Wednesday 30 March 2011

New Close Parent Pop-In V4 and Caboo Carrier


Matthew, Kim and I just got back last night from the Harrogate Nursery Trade fair, which was excellent. Lots of fun products (and some not-so-fun...baby nose aspirators, we mean you!) to see, and people to meet. And after show drinks to drink (ahem)
Amongst the many people we saw and talked to over the 4 days were the team from Close Parent, known for their very popular, and cleverly designed Pop-In nappy, and lovely soft but supportive baby carrier.




Close has had a big brand make-over for the show, and gone all urban and contemporary. The branding's pastel colours and flowers have gone, and been replaced by chic urban greys, greens and steel blue. Funky young mums and be-stubbled urban dads feature on the promotional stuff, alongside some blossom trees and leaves for a bit of natural contrast.



Additionally the logo has been re-worked, along with all the labels on the nappies. They're bigger, bolder and clearer, and look fab. We like the new tagline too : "good ideas for great parents".

I really love that it acknowledges mums and dads' inherent natural abilities, as so many baby products claim to be rescuing clueless parents from imminent disaster- not a great subconscious message for an anxious new mum already struggling with the tidal wave of exhaustion and hormones.


As they say in their very concise little brochure: "Close believe that parenting does not need to be complicated, overwhelming or pressured, and because you love your little one, all the ingredients are already in place". Couldn't agree more.


New Dream Dri V4


Launching in June will be the new AI2, the Dream Dri V4, and (drum-roll...) new colours too. The old pastel colours will remain, and new bright colours will be available alongside, consisting of a sunflower yellow, burnt orange, mid-green, dark plum and turquoise colours (my descriptions, but did you see that clever thing I did with the text there?).



The new bright coloured V4s that we saw had grey velcro and snaps too, creating a kind of sporty, biking/camping/running-wear look which was very striking. Close are very keen to create a distinctive and contemporary look for the modern mum (and dad), which they have certainly achieved.


Functionally, if I remember correctly from the demo, the new V4 will have boosters that snap together, but not directly, using a little tag at the end of each booster with a snap on it to attach instead. The aim of this is expedite drying times - as material that is snapped on top of another piece of fabric will always take longer to dry.


So, when you hang up the new inserts, they can remain attached to each other, but the fabric layers won't touch each other. Clever, eh?


New Baby Carrier - the Caboo


The Close Parent baby carrier has also been re-worked, and will be called the Caboo. The same lovely soft and stretchy fabrics, and muted classic colours are available, but the wrap part has had an extra bit of elastic round the bottom to keep baby even more supported.


These carriers look equally fab on mums and dads, and are also made of organic cotton, which we love, as it reduces your baby's exposure to the chemicals that other cotton products bring with them - especially important for newborns with their thinnner, more delicate skin.


New Training Pants


We also loved the new Close training pants that will be launched in June too. They look and feel like normal cotton 'big boy/girl' pants on the outside (not like bigger, pull-on nappies, as with many other brands offerings). The inside of the pants is lined with super soft french soy fabric that will contain 'one big wee', as the lovely Heidi explained to me! With cute embroidered designs on the outside, we think these will be a big winner with toddlers who are very aware of wanting to wear 'proper pants', and their mums, who don't always want to mop up the resulting puddles!


We are looking forward to getting all these lovely goodies in store at Cheeks and Cherries for you soon - do give us a call if you want to know more on 0844 665 3664 or drop me a line to alix@cheeksandcherries.co.uk