Recent research by Mum Poll highlighted the fact that having a child can be the cause of extreme emotions, both pleasurable and painful.

Whilst ‘most’ mothers acknowledge that having kids is the best thing that has happened to them, many also struggle to come to terms with their new identity, financial pressures and new found responsibilities. Fundamentally many mothers feel they lose a sense of personal identity as they become the ‘Mother of Sam’ rather than the individual they once were. Emotionally many can also be overwhelmed by the challenge of providing moral guidance, home security and nutritional meal times, made even more fraught by judgemental peers and mixed messages from the media and childcare specialists.

The Mum Poll study’s primary finding was that mothers are becoming increasingly competitive, with around 4 in 10% claiming that they cannot help but brag about their children’s achievements. Additionally there was a high incidence of mums who admit to being ultra competitive in dressing their children in the latest fashion attire, a dynamic that is being tapped into by high end trainer brand ‘Onitsuka Tiger’ which this week launched a pre-school range of footwear in Harrods and Selfridges (starting at £35 per pair).

Beyond this level of parental vanity, many brands are well aware that this can be such a difficult emotional phase and duly provide plenty of support and guidance via ’Mother & Baby Clubs’ delivering a constant stream of material through websites, email newsletters, direct mail, bounty packs and so forth. However whilst many brands tap into the angst and peer competitiveness of young mothers, there are far fewer that play to the emotional highs.

Of course it’s important to avoid the saccharin ‘Werther’s Original’ approach to brand communciations but at a time when parents are being placed under huge pressure from all quarters, it would be refreshing to see brands taking a more balanced approach to family marketing, acknowledging not only the pain but also the pleasures of parenting.

Keeping abreast of the UK kids market is a real challenge given its natural volatility and the ever strong political and media interest. With this in mind, The Value Engineers Kids has launched a quarterly newsletter that distills all of the pertinent consumer and trade news along with a snapshot of kids favourite lifestyle & media interests.

The information and news features are supplemented with brief commentary and analysis throughout, making it a ‘must read’ for anyone with an ongoing interest in what is happening in the world of children. Anyone who is interested in receiving a copy should contact Dave Lawrence at dave.lawrence@thevalueengineers.com

McDonald’s have frequently been in the firing line of the media and lobby groups with regards to their Happy Meals and today has witnessed a further dramatic twist. Whilst many extreme lobbyists have called for an outright ban on the Happy Meals such a move has largely been regarded as very unlikely; not so it appears in the US county of Santa Clara (which covers most of Silicone Valley). Elected officials have introduced a law that bans the provision of toys with any children’s meals that fall short of national nutritional guidelines, hence eliminating a central component of the Happy Meal.

Whilst the toy element is vetoed, of course the food itself will still be available and given that all other fast food outlets in this area will cease offering similar incentives, it is unlikely therefore to affect the popularity of fast food within the county (where one in four children are obese, which is higher than the US average of one in five). McDonald’s is popular with young families because it provides food that all members of family enjoy at a price that is affordable and in an environment that is family friendly. Sure, the children may be surprised and disappointed not to receive their usual toy but I doubt that this will act as a stimulus for them to grab a carrot stick and jog around the park (although perhaps a few children may burn off a few calories if they jump up and down in anger).

Once again politicians are clutching at policy straws to address the obesity issue and hitting easy win targets to publicly demonstrate their commitment to the health & well being of their voters. If only social and behavioural change was that easy!