Parenting hacks make life a toddle
Hush gadgets, compactable strollers and the baby version of My Food Bag are trying to make parenting easier for new mums and dads.
Around 1500 people are expected to soak up the 230 exhibits showing off all the latest parenting hacks at the annual Auckland Baby Show.
Auckland mother-of-one Angela Wedekind said expectations on mothers raising children were growing.
“Due to all this new information emerging mothers are expected to make sure their baby is fed well, sleeping well, their baby’s emotional needs are met and I think technology seems to be moving along with that.”
Annelise Clarke’s business is on trend with technology. Clarke, an Auckland mother, launched a baby food delivery service with her
husband Ryan after their world turned upside down last year with the arrival of their first born.
“[Our daughter] was born with pneumonia and we came pretty close to losing her so when it came to feeding her solids we decided to take advantage.”
In a bid to discover foods suitable for their baby’s fragile digestive system, the pair started experimenting with food at their former restaurant and it wasn’t long before their Future Foody business
grew. “We are hearing more and more about how important nutrition is for babies in their first 1000 days and our service is about optimising that as well as providing convenience,” Clarke said.
With nearly 2000 followers on Instagram, Future Foody was a trend many Auckland parents were latching on to.
The couple were exploring ways to expand beyond Auckland and looking at opening a retail store to help educate other parents on infant nutritional needs.
Wedekind started using Future Foody two weeks ago and said it was great because there was nothing out there like it.
“Often all the baby food out there is jammed-packed with preservatives and things and I’ve been really conscious of what I’m feeding Harrison, and Future Foody works. Especially considering I will be heading back to work next week.”
Matt Anderson from The Sleep Store also appears at the Baby Show distributing a sound device dubbed Hushh designed to send babies to sleep.
“The idea of the shushing comes from replicating what life was like in the womb because that’s what babies hear.”
He said the device was a topseller because it was effective at calming newborns. Many parents, said Anderson, struggled with how to do that.
The old-school pram has also come a long way with Edwards & Co’s latest stroller that’s able to fold up small enough to take as carry-on luggage and sturdy enough to carry up to 20kg. The first of its kind stroller was being launched at the show.
Mark Edwards, co-owner of the family business which has been in the industry for more than 30 years, said demand for these high-tech parenting products had never been
greater. “The market is a lot more competitive than it used to be. Parents expect the high-end quality stuff, ” Edwards said.
Much of that came down to lifestyle.
A survey the company conducted with around 500 parents showed that over half went overseas with their little ones in the first 12 months of the baby’s life.
“Travel is cheaper and families are a lot more spread out than they used to be which means parents are more inclined to travel with their newborns.
“This new stroller makes it easier for those parents to get around with newborns,” Edwards said.
The company has more than
20,000 followers on Facebook and
10,000 on Instagram.
Parents expect the high-end quality stuff. Edwards & Co