|
|
 Kind + Jugend
Sep 11-14, 2008, Cologne, Germany |
Trends and new products at Kind + Jugend 2008
 |
| GRACO |
At this year's Kind + Jugend, International Trade Fair for Baby and Toddler Outfitting, the exhibitors in all sectors are presenting a wide range of innovations. Mobility is not only a slogan of our times, it is also an essential part of everyday life. This has also been taken to heart by the child car seat manufacturers who have focused even greater attention on the safety aspect, followed by comfort and attractive design. The tried-and-tested Isofix-based restraint systems ensure the right car seat for children of all ages. Thanks to an innovative baby carrier, even infants can be transported in the car in a flat, lying down position. The robust, economically designed carrier offers the youngest members of the human race comprehensive protection. In addition to safe travelling pleasure, the new child car seats with their lateral impact protection, special shoulder pads, patented seatbelt tighteners, refined ventilation systems and high-quality, removable and washable cover materials, also guarantee long durability. The most popular colours for next season's cover fabrics include black and grey, combined with red, petrol, yellow or blue, although sporty fathers will probably prefer to have a child car seat in Ferrari look.
Ultra-light and manoeuvrable: these are the current requirements when it comes to children's prams and pushchairs. Stable, yet nevertheless light aluminium frames are having to compete with carbon fibre models. Lavishly finished and incorporating high shock-absorption characteristics, they promise excellent mobility comfort. For use in various types of terrain there are prams with interchangeable wheel sets. An interesting alternative is also the pram with zip technology, which offers no less than three functions in one. It can be used as a pram, later as a pushchair and then as a high chair. Thanks to the mobile bicycle-pushchair combination, family excursions into the great outdoors are a pleasure. The striking feature of the new pram generation is the subdued range of colours. Instead of pastel shades, black, red, beige, fir and brown are the dominate tones. If you want to have a particularly impressive model, then a black-background pram, featuring a glittering motif in Swarowski crystals, is what you are looking for.
The range of children's room furniture is diverse: from classic to romantic up to trendy, everything is represented. Once again increasingly popular: country-style children's room furniture. Cream-coloured tops and surfaces with handles and top units in walnut wood ensure a distinctive charm. With flowing curves, carvings, pastel shades and gold highlights, the romantic look is staking its claim and asserting itself in the children's room. In general this sector is dominated by the colours white and cream, while contrasts are ensured by chocolate or brown variations. There are clear designs in natural wood furniture, in beech or pine, whereby the latter presents an attractive option in a dark oiled or grey or beige-stained version. Chocolate-coloured wickerwork and braided elements or all-wickerwork furniture is not only an attractive eye-catcher in the children's room, but also a source of admiration in other areas of the home. Subdued, delicate motifs inspired by nature are lending modern designer children's rooms in white MDF material a special highlight. High chairs with room to grow for children have already been on the market for quite some time now. A new feature here is the safety high chair with four functions. It can be used as a high chair, chair at floor level, height-adjustable safety pedestal or practical furniture item in a small kitchen. Simple to use, but very effective: the new chair-height adjuster. In a matter of seconds every adult chair can be height-adjusted to enable small children to comfortably sit at the table.
Whereas the bed outfitting ranges were previously adorned with gentle, delicate pastel shades, the trend now is clearly towards the subdued colour spectrum. Dark blue, denim blue, grey, black, white, brown, beige and petrol are the favourites. In addition to plain colours, checks and graphic patterns are asserting themselves. Playful motifs are strongly reduced and only to be found in the baby section. Sleeping bags with removable sleeves are presented as practical, combined sleeping units for any time of year.
 |
| Kids Kit |
The new bathtubs, potties, baby rockers or high seats in plastic or plexi-glass come in a very spectacular range of colours. A practical feature for families on their travels: the folding children's bathtub in plastic with a plug which changes colour when the water is too hot. Numerous innovations and improvements are to be found in the hygiene sector. Even tried-and-tested babies' bottles, dummies and pacifiers have been further improved. As a pacifier with extra-flat easy-grip, they ensure comfortable sucking in every position. In addition, fluorescent material means that the easy-grip glows in the dark. Babies' bottles have been designed according to the natural shape and movements of the mother's breast so that the baby can get used to changing to the bottle more easily.
Mobile parents are expected to welcome the no-power-required baby food warmer. After all, it promises a certain amount of freedom when the family is on the move and reduces the stress factor when the baby is hungry. The new baby food warmer is based on the principle of crystallization heat, which we are also familiar with from pocket warmers. When drinking coffee or tea in the presence of a small child, there is the risk of scalding. An innovative lidded cup enables parents to take a quiet coffee break. Their little dear is also exposed to risks and dangers from sharp corners and edges. Help is provided here by self-adhesive, padded edge-protectors. Germs and bacteria in pacifiers do not have a chance thanks to the portable battery-operated UV sterilizer. A digital baby phone with temperature display and Walky-Talky function, with three lullabies and three natural tones, which can be set by the receiver from a distance, not only monitors the baby but also sings it to sleep.
The new baby-care bags come complete with numerous compartments for accessories. The design ranges from a fashionable avant-garde print through to glove-soft suede up to the camouflage look. Further developed baby and children carrier aids promise improved weight distribution for the child and a more comfortable body posture. The trend in children's fashion is away from the cute towards the practical. There is a preferred tendency to use high-quality, breathable and dirt-repellent materials with nano effect. Parents enjoy dressing their little ones according to their own style. T-shirts and comfortable trousers continue to be the trend-setters for boys. On hot summer days romantic girls no doubt prefer to wear the popular dresses and pinafores. In addition to denim blue, the trend colours in this sector also include beige, taupe and ecru. The new sun protection clothing offers major advantages in summer. It avoids skin irritations and prevents sand penetrating the fabric. Specially developed swimwear literally gives the children a lift and makes swimming easier. The tiresome problem of lost socks will in future be prevented by the innovative over-sock for small children. Once it is placed and worn over the socks it ensures the socks cannot be rubbed or tugged off the baby's feet.
The toy segment sets younger and older children's hearts racing. Be it versatile game systems for the crawl blanket, innovative foam puzzles, learning/game computers with large colourful keyboards and changing images, soft cuddly animals, affectionately-designed wooden toys, wooden animal figures as children's scooters or nippy pedal cars: along with the child's development they all stimulate and promote creativity, the desire for movement and the joy of toys and games.
Kind + Jugend
www.kindundjugend.de |
|
|
|
|
