Bogus Baby Boom

Stroller Parking
Originally uploaded by girlfactor.

So, you'd think that with all those Bugaboos you have to dodge in the street would be a surefire sign that we are in the middle of another baby boom. Well, think again - the US birth rate has held at a steady 4 million per year since the late 80s, but the media attention has increased rapidly. Lately it seems that it's hip to be a parent - it's the "in-crowd" thing. Celebrity pregnancies have been the rage for a few years now, increasingly saturating the media - and marketers are listening. If you told someone ten years ago that everyday people would be spending $700 and upwards for a stroller, they would have looked at you like you were crazy - but Bugaboo has become a household name and the Mercedes Benz of strollers.

The publishing world has taken notice as well, with titles such as Cookie and Wondertime hitting the newsstands giving a fresh approach alongside old-school standbys like American Baby, Parents, and Child. The new glossies are just that - glossier, fun to read, providing more upscale content from the advertising to the articles and are catering to people looking for a magazine that they can not only relate to, but are fun and not just plain functional.