Celeb Parents fuel kid product craze

The third annual Baby Boom Room kicked off Friday with a few brave celebrity parents trolling the penthouse rooms at the Century Plaza Hotel in search of cool new products for their babies and kids. The star wattage wasn't quite as bright as promised (we missed Scott Baio), but there sure were a lot of cool products.

Evan Handler (Californication, Sex & the City) was checking out Moby wraps with his wife and one-year-old daughter Sofia. He said his product essentials are pacifiers and leggings, which little Sofia loves to sleep in. Carnie Wilson's three-year-old daughter Lola has a Strawberry Shortcake obsession -- too bad there wasn't any at this show. "She's obsessed,'' said Wilson. "She has the toothbrush holder, the sheets, she falls asleep to the DVDs every night.'' I caught up with Wilson browsing the booth for Blessence, a line of maternity T-shirts embelished with celeb-friendly slogans like "Adoption Is the New Pregnant.''

Some of the most original products -- for the kid/parent who has everything -- were necklaces that double as teething rings (www.smartmomjewelry.com), Happy Heiny's (www.happyheinys.com), makers of modern cloth diapers, a kid's spa offering a chocolate facial (www.spadidala.com) and over the top custom-painted wagons by West Coast Wagons (www.westcoastwagons.com). L.A. parents Tiffany and Duane Nelson started the company three years ago when they discovered that their daughter, born with cerebral palsy, could only get comfortable enough to nap when she was in a wagon. They souped up the rig with a CD player and sun roof, and a business was born.

Custom wagons range from about $200 range for a painted, jewel-studded princess wagon to an $1,800 Hummer wagon fully loaded with a DVD player. The Nelsons made a skull-design wagon inscribed with the names of Brad and Angelina's brood. When Tiffany Nelson cornered Brad at last year's Golden Globes and asked him how he liked it, the superstar said "That wagon kicks a** it's the collest thing I've ever seen.''

Other kid-catering startups launched in the last year or two -- no-squeeze juice box holders (www.squeeze-free.com), lice-repellant shampoo (www.socozy.com), knee pads for crawling babies (www.silikids.com) and ergonomic diaper bags (www.gogagalife.com) -- reflect the exploding market for kid products that make busy parents' lives a little easier. The fact that Tom & Katie and Brad & Angelina and Ben & Jennifer have made having kids trendy only helps. "I don't know if stars are having more babies,'' said Betsi Schumacher, at the Baby boom room to promote a new BPA-free sippy cup callled Foogo. "But with Celebrity Baby Blog, it's the hype.''