Says AARP, “Every month, 75,000 baby boomers are joining the ranks of new grandparents. Dubbed “grandboomers” — marketers’ nod to yet another stage of life that baby boomers are transforming — they are redefining the stereotypical image of grandparents. “The average age of a boomer who is a grandparent is 53,” said Mr. Thornhill, who adds that Oprah Winfrey is 53. “So we’re not talking your traditional image of a grandma here. We’re talking about 53-year-olds who don’t feel like they are anywhere near old age.”

The trend nationwide is for cool, hip names, said Mr. Thornhill.

“They don’t want names like grandma or granny,” he said. “They want a name that works for them.”

East Brainerd resident Rodena Maas is known as “Deen-Deen” to 20-month-old grandson Hudson.

Deen-Deen was a natural derivative of the nickname Deen that her good friends already used.

Once baby is born, boomers have a new outlet for their discretionary income.

“In general, boomers as first-time grandparents spend an average of $1,100 in the first six months,” said Mr. Thornhill. “Their planned spending for the next 12 months is another $700, according to a study done by grandparents.com last year.”

The researcher said the initial outlay is to purchase a crib and all the accessories the baby has at home to outfit nurseries in their own homes.

“Boomers can be our No. 1 customers,” said Tim Allen, owner of Children’s Fair on Lee Highway. “Most are wanting to turn guest bedrooms into nurseries for their grandkids to come over.

The travel industry already has reached out for doting grandparents’ dollars.

Mr. Thornhill said amusement parks and theme parks are offering different admission prices for grandparents bringing their grandchildren.

“We’re seeing a growing number of tour companies putting together multigenerational travel packages targeting grandparents,” he said.

Jimmy Campbell of Apollo Travel said his firm has done a number of these family trips.

“They’ve gone on cruises, to Walt Disney (NYSE:DCQ) World (NYSE:DIS) , and we did a group of 10 who went to the Mexican Riviera.”

“We’re wondering when the first casual dining restaurant will come out with a grandparent menu that has games and interaction for grandparents and grandkids to do,” said Mr. Thornhill.

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