settle themselves to sleep, by sucking on their fingers or gently rubbing their cheeks. Medical research suggests that babies sleep better, and for longer, if they are able to self-soothe. And every parent knows that when baby is sleeping well, mom and dad are sleeping well! “This is the perfect product for helping children transition from sleeping swaddled to sleeping without the swaddle,” one judge says. “I love that you can initially have one arm out and then the other. The front zipper also means easy diaper changes during the night.” lovetodream.com
Mumbelli Infant Bed
Mumbelli was designed by a mom to give babies a loving and gentle transition from womb to world. Its plush, patented design mirrors the support and warmth babies felt inside mommy’s belly, so they feel safe, secure, and happy. Babies sleep better, fuss less, and smile more cradled in their Mumbelli beds. Plus, it comes in variety of fun and versatile colors. I loved the soft padding and fabric, and it looks really comfortable for baby,” one judge says. mumbelli.com
Raybaby No-Touch Baby Monitor
Raybaby is a no-touch baby monitor that tracks sleep, breathing and movement. It’s a new high-tech baby monitor that uses technology similar to ultrasound and an AI-powered platform. It’s completely non-contact, and works from a distance up to 5 feet from the baby. “I loved its design and the feature that it can be accessed and used remotely to make sure the baby is safe,” one judge says. raybaby.us
