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Nursery and Bedroom Trends
The stagnant housing market is reducing the number of young couples who are upgrading to more luxurious homes. As in the old days, siblings are learning to share rooms. Parents are selecting quality furnishings and decorating down from whimsical fads in order to eliminate continuous upgrades of furniture and accessories. Nurseries are dressed with sophistication - from neutral carpets and walls to luscious plum, burgundy and hunter green accents. Nursery furniture is stylish, up-to-date, and far from babyish. Dressing tables are now dressers with a changing area or entire wall units of storage, and cribs transform into junior beds as babies advance to the toddler years.
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Parenting Perfected
Young, educated parents are fed up with spoiled kids, and there is an increase in sales of discipline books. Children are being contained into more structured environments that make them accountable for their behavior, with fewer parents excusing bratty behavior. Getting the best start possible, with emphasis on personal development and focus on achievement and time management is a growing trend. As more mothers take to the workforce, more fathers are taking an active part in child rearing.
Made in the USA
Recalls on toys made outside of the US have increased the sales of domestic goods and strengthened faith in American-made products. Toy safety no longer stops with manufacturer's age restrictions. Parents are checking labels and getting on the Internet to check for recalls. The trend leans toward toys that encourage physical activity.
Theme Parties
Theme showers are in the works for second, third, even fourth babies. Need for large items like cribs and changing tables may not be as strong, but friends and families are using this time to celebrate and replenish nurseries with consumable items. Emphasis is on sentimental rather than elaborate gifts. The theme trend is continuing on to childhood parties, where structured activity-based parties include scavenger hunts, hide-and-seek, running activities, and inflatable interactive games.
