BEAVERTON, Ore., Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of
National Baby Safety month in September, VTech®
Communications, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of VTech Holdings
Ltd. (HKSE: 303), commissioned a survey1 conducted by
independent market research firm Toluna to uncover parents'
worries, habits and priorities for a safe home. Top safety
concerns include children getting hurt by falling or getting into
harmful material (29 percent), choking (24 percent) and Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (20 percent).
With these worries top of mind, today's parents are extremely
safety conscious with the majority (71 percent) of survey
respondents labeling themselves as:
- Close supervisors (40 percent) -- I tend to hover over
my child/children, and I do worry about their safety -- but I'm not
completely relentless; I've done childproofing around the house and
I take regular precautions to ensure safety.
- Protective (31 percent) -- I will stop at nothing to
ensure the safety and well-being of my child/children; I childproof
everything; I am constantly worried about his/her/their safety and
I constantly monitor my child/children to keep them safe.
"As every parent discovers, keeping kids safe remains a 24/7
proposition," said Stacy DeBroff,
founder and CEO of Mom Central. "National Baby Safety Month offers
parents key advice and tips around home safety practices that can
both help protect children and provide parents with peace of
mind."
Other key findings of the survey, which took a pulse of
attitudes and behaviors on child safety, include:
- Men and women have different safety styles.
According to survey respondents, men identified themselves as more
relaxed about baby safety than women. More men than women (32
percent vs. 27 percent) labeled their parenting styles as: "Casual
and Easy Going" or "Adventurous."
- Parents get an "incomplete" on their safety homework.
Nearly seven of ten parents (67 percent) research products before
purchasing through reviews and ratings. However, only 40
percent of survey respondents researched important safety recalls
to ensure their products are not defective. Parents of four
children or more have learned by experience and are more diligent
about researching safety recalls than parents with only their first
child (44 percent vs. 40 percent).
- Parents are good at following instructions for safety.
After purchasing a product, the majority of parents surveyed
(58 percent) read all the instructions before using or assembling
the product to ensure safe operation. Half of respondents
keep the instructions in case they need them in the future.
A Baby Monitor is One of the Most Important Products for
Babies
When asked about the most important baby product, parents ranked
baby monitors as the top product after clothing to not skimp on,
even if money was tight, surpassing child-proofing locks,
strollers, rockers, toys, changing tables and room decorations.
Survey respondents' most important consideration when comparing
baby monitors was the best/most features (34 percent) followed by
price (21 percent) and consumer ratings (22 percent), and more
specifically, parents put a spotlight on portability and clear,
secure audio reception as the most important features for baby
monitors.
Addressing parents' desire for advanced features, VTech's new
line of baby monitors, the Safe& Sound®
Digital Audio Monitor (DM221, MSRP: $39.95) and the Safe&Sound®
FullColor Video and Audio Monitor (VM321, MSRP: $129.95), offer robust technology at affordable
prices, enabling parents to maximize monitoring options at lower
cost. Leveraging its expertise in wireless home communication,
VTech Safe&Sound baby monitors provide tremendous portability
with a range of up to 1,000 feet. The Digital Audio Monitor
features Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) 6.0
technology, ensuring high-quality and reliable sound that prevents
wireless interference from other electronic devices and security
from digital snooping.
"We know that parents have a lot on their minds about their
little ones, so we engineered a product to help put them at ease
with an array of features that make monitoring integral into their
daily care routine," said Matt
Ramage, senior vice president, product management, VTech
Communications. "Nothing is more important than the safety of the
baby. VTech's Safe&Sound baby monitors give parents a tool they
can rely on."
The VTech Safe&Sound Full-Color Video and Audio Monitor
contains a robust set of features, including high-quality video
resolution (transmitting up to 22 frames per second) on a sizeable
2.8-inch video screen with a 320 x 240 pixel display (compared to a
2-inch display for slightly more expensive models). Other unique
features include a split video screen, enabling simultaneous
viewing from up to four separate cameras with the purchase of
additional cameras (VM301, MSRP: $49.95), along with infrared night-vision
capability for viewing when the room is completely dark.
For more information about the VTech Baby Safety Month Survey or
on VTech and its Safe&Sound baby monitors, please visit
http://www.babymonitors.vtech.com.
About VTech®
VTech is the world's largest manufacturer of cordless telephones
and a leading supplier of electronic learning products. It
also provides highly sought-after contract manufacturing
services. Founded in 1976, the Group's mission is to be the
most cost effective designer and manufacturer of innovative,
high-quality consumer electronic products and to distribute them to
markets worldwide in the most efficient manner.
1. Toluna, Inc. fielded the
study on behalf of VTech from August 17-21,
2012 via its online omnibus service, interviewing a
nationwide sample of 1,195 parents aged 18 years and older.
Data were weighted using propensity score weighting to be
representative of the total U.S. adult population on the basis of
region, age within gender, education, household income,
race/ethnicity, and propensity to be online. Data for
questions related to online use or behaviors were weighted
specifically to the respective "online" populations. No
estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full
methodology is available.
Media Contact:
Ginny Walker
GolinHarris
714-918-8231
gedwards@golinharris.com
SOURCE VTech
