Curry and a Baby anyone ?

Article on if mums tried having a curry as they approached their due date....and did it work ?

http://www.4little1s.com/acatalog/curry_and_baby.html


www.4little1s.com for all your nursery furniture and baby bedding

Nursery Furniture and Baby Bedding V

NURSERY FURNITURE AND BABY BEDDING

Announcing the launch of a new range of Nursery Furniture and Baby bedding on the 4little1s.com website http://www.4little1s.com/


4little1s.com the highly successful online retailer selling everything for the modern nursery has some fantastic brands such as Izziwotnot and Lollipop Lane for you to browse through at your leisure.

Lets face it, ploughing through the traffic, fighting for a car park space and barging people in a hot and stuffy shop on a Saturday afternoon isn’t my idea of fun. Instead head over to 4little1s.com website, browse through the ranges of Nursery Furniture like the Humphrey’s Corner range of baby bedding and Nursery furniture, Hemingway II or one of the lovely ranges in the Lakeside furniture range. You wont be disappointed and amazed at the great prices that are pretty hard to beat.

IZZIWOTNOT NURSERY FUNITURE

If you are looking for the Izziwotnot Humphrey’s Corner range, we have a great selection. This new range of nursery furniture emphasises the traditional qualities of wooden nursery furniture and classic Humphrey's Corner design with a modern twist. Using clean simple lines, stylish tone on tone line drawings and oak coloured finishes, the range is ideally suited to both the classic and modern baby nursery. Solid wood frames, rich veneers and generous proportions prove the perfect choice. In addition to Humphrey, the range features his best friend Mop and two new characters, Hovis the bear and Donkey, inspired by the creator's own toys. Simple line drawings tell a story across the nursery furniture range as Humphrey looks for his toys at bedtime.

LOLLIPOP LANE NURSERY FUNITURE

The Lakeside nursery furniture collection from Lollipop Lane offers a modern choice for the nursery. It combines contemporary design with solid oak detailing and a cream painted finish. All Lollipop Lane nursery furniture conforms to
British Standard EN: 716 .

We have a number of nursery furniture combinations of 2 piece, 3 piece and 4 piece all look lovely in the Nursery, with the cot converting into a bed as baby get bigger…..

Another favourite of ours is the Claydon range of Nursery furniture, again from Lollipop Lane this Nursery furniture range is crafted in solid oak and offers timeless beauty combined with simple style for the modern baby nursery and conforms to British Standard EN: 716

If you have any questions about the Nursery furniture or baby bedding, please feel free to email us on sales@4little1s.com and we will be more than happy to help anytime

4little1s.com stocks a wide range of Izziwotnot and Lollipop Lane Nursery Furniture and baby bedding for your little one as well as a wide range of baby gifts, baby wooden toys and of course Deglingos ! 4little1s.com operates at http://www.4little1s.com/

Maternity Units

Maternity units forced to shut doors in baby boom

Almost half of maternity units closed to new admissions at least once in the past year because they were full or had too few staff

Almost half of maternity units closed to new admissions at least once in the past year because they were full or had too few staff. One unit refused new admissions for 48 hours; others closed for more than 10 hours at a time.Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust in Kent had 97 temporary closures in 2008, and Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust in Hertfordshire had 91. A total of 104 out of 148 NHS Trusts that provide maternity services responded to the request from the Conservatives. Fifty trusts had closed their maternity unit or had been forced to divert women to another site; 14 closed their unit more than 10 times.

In total, there were 553 closures in England, compared with 402 closures in 2007, a 38 per cent rise.The shadow Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, called for the Government to increase midwife numbers and funding.

Jacque Gerrard, director for England for the Royal College of Midwives, said: "Maternity unit closures do happen because childbirth is unpredictable and units can experience a sudden and unexpected rush. We are in the midst of a baby boom with the birth rate at its highest since 1991."

Curry and a baby poll - for fun !

Curry and a baby ?

4little1s.com, the online nursery furniture and baby bedding company has launched as a bit of fun, an online poll. The purpose is to work out how many mums had a curry during the last days of their pregnancy to see if it helped.

What is more, they are offering a chance to win £20 towards their next one by simply completing the online questionnaire (which is only 3 questions and take seconds to complete)

Click on the link for your chance -
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2ha8hlrfs3ozoci/start

4little1s.com stocks a wide range of goods for your babies nursery, including Izziwotnot and Lollipop Lane bedding and nursery furniture...everything in fact for your little one !

Lollipop Lane NOW available from 4little1s.com

4little1s.com, the online Nursery Furniture and Baby bedding retailer now stocks the fantastic Lollipop Lane Nursery Furniture range.

If you are looking for that something special for your babies nursery, you cannot go wrong with the Lollipop Lane range. There are a number of ranges available on our website, of which my favourite is the Lakeside Nursery Furniture.

The Lakeside nursery furniture collection offers a modern choice for the nursery. It combines contemporary design with solid oak detailing and a cream painted finish.

All Nursery furniture conforms to British Standard EN: 716

3 piece Lakeside nursery furniture set includes: cot bed, wardrobe, changing unit, FREE assembly and delivery. A peg shelf may be added for an additional £50

Lakeside Cot Bed: The quality cot bed is made of solid pine and features smooth slatted sides, beautiful panelled ends with oak detailing and a teething rail. The cot has three positions for the mattress base and converts to a junior bed to fit upto age 5 approximately.
Size: 145cm (l) x 78cm (w) x 105cm (h)
Fits mattress 140 x 70cm.

Lakeside Wardrobe: This contemporary styled full size wardrobe offers a full width hanging rail and 2 fixed shelves. The simple design is enhanced by a panel of oak detailing to coordinate with the range.
Size: 56cm (d) x 102cm (w) x 185cm (h)

Lakeside Changing unit: This contemporary styled changing unit features 3 strong spacious drawers on smooth sliding drawer runners, brushed steel handles and a cupboard with a fixed shelf. The simple design is enhanced by a panel of oak detailing to coordinate with the range.
Size: 56cm (d) x 102cm (w) x 90cm (h)

Delivery: All items are delivered direct from the manufacturer and will be assembled on site for you. Packaging will be removed leaving you to prepare for your new arrival.

Delivery within 3-4 weeks. Please note that Lollipop Lane nursery furniture can only be delivered to UK Mainland addresses, and only as far north as Glasgow. If you are in any doubt please do not hesitate to contact us.

Other Lollipop Lane Nursery Furniture ranges include the Kingsley and the details for this are below:

The Lollipop Lane Kingsley furniture collection with its intricate atttention to detail and luscious dark wood finish adds warmth and sophistication to the nursery.

All furniture conforms to the British Standard EN: 716

Kingsley Cot Bed: The quality robust cot bed is made of solid pine and features smooth slatted sides, beautiful panelled ends, elegant stepped feet and a teething rail. The cot has three positions for the mattress base and converts to a junior bed to fit upto age 5 approximately.
Size: 146cm (l) x 82cm (w) x 101cm (h)

Fits mattress 140 x 70cm.

Kingsley Changing Unit: The intricately detailed changing unit features 3 sturdy spacious drawers with smooth gliding drawer runners, pine handles and classically stepped feet.
Size: 56cm (d) x 106cm (w) x 96cm (h)

Kingsley Wardrobe: This classically styled full size wardrobe offers a full width hanging rail, 2 fixed shelves and a spacious drawer. The elegant panelled doors and stepped feet finish the furniture beautifully.

Size: 56cm (d) x 106cm (w) x 200cm (h)
Delivery: All items are delivered direct from the manufacturer and will be assembled on site for you. Packaging will be removed leaving you to prepare for your new arrival.
Delivery within 3-4 weeks.

Please note that nursery furniture can only be delivered to UK Mainland addresses, and only as far north as Glasgow. If you are in any doubt please do not hesitate to contact us.

‘The Lollipop Lane Range of Nursery Furniture is amazing quality, design and price for all pockets” said Christianne James the founder of 4little1s.com today

4little1s.com now stock Lollipop Lane Nursery Furniture

4little1s.com are now stocking the fantastic Lollipop Lane Nursery Furniture range

4little1s.com are extremely excited about stocking the Lollipop Lane Nursery Furniture on their website. Check out their website at http://www.4little1s.com/ and just imagine your nursery with this furniture for baby. The Lollipop Lane Nursery Furniture range includes:

Lollipop Lane Alderley Nursery Furniture
Lollipop Lane Claydon Nursery Furniture
Lollipop Lane Lakeside Nursery Furniture
Lollipop Lane Verona Nursery Furniture
Lollipop Lane Kingsley Nursery Furniture

Look out for some of the other fantastic Nursery Furniture ranges coming soon from Lollipop Lane, such as Avalon and Chelsea

Finally, in the words of Lollipop Lane themselves….
A warm welcome to the exciting world of Lollipop Lane, an inviting place to visit when planning a nursery for the special, new arrival. We are proud to present extensive nursery bedding collections, incorporating unique, soft fabric combinations, beautiful appliqués and embroidery with fine designer touches. Also stylish, baby furniture ranges including cot beds, moses baskets and wardrobes to complete the co-ordinated nursery. All Lollipop Lane products have been thoughtfully created to enhance every baby nursery at an affordable price, without compromising on quality or design. Through our wide choice of designs and products, we are confident there will be a décor that will appeal to each and every visitor.







4little1s.com the hugely successful online baby gifts, nursery furniture and baby bedding retailer is now stocking the Izziwotnot’s Humphrey’s little red car range as well as a wide range of Lollipop Lane Nursery Furniture.
Other Izziwotnot baby furniture and Izziwotnot baby bedding ranges stocked by 4little1s.com include the Vanilla and Hemingway II furniture range, and everything from ABC Safari to White gift range .
4little1s.com has a wide range of baby gifts, baby bouquets, baby hampers, wooden toys, Deglingoes, nursery bedding and baby furniture.

The last 12 months at 4little1s.com

The last 12 months in business....

Christianne James (40) founder of the highly successful online baby gift and nursery furniture retailer, 4little1s.com assesses her business over the last twelve months.

Website (http://www.4little1s.com)

We invested heavily when we set the website up as we wanted to relay the message that we were not a small ‘fly by night’ company that would compromise on quality. We used a web design agency that managed the whole project in terms of structure and design, although we had decided from the offset we wanted full control to be able to add and remove products ourselves, rather than having to rely on the design agency each time. I am quite technically minded and felt more than confident to be able to keep this up and have more control. This was a good decision and gives us complete control over our site today.

Stock

We are always very careful with selecting stock although we did take a risk with a more unusual line recently called Deglingos. These are very unusual looking soft toys that take the form of animals However, there is clearly a niche market for these and we get regular orders from Denmark and the UAE for some reason. We have pretty much kept to the same lines when we first started up, although some lines definitely sell better than others. We plan to review one or two lines that we are struggling with and probably just do a straight swap out with another line.

Sales

Some lines we make better margins than others and this has driven the marketing plan with time / effort as to which products to market more than others. Our main sales channel is the Internet and we are glad to making a small profit this year. We have been experimenting with School Fairs and Craft Fairs which have also been very successful. Apart from meeting customers ‘face to face’ any transactions are not usually credit cards as they are cash or cheque based, therefore avoiding any transaction costs. Finally we now have a shop front in one of the larger towns near us which works well and covers its costs as well as bringing in a small profit.

Marketing

We have marketed on a number of campaigns on and offline this year. Thinking back we have had a balloon marketing exercise which produced about a 1% sales, I personally delivered leaflets to a vast number of houses (non targeted) and I don’t think we produced any sales ! (lesson learnt). We also have done a couple of more targeted leaflet campaigns which both produced about 2 % sales. We have also been trying to consider a couple of alliances but nothing came of them; however I suspect will come together over the next few monthsWe have invested a great deal of time in SEO which we are now starting to see some real improvements. The strategies have been quite far and wide including Blogs, Forums and Social Networking amongst others. We may need to make a judgment call on the sheer volume of time this is taking up and if our time could be spend better elsewhere and then outsource this effort.My bookcase has grown quite significantly over the last 12 months with everything from Marketing for Dummies to Guerrilla Marketing as well as some other more structured methodologies for Marketing. I am beginning to wonder if I should be concentrating on PR more than Marketing as from the last few months we have been seeing more results, i.e. hard sales, from PR than Marketing. Food for thought.

The future

We have a combination of a stock and a drop ship model. The margins we make on stock are larger than the drop ship items. However, in some cases the space needed and not having to worry about importing and distributing are big benefits to us. I think we will continue to have a combination of the two to ensure a healthy balance but margins will dictate this.

Lessons learned

I certainly need to learn to be able to delegate more. Working for yourself in a start up means you usually end up being the Finance Director, Managing Director, Operation Director, Sales and Marketing Director …….and the list goes on. Having come from a corporate background where each role had been headed up by one person and a team of people, suddenly it was just little old me! While not too much of a problem initially, I now recognise as we grow it’s just not possible to do each role, well do it efficiently anyway. I need to consider giving more responsibilities to my business partner and also third parties in some of these areas in order to allow me to have a more watching brief.I have also realised the importance of ‘getting out there’ and seeing people, whether that’s at trade fairs or a marketing or PR stunt, staying inside is not always the best use of timeInvestigate alliances and benefits of, in particular with marketing.



4little1s.com provides a great range of Izziwotnot Nursery Furniture such as Humphrey’s Corner , Hemingway II or Vanilla nursery sets, as well as Izziwotnot Nursery Bedding such as Humphrey’s Lottie Fairy Princess, Hide Away Bay or Baby Pilot