focus TRAVELLING BABY Image courtesy of Maxi-Cosi
Travel time Travelling away from the home can cause anxiety for parents, perhaps more so the first-time parent. However, we are fortunate that as an industry there are ample products that have been designed to assist.
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hether travelling away from the home for a family holiday, or simply nipping to the shops, this can cause stress for many parents, especially new parents who may be leaving the home for the first time. For those who are opting for a weekend break or holiday, parents will have a number of concerns, for example, how to entertain baby on a long journey, what will be used to transport all items deemed necessary, what baby will sleep on and also perhaps whether they purchase a more light-weight stroller or baby carrier/sling. Therefore, products that fall within this category many include, for example, changing bags, travel cots, carrier or sling, lightweight stroller/pushchair, etc. We asked Babymoov’s Marketing Manager, Annabelle Cording what she feels are parents’ concerns when travelling away from the home with their little ones. “Parents naturally worry about being able to take all they need with them for every eventuality but also not wanting to carry it all around. They want the reassurance that they are able to access facilities when away from home.” These are natural concerns for any parent, so as an industry do we have a good level of choice for parents who may be looking for solutions while travelling away from home with their infants? Dorel’s UK & Ireland Marketing Manager, Debbie Wakefield would say yes and told Nursery Today. “Absolutely! With the rise of the travel pushchair parents have a huge amount of choice when finding the products they need to go away with young children. There’s probably even too much choice now! Brands understand the importance of including a portable pushchair in their range as parents want the ease and simplicity of not taking a huge pushchair away with them.” Does this desire for products that are more compact fall into other categories and are we seeing an increase in ‘compact’ across other ranges? “Car seats also are becoming more compact and airlines particularly, are more welcoming to having them checked-in on their flights,” said Debbie. “This is usually included in a family’s baggage allowance.” A travel cot is perhaps the first item thought of for the majority when travelling away for a longer
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period of time. Many brands have recognised this with, for example, Joie and Redkite ensuring their travel cots are lightweight, easy to transport and provide ease of use. Bedside cribs are also becoming popular too as some can be easily transported and provide a familiar sleeping environment for babies, with manufacturers seeing a clear advantage to including within their design a ‘pack and go’ feature. Debbie confirmed this stating: “We’ve seen a change in the travel cot too. This is an essential when travelling with baby and they are becoming smaller and easier to transport. Our very own Maxi-Cosi Iora is multi-functional. Not only is it a bedside co-sleeping cot, it can also be packed away to fold flat, meaning that it can easily be taken away in a car or on an aircraft.” Of course, there is no denying the appeal of a good change bag that will contain all those baby essentials when travelling. However, are we seeing a rise in the popularity of bags that have a ‘unisex’ approach giving appeal to both mum and dad? “The benefit of a unisex bag is that it doesn’t necessarily ‘belong’ to one parent making it more versatile and therefore more useful,” said Ergobaby’s Marketing Manager, Amanda Loveday. “It removes the need for two separate bags or the constant changing of items from one place to the other, saving both time and energy - vital resources for new parents.” Annabelle agrees, “If parents can get hold of stylish and practical changing bags in a colour that both parent likes it instantly becomes a more cost effective purchase. I feel neutral colours have always been more popular as they will then compliment any pram, any outfit, male or female.” When looking for solutions to assist while away from the security of the home. do parents research products to locate products that might help? “Most definitely,” comments Debbie. “The market is now more saturated so parents and parents-to-be need to know that they are making the correct purchasing choice. Consumers are incredibly budget conscious now, so they don’t want, for example, multiple pushchairs or car seats for different purposes. One product needs to work for their lifestyle wherever in the world they might be. Finding this product takes a lot of time and research as there is just so much for consumers to explore.” We highlight a number of products over the following pages that are perfectly suited to the wants and needs of parents who are venturing away from the home.
The survey says…
Nursery marketing specialists FanFinders surveyed 1000 consumers via their platform Your Baby Club focusing on travel products. Here’s the results. Do you feel there is a good level of choice available with regard to products that assist when away from the home with your infant?
Yes: 857 (85.7%) No: 143 (14.3%)
Did you purchase a travel cot?
Yes: 435 (43.5%) No: 565 (56.5%)
Did you look at portable baby monitors?
Yes: 679 (67.9%) No: 321 (32.1%)
Did you buy products that are specifically designed for feeding while out and about away from the home?
Yes: 626 (62.6%) No: 374 (37.4%)
Did you purchase a portable high chair?
Yes: 266 (26.6%) No: 734 (73.4%)
Did you look at a lightweight second stroller?
Yes: 292 (29.2%) No: 708 (70.8%)
Did you look at portable black-out blinds?
Yes: 246 (24.6%) No: 754 (75.4%)
Did you purchase a portable steriliser?
Yes: 369 (36.9%) No: 631 (63.1%)
Were you brand focussed while looking at products that assisted while travelling with baby?
Yes: 366 (36.6%) No: 634 (63.4%) Did you research products prior to purchase?
Yes: 845 (84.5%) No: 155 (15.5%) For more information on FanFinders and the consumer insight they offer, please call: 0203 808 3011 or visit www.fanfinders.com
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10/01/2020 12:00