Older mothers eager to pamper kids

NEW YORK -- Burp cloth: $26. T-shirt with UV protection: $42. Designer socks: $55. Crib: $1,499 -- with bedding add $800.

For many parents, nothing's too good for their babies.

"With the increase in the wealth of the wealthy and a surge in birth rates among older women, parents are ready and able to spend on their children," said Tanya Seaton, research manager at Datamonitor, a markets research firm based in New York. "These mothers are certainly more poised than 25-year-old first-time mothers."

Not just poised but deep-pocketed, like Cynthia Mondi of Chicago, who spends close to $4,000 every year on black-and-white portraits of her children by photographer Julie Floyd.

"I have two unbelievably beautiful girls and a large house and I want to fill it with their pictures," she said. "Our friends flip out and ask where we got them done."

In 2001, births among women ages 30-44 rose about 2 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. These older mothers comprise the most affluent segment of the population.

Between 2001 and 2006, the market for organic, fortified and specialty baby products will increase from $88 million to $3 billion, according to Datamonitor. Products aimed at the mass market, by comparison, will fall to $2 billion from $4 billion.

"Children are like a commodity -- everyone wants a nice house, a nice car and now, the best outfitted baby," said Betty Wong, an editor at Parents magazine. "It's easy to pamper your baby when you have money to spend."

More income means more spending on non-essential items or specialty products like organic foods and biodegradable diapers.

"Environmentally conscious parents may not have time to use cloth diapers, but they still want to buy diapers that don't harm the environment too much," said Mary Margaret Graham, national grocery buyer for the Whole Foods store chain, which stocks items such as Seventh Generation's unbleached chlorine-free disposable diapers and natural baby laundry detergent.

"We see a unique opportunity in introducing first-time parents to less toxic, healthier products at a time when they are evaluating what kind of products they will have around their children," said Jeffrey Hollender, founder and CEO of Seventh Generation.

"All kinds of knick-knacks are being invented," said Michael O'Sullivan, vice president with consulting firm Bain & Co. "After the baby monitoring radio, you now see a baby monitoring camera."

"The market is growing because people have begun to focus on children and children are growing up much faster so manufacturers are applying their expertise to products for younger children," said Judy Ellis, founder and chairwoman of the toy design department at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

For instance, music blocks, traditionally made for babies six months and up, are now being made for newborns. There are even versions of pull-toys that can be hung in cribs so babies can see colorful objects and be exposed to different textures as they reach out to pull them.

"This is such a delightful market to design for -- everything a child touches is so special," she said.

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