Baby gear, like so many other things, goes in trends. One year a certain brand, style or color will be big, and the next, not so much. With new, better, and more efficient gear hitting the market yearly, it is no wonder baby gear trends change. The following is a look at five current trends in baby gear:
Trend One: Strollers. Strollers are a must, but this year, umbrella strollers, joggers, etc. are not the hot thing. The big things this year is space economy, and so the square-fold strollers that don’t just fold vertically like your typical stroller, rather that have wheels that fold in horizontally, and that folds to be extremely compact (about the size of a laptop, only thicker), is very popular. A specific brand of a great square fold stroller is the Summer Infant’s Quick Smart Easy Fold stroller. This stroller sells for about $120, and is a wonderful addition to any already over stuffed home full of baby gear. Everyone knows baby gear takes up space, but this handy stroller is small enough to travel with, and stay in the over head compartment, in the floor boards of your stow and go mini-van, or simply in your already crowded trunk.
Trend Two: Baby food makers. Making your own baby food so that it is organic, healthy, has no preservatives, and so on, is very trendy right now. There are all sorts of baby food makers out there, some are hand operated, some are plug in. Most of the baby food makers are like mini-food processors, and they chop, dice, and mash the food you put into them so that the baby can eat it. This is part of the parenting trend to move toward healthier eating for kids. Some baby food makers are really complex and have tons of options, including containers for storage. Others are really simple and can be taken with you in a diaper bag.
Trend Three: Rhinestones: This is a very popular trend right now, putting rhinestones on anything baby to bling it out. There are pacifiers with rhinestones. There are little baby shirts, jeans, jackets, etc. with rhinestones. Baby sunglasses studded with rhinestones is really popular for little girls. Rhinestone encrusted diaper bags, and more. The more rhinestones the better. This is especially popular for those with baby girls, but is also true of those with boy babies, as bling is the new big thing for all babies, regardless of gender.
Trend Four: Wipe warmers: No longer does your baby have to have a cold wet wipe put on their rear end. Wipe warmers are a big trend in baby gear. The thing with wipe warmers is if you do not choose the right one, you are going to have dried out wipes. The best kind of wipe warmers have a switch on them that can be turned off and on. That way, during the night, or when you leave your house, you are not warming your wipes up and drying them out.
Trend Five: Purse/diaper bags: Gone are the days of the super ugly baby bags. The hospital issue diaper bags will simply not do. These days moms are opting for a more fashionable diaper bag, many of which simply look like an oversized purse. Some of the top brands are now making diaper bags, but you would have to be pretty wealthy to get one as they often cost a couple of grand.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to