Luxuries for little ones: From high-end high chairs to showy strollers, the sky's the limit for some babies

New moms, it seems, have a weakness for luxury. For Sarah Teres of Andover, it was an "extremely expensive" cherry wood bedroom set for her first daughter's nursery. For Jennifer Hano of Beverly, it was a $200 wooden kitchen play set for her three little ones. And for Kim Lively of Atkinson, N.H., it was $50 hoodies and $100 shoes for her daughter, Kalla, who's been crazy chic since she returned from the hospital nearly two years ago."I couldn't resist," said Lively, owner of the Newburyport children's store, Lively Kids. "I didn't buy the Bugaboo stroller - it wasn't the gear for me. I was into the clothing. I knew I was giving her comfort. And I was looking for things that were modern and contemporary. I would have paid anything for things with more style (than mass-produced clothing)."Sales of products in the "prenatal to preschool" market - items like toys, furniture and accessories, like the $100 sheepskin car seat covers by Ba Ba Seatskins - totaled $7.3 billion during 2005. That's up from $6 billion in 2000 and $4 billion in 1995, according to the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association. Those figures don't include food or clothing, said spokeswoman Amy Chezem. Apparel sales in the "premium segment" of the infant, toddler and preschool market -- like $300 Burberry baby trenchcoats - represented another $14.5 billion, according to Michael Silverstein, a consumer strategist at The Boston Consulting Group."A big part is the celebrity influence," Chezem said. "Also, new moms and dads are a little older now and they either have saved up more income or have (had) a dual income for a longer period of time. Parents are very educated and doing a lot of research. They just want the best right now, whether it's safety items, accessories, decorating the nursery. Today, moms and dads want baby products that fit their personality and their lifestyle."Not every new parent is willing to shell out an endless amount of money on designer diapers and pimped-out pacifiers. Some parents may splurge on a monogrammed hooded towel for their first child, but hand it down to their second child, said Hano, who co-owns high-end retailer Berrywoodbaby.com. And an increasing number of designers who specialize in high-priced goods, like Wendy Bellissimo, are creating lower priced lines for mass retailers like Babies 'R' Us. "I think I draw the line at anything in the thousands of dollars," said Teres, a member of the Mother Connection in Andover. "I know my kids would love a motorized car - retailing for probably $1,500 or so - and they absolutely will never get one.. At the same time, I also tend not to spend hundreds of dollars on one item.. For example, my daughter wanted a life-sized stuffed gorilla toy which retailed at about $300 and I said no to that."But plenty of parents who see their babies as an extension of themselves will buy any number of outfits that they might wear, Lively said. Her own toddler owns several too-cute sundresses by Spike and Ella and sweaters by Sophie and Lili with pop prints that many moms would seek out in an adult size. Lively noted skull 'n' bones and rock 'n' roll T-shirts are must-haves right now for baby "rock stars" and that there are even vintage concert T-shirts that have been cut down to baby Ts. Expect to pay between $20 and $50 for such a must-have, she said.Fifty dollar T-shirts are just the tip of the baby iceberg. Kate Spade, who designs accessories for grown-ups, offers a $55 holder that keeps a baby bottle cold as you carry it like a small handbag. Serena & Lily makes a $969 crib bedding set, featuring sheets with 350-thread count. And luxury designer Louis Vuitton makes a $1,870 diaper bag. "We started Serena & Lily because we felt that there was an opening in the marketplace for beautiful, sophisticated design in baby and children's rooms," said Serena Dugan, the bedding company's designer and cofounder. "Our company's growth trajectory has validated that assumption - new parents want to extend their style and fashion sense to every room in the house, including the nursery. They are willing to invest time and effort to create a special, one-of-a-kind room for their baby."Those in the industry say you can buy anything for less, but there is a difference in quality. "We're the average price for a quality stroller," said Michael Sallus, president of Baby Bling Design Co., which is launching a $499 all-terrain stroller this year. "You can buy a piece of garbage for $125 that will fall apart in a year. By the time your child is 5 years old and out of the stroller, you probably will have spent the same amount as just buying our stroller that will last the whole five years. People are willing to spend more money when the quality is there." While Chezem can't say for certain that the next generation of parents won't think $1,000 stroller is ridiculous, many industry insiders believe luxury items aren't all hype and this isn't a trend that will disappear next season. "I think it's going to get worse as technology progresses," Lively said laughingly. "It follows the housing market and the way people decorate their houses is the way they decorate the nursery and the way they want to look with their Bugaboo stroller. It's here to stay. It will change in the future - the products will just get cooler." Material from The Associated Press was included in this report.What's high end?"There's no magic number," said Jessica Hartshorn, senior lifestyle editor for American Baby Magazine. "I would say $60 would be high-end for a stuffed animal. A high-end stroller would be, say, $600. A crib would be over $800. Really, if you pay over $500 on something, it's generally high-end. It used to be that a $350 stroller was high-end, but now that's mid-range."The pending status symbol takeover The reigning must-have of the high-end must-haves - the stroller - has a new challenger in baby town."I think high chairs are the next up-and-coming high-end product," said Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association spokeswoman Amy Chezem. "I think it has a lot of possibilities in terms of features. Manufacturers are really getting creative in terms of functionality, and they can be really long-lasting. I think consumers drive the industry and they're requesting high-end high chairs." It's not just celebrities pushing their babies down the street in prams, strollers, and joggers by companies like Silver Cross and Bugaboo that cost several-hundred, and sometimes thousands, of dollars. Everyday moms and dads have been paying big bucks for a strollers with all the bells and whistles - like a footmuff, cup holder and car seat connector - since the American launch of the $729 Bugaboo Frog in January 2003. Now strollers, like the one coming this year from Baby Bling Design Co., have even more bells and whistles, like portable iPod speakers.Those outside of the stroller industry are following suit. Enter the Calla Chair by Fleurville, which hits the retail market in December. For $675, seat inserts make the high chair ergonomically correct for an infant to a toddler of nearly any size. And the futuristic high chair looks great in a modern, updated kitchen - something parents tend to put high on their list of renovation projects, said Steve Granville, who founded Fleurville with his wife, Catherine. "We found that people buying stuff now have a great appreciation for the brand," Granville said. "We say a $650 high chair is not for everybody. But we're doing this in reaction mode. If you don't want spend $650, there are a lot of options to spend $39 on up. But for people who want to enhance their environment, this is something that should be available...(It's) not disposable. It's meant to be passed on... Some of it has to do with the 'keeping up with neighbors' stuff, but lots of parents want to buy a piece of sculptural beauty for their home." Fleurville isn't the only company giving the high chair a face-lift. Flair Elite, a $399 high chair by Boon Inc., will hit stores this summer. Boon's design principal, Rebecca Finell, wanted to design a new breed of high chairs that is easy to clean, to slide under tables, to adjust the seat's height, and to use as a booster seat for older children.Only time will tell if new parents have the need for two baby status symbols. But if Bugaboo is shaking, it's not showing it. "If you need a stroller, you don't buy a high chair," said Kari Boiler, vice president of marketing for Bugaboo North America. "We don't see ourselves as a fashion brand. Fashion comes in and out. It may be patent leather this season and chenille the next. We're truly a performance, luxury brand. This is a stroller that's here to stay because we're relevant to how parents live." Go to the fairAs many as 100 vendors will be at the 15th annual American Baby Faire this weekend in Boston.The nation's largest baby show, presented by Babies 'R' Us and American Baby Magazine, will exhibit the latest products and services, like Graco's Digital Color Video Monitor that allows parents to see and hear their baby from another room in the house, and nursery collections by celebrity designer Wendy Bellissimo. Numerous child-care professionals - including Nanny Yvonne from the Fox series "Nanny 911" - will be on hand to answer questions on a variety of topics. And Graco-certified experts will demonstrate how to properly install child safety seats and offer tips on booster seats. The annual Babies 'R' Us Baby Derby is slated for the weekend. As many as 500 crawling babies are expected to compete for prizes and the title of Boston's Fastest Crawlers.If you goWhat: 15th Annual American Baby Faire BostonWhere: Bayside Expo Center, 200 Mount Vernon St., BostonWhen: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days How: Adult admission is $8, children under 12 and grandparents are admitted free. Parking is $12. For more, call 877-959-BABY or go to www.americanbabyfaire.com.

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