Baby Emporio’s Ookie® Doll Helps Bond Baby With Mom
(ContentDesk) July 15, 2005 -- BABY EMPORIO LLC's Ookie® Baby's First Doll is a perfect mom and baby bonding doll—especially when kissed by mom's scent. Among the testimonials on the company's web site at www.babyemporio.com is one written by Annabel's mom, "I slept with the Ookie doll under my shirt for a night to transfer my scent and even though Annabel was very little, it was amazing to see her snuggle into the Ookie...she kept turning her head toward it. Annabel is almost 3 now and on her third Ookie! They last wonderfully!" The darling Ookie® is just one of the European-inspired baby gifts created by Clasina Valkenberg, owner of BABY EMPORIO LLC.Remembering how the company began, Valkenberg says, "My little 17-month-old niece, Desanne, came to visit from Holland clinging to a well-worn, elf-like cloth doll that she carried with her day and night." Desanne's mother then told Valkenberg that many European babies receive such a doll at birth. The new mom holds the doll close to her own skin for a night, or so and her scent transfers onto the doll's flannel fabric." Knowing that babies love having mom's scent nearby, Valkenberg was intrigued by the mom and baby bonding concept and created her own version of her niece's ‘best friend' and called it Ookie® -- after her niece's nickname, ‘Ukkie', which means "Little One" in Dutch.The 14 X 16-inch, 100% cotton exterior doll—with satin binding and ‘Ookie' embroidered on the front—has become a favorite with organizations such as The Tiny Miracles Foundation (http://ttmf.org/index.html) which helps parents of infants born prematurely, the Kids' Wish Network (http://www.kidswishnetwork.org/index.asp) and the Child Care Planning Council of Ventura County (http://www.childcareplanningcouncil.org/). The dolls are machine-washable and available in pink, blue, yellow and mint.Embroiderers can easily transform BABY EMPORIO's Ookie® Baby's First Doll, Kammi®™ Teether Doll and SOOTHYS™ Satin-Backed

Blankets into extra special baby gifts by personalizing them for the gift giver.

The popular Kammi™ Teether Doll, named after Valkenberg's grandson, Kameron, also builds on the bonding concept by offering babies a product that soothes gums and comforts baby. BABY EMPORIO's Kammi™ Teether Doll which boasts four terry cloth teething knots that can be dampened and chilled in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, received favorable reviews from the Family Review Center and was honored in Baby & Children's Product News' First Annual Readers' Favorites Awards this year.The company mantra "Gifts Babies Love!" defines the inventory offered by the Ventura County-based infant and toddler gifts supplier to consumers online at www.babyemporio.com. Look for BABY EMPORIO's new stylish version of baby shopping cart covers called MyFancyCover™ in Faux Fur Velour, Cotton-Poly and 100% Polyester fabrics. Valkenberg says, "It's a must-have item for new moms wishing to protect their babies from grocery cart germs." The covers which also fit restaurant highchairs are offered in a wide variety of colors, playful themes and patterns.About Baby Emporio, LLCFounded in 1996, BABY EMPORIO, LLC (www.babyemporio.com) offers a unique and varied selection of baby gifts for the consumer alongside its first product—the trademarked Ookie® Baby's First Doll. The nine-year-old company's products are being sold to consumers online at www.babyemporio.com and in baby specialty stores across the US, Canada, Australia and Europe.

Retailers interested in making wholesale purchases can visit BABY EMPORIO's wholesale portal at www.babyemporiowholesale.com or contact Clasina Valkenberg by calling (800) 965-9909, faxing (805) 985-2158, emailing e-mail protected from spam bots or writing to the company's mailing address at 4360 East Main Street, #374, Ventura, CA 93003..