From designer diaper bags to pricey Bugaboo strollers, ‘yoga mommies’ want their tykes to have it all
Silver Cross Balmoral Pram stroller: $2,800.
Sterling Silver Barbell Rattle from Tiffany & Co.: $225.
Having a newborn that is the trendiest tot on the block: expensive.
From Gucci baby booties to Egyptian cotton bed sheets, some parents are dipping deep into their wallets to provide their babies with the most stylish accessories.
Americans spent $29.4 billion on clothing, toys, furniture and accessories for infants and toddlers in 2005, according to Packaged Facts, the publishing division of marketresearch.com. The market research company calls moms who spend big bucks on posh strollers and designer accessories “yoga mommies” who want their tots to be “hipster babies.” After all, a fashion-forward baby reflects his or her mom’s sense of style.
“For the kid, they don’t care what they’re dressed in; the parents do,” said Mary Miller, 33. “I love baby products. I have eight diaper bags.”
Parents often buy name brands to improve their own image, said Jelani Mandara, assistant professor in human development and social policy at Northwestern University.
“It’s a status symbol to try and make the parents look good. Designers know that people love to have the name brand right where everyone can see it. They buy nice things and tell everyone about it,” he said.
Whether it’s a pricey diaper bag or an expensive pair of shoes, Mandara said “it’s no different than having an expensive sports car or the biggest house on the block. In some social circles, it’s a way some parents show their friends how much they love their kids.”
Miller said she tries not to go overboard.
On a recent afternoon in Lincoln Park, her 18-month-old son Charlie sits in his Maclaren stroller chomping on a bagel, seemingly unconcerned whether or not he has the hottest wheels in the stroller world. Miller, who said she prefers to shop at baby boutiques, also looks at Target, Old Navy and Babies “R” Us for her tot’s accessories and clothes. After researching her options, she chose the $100 Maclaren stroller over the heavily popular–and celebrity favorite–Bugaboo brand, which runs up to $879.
“I have a friend from L.A with a Bugaboo, and she got it because it was the thing to have. But I don’t think she even put much thought into it at all,” Miller said. “The Bugaboos are a nightmare to travel with. All of my girlfriends that bought the Bugaboo have all gone out and bought an umbrella stroller instead.”
Just because Miller avoided Bugaboo fever doesn’t mean she doesn’t look to celebrity moms for baby-accessory trends.
“I’ve been eyeballing the Storksak diaper bag that Angelina Jolie has, but I haven’t taken the plunge yet. If I were going to go over the top, I’d buy a Pram [stroller] like Madonna. People with those are going overboard, and honestly, I don’t even know what its purpose is,” said Miller, “Maybe the child is blissfully happy and has a Zen experience in it.”
The Storksak Gigi diaper bag sells for $198. The Balmoral Pram stroller is the creme de la creme of baby rides, costing $2,800. After all, nobody knows how to roll out the red carpet for newborns quite like Tinsel Town’s finest.
Celebrity moms including Liv Tyler, Heidi Klum and Gwyneth Paltrow reportedly tote their tots around in Bugaboo Frog strollers, a popular pick since its appearance on an episode of “Sex in the City” in 2003, according to celebrity-babies.com (this sentence as published has been corrected in this text).
“Those Bugaboo strollers you see everyone pushing around downtown, all the celebrities have them. They started the trend,” said Patrick McDonald, manager of Bellini Baby and Teen Furniture at 2100 N. Southport Ave.
McDonald said nine out of 10 strollers sold at Bellini are a style from Bugaboo.
Mary Ryan, a 35 year-old Lincoln Park mother of three, didn’t buy into the hype of the Bugaboo.
“Some people buy fad things. The Bugaboo’s are no better than any other stroller,” Ryan said. “People buy it because they see a celebrity in a magazine pushing it and need to get it.”
Instead, Ryan’s kids roll through the city in the $750 Mountain Buggy Urban stroller. It may cost more than your average stroller, but for Ryan, it was well worth the cost.
“This is a double stroller for three kids,” Ryan said, demonstrating the $100 four-wheeled accessory that hooks onto the back of the stroller designed for a toddler to stand on. “In the city, you have to have a sturdy stroller that can weather the sidewalks and you can use year-round.”
But overindulging your kids can backfire.
Spoiled kids have problems dealing with day-to-day tasks and obstacles they encounter in life, Mandara said.
“The consequences of spoiling your child are pretty severe. They are at risk for a lot of behavioral problems,” Mandara said. “They may do well academically but not in other aspects of life.”
Some parents prefer inexpensive, quality purchases.
Caroline Newell bargain hunts for great deals for her 18-month-old son, Tom, by shopping “anywhere with sales like Target, Gap and Old Navy,” and finds it pointless to shell out money for pricey layettes because babies quickly outgrow them.
“I think spending a lot of money on babies is ridiculous,” said Newell, of Chicago. “It’s just outrageous.”
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BRAND NAMES
For pampering parents, the fabulous life doesn’t stop at splurging on strollers and designer diaper bags. Even baby names are going upscale.
For instance, 805 girls were named Mercedes in 2005, according to a list of the 1,000 most popular American baby names on the Social Security Administration’s Web site. After all, what mother could resist the urge to say she drives a Mercedes–in her Honda?
[ RedEye ]NAME / 2005 RANK
Paris (female) 206
Diamond (female) 302
Mercedes (female) 383
Precious (female) 553
Jolie (female) 621
Cash (male) 674
Armani (male) 730
Chanel (female) 919
[ SOURCE: SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION WEB SITE ]– – –
TIFFANY’S FOR TOTS
What really puts a twinkle in a parent’s eye is baby bling–and Tiffany & Co. is the place to get it.
The store has become a popular choice for baby gift-givers looking for more than an everyday present.
“Tiffany’s has always been known for baby gifts, and people come to us looking for an heirloom,” said Cathy Elward, vice president for the central region at Tiffany.
Gifts such as Tiffany’s $7,000 replica toy train or $95 teething rattle may be expensive, but they serve as a way to hold onto childhood after the diaper and pacifier stages have passed, Elward said.
— Laura Castle
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THE LUXE LIFE
When a pair of everyday baby booties and cotton blanket won’t cut it, parents shell out extra cash to jazz up their babies’ lives with purchases like these:
– Baby Dior cashmere blanket (above), $570, eluxury.com
– Coach baby pom pom hat (above), $98, www.coach.com
– Petunia Pickle Bottom bag (left), $155, petuniapicklebottom.com
– Gucci sneakers, $195, gucci.com
It’s not only newborns getting the royal treatment. With no concern about price, some parents will go to great lengths to keep their kids happy. Here are purchases parents can make for their kids at poshtots.com:
– Victorian Playhouse (above right), $23,400
– Children’s mini Ferrari Testarossa, $39,950
– Fantasy Coach Bed (right), $47,000
– Tumble Outpost Play Structure, $87,510
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TALK BACK
Do you think Americans spend too much money on baby products? Send your opinion–and full name, age and neighborhood–to ritaredeye@tribune.com.
