NEW PARENTS will vouch for the indispensability of baby products. The safety, convenience and entertaining features of these products make life easier for them.
However, the rise in the number of double-income households and the increasing popularity of mobile lifestyles are putting new demands on baby products.
Parents want them to come with features that could not have been imagined a few years ago. Portable cribs that weigh only a few kilograms and can be easily collapsed for storage, car seats that double up as infant carriers and innovative electronic learning devices are just a few examples of the products in demand.
Hong Kong's birth rate is declining but that need not worry baby products manufacturers in the region. They can depend on the growing world population to keep demand healthy. With the mainland as the manufacturing base and Hong Kong as the design centre, they can create a range of products from basic clothing to hi-tech gadgets.
However, Hong Kong's baby products industry faces many challenges. It has to keep up with short product lifecycles, meet the strictest safety and environmental requirements and face stiff competition from companies in the mainland.
According to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, baby products are a high priority for companies in the city.
About 70 per cent of overseas buyers at last year's Hong Kong Toy and Games Fair indicated that they planned to buy more products. The baby toys and products industry is expected to grow at about 10 per cent this year.
