This will be one of those “why didn’t I think of that” moment for a lot of us.

Mommy Jana Brinkhaus and her husband Chris of Massachusetts  created their new spin on a baby bib in 2007 and named it the “myBibzy”  with the intention of offering protection from wetness without the inconvenience of a bib.

What it is, is simply a baby bodysuit with a built in bib!

myBibzy

Baby bibs come with baby clothes at baby showers  like it’s a given that one goes with the other and if you’ve done loads of laundry of tiny clothes with wet or stained necklines then you too get the picture of “myBibzy.”

MyBibzy  is made from 100% cotton and the bib consists of two types of materials.  The outer layer is a cotton knit terry that catches the drools and prevents the wetness from sliding down the front of baby or saturating baby’s top.  Then there’s the waterproof inner layer, which is 25% polyester, 75% vinyl and this keeps baby dry.

Teething babies drool, bottles sometimes leak and there’s the occasional spit up:  “myBibzy” to the rescue!  The terrycloth front dries and the wetness is caught in the inner layer, keeping baby dry.  Sweet!

The myBibzy is made in the USA and is 100% child safe, meeting all material safety standards for use in children’s apparel.  It has both neck and bottom snaps, and a tagless label in the back of the neck for added baby comfort.

Neck and bottom snaps

There are lots of different color options including the standard blue or pink, short or long sleeve, that make this the perfect baby shower gift.  There’s even an organic baby mybibzy!

While the whole idea of a built in bib is just a novel idea (and again, too bad we didn’t think of it) what makes this an even better creation is a personal story that goes along with it.

Jana shared with me that her beautiful baby girl was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes and in an effort to help all children and adults with this disease, the Brinkhaus’ are donating 25% of their profits from the sale of myBibzy to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in hopes of finding a cure.

That story right there – makes one of these right here  – something that should be on your list next time you shop for baby.

myBibzy

You can purchase the myBibzy on the website at www.mybibzy.com or contact them at info@myBibzy.com for further information.

Put one on your gift list or buy one for your own baby and slow the flow of your laundry!

We bundle our baby, add a blanket and a wind shield to the stroller and tuck them inside to protect them from the elements of winter before heading out, right?

But what about Mommy?  What happens if she forgets her gloves?  She still has to push the stroller.  It’s even worse, if she had gloves with her but lost them during all the baby shuffling while shopping.

What to do, what to do?  Here’s the answer:  The Mommy Mitten!

It was during a chilly October walk in 2007 that a young entrepreneur mom, Amy Saperstein of New York City,   had a novel idea.  While it was early fall, it was chilly enough for Amy’s hands to get a little cold.  That’s when she got the idea for the  Mommy Mitten!

Amy and the Mommy Mitten

This easy to use, dandy little add on to your stroller,  is fleece lined and will keep your hands toasty while pushing the stroller. The Mommy Mitten is insulated, water resistant and machine washable. It velcros right on to the stroller handle and comes in either blue or pink.

Easily connects to stroller handle

I met Amy when she debuted her Mommy Mitten in New York at The Baby Show last year.  Below her girlfriend Kelly gives me a demonstration showing how chic all mommies can look using the Mommy Mitten.  A really cute idea isn’t it?  And no more cold hands!  That’s what I love about Amy’s invention.

Mommy Mitten Demonstration

There’s an external pocket for your keys, cell phone or pacifier which makes a quick run to the bodega or out for coffee much easier and this time you don’t have to worry about gloves!

A contestant in the “Most Innovative” category of the 2009 Home Based 100 contest by Start Up Nations, The Mommy Mitten is now available on Babies R Us Online.

If there are babies in your life, there’s still plenty of winter to get good use out of a Mommy Mitten.  Buy one for yourself or do another mommy a favor!  Mommy Mittens retail for $29.99.

You can visit Amy’s website, www.mommymitten.com for more information or to place an online order.

The Mommy Mitten, why didn’t I think of that?  Congratulations Amy, first time entrepreneur and you hit a home run with this idea.

A Dallas, Texas entrepreneur has created a neat way to keep just the right amount of aspirin handy in case you need it.   It’s the Aspirinpod!

Aspirinpod

Patti Frenette, the inventor of Aspirinpod,  developed the product after her her mother passed away from a pre-existing medical condition and  her brother suffered a heart attack.  Believing that she could help people she set out on her mission to invent the Aspirinpod.

Patti Frenette and the Aspirinpod

The Aspirinpod is a small molded-plastic container  that holds one uncoated 325 mg aspirin or four uncoated 81 mg aspirin.  That’s the critical amount of pain reliever that has been shown to increase the survivial of a heart attack if taken immediately at the onset of symptoms.

This tiny pod holds a gift of love that you can give your family to help keep them prepared should heart attack symptoms develop.  It can be attached to  a key chain,  your purse, golfbag, or even kept in your desk drawer or glove compartment.

The gift that saves

With holiday gift giving upon us and the economy creating a more cautious shopping atmosphere here’s something unique, affordable and it shows just how much you care.

Ever hear “It’s the small things that matter?”   Then this miniature heart  is something you shouldn’t be caught without.  Aspirinpod!    Imagine the scenario:  someone suffers heart attack symptoms  and there’s an aspirinpod handy.  The likelihood of decreasing heart damage is at your fingertips.  Thanks Patti!  You’re a lifesaver.

The  heart shaped pod sells for $2.99 and can be purchased online at www.aspirinpod.com.  It’s the “must give” gift of the season.  Do your loved one a favor – gift them with an Aspirinpod.

Get it for the holidays!

There’s a new game in town that allows you to share your “kindness” and watch it multiply into the world  by using a 26 card deck of Boom Boom! cards.

Feeling generous, kind, or very humanitarian?  Perhaps that’s what the creators of Boom Boom! cards were thinking when they launched their universal “kit for a social revolution”  that enables card holders to do a good deed and pass on some good karma at the same time.

“We’re trying to incite a global revolution of kindness powered by Boom Boom! cards,” says Mary Beth Campbell, one of the Co- founders.

Mary Beth Campbell, Co-Founder Boom Boom!

The cards have individual acts of kindness written on them such as “Give five genuine compliments in one day”, or “If someone in line in front of you is short a few cents, reach in your pocket and help them out” and even a “Wildcard” where you can execute an act of kindness of your choice .

“Like a boomerang, we believe whatever thoughts, actions or words you put out into the world eventually finds their way back to you,” she said.

The cards  make a great gift  for yourself or someone you think really wants to see more good deeds and kindness in our every day lives.  Boom Boom! Cards are meant to generate social change  and transform the world one purposeful act of kindness at a time.

Here’s how you play Boom Boom!

Kit: Cards, card sack, pad, pencil

First,  register your deck of cards on the website at www.boomboomcards.com so that a card can be tracked as it moves from person to person or state to state.

Then choose a card and do the act as suggested (buy a stranger a cup of coffee for example); after that leave a Boom Boom! sticky note for the person you Boom Boom’d, either signing your name or leaving it anonymously;next,  log onto the website to share your adventure and finally pass the card on to someone else so that the act can be repeated.

By logging your experiences with the Boom Boom! cards online you are sharing with others your purposeful act of kindness.   The hope is to see your acts of kindness replicate themselves across the globe. This is a new take on “Reach out and touch!”

There are three editions  of cards; the Original Edition, Teen Edition and Sustainability Edition.  It’s a revolution!  Be a part of the Boom Boom! society.  Remember, you get back what you give!

A format for donating to charitable causes through the use of the cards is being planned,  Mary Beth told me when I met her at a media event and she along with co-founder, Helene Scott, were excited about the great feedback after the cards were featured in the Emmy Awards Gift Lounge.

Got kindness?  Get Boom Boom! Cards and share the innate altruism that lives in all of us.  www.boomboomrevolution.com

Along comes a new idea called  Paci Plushies, a line of lightweight plush animals which not only solve the “where’s the pacifier” question but helps baby develop motor skills.

The toy, invented by Stacy Dallman, wife of NHL Defensiveman Kevin Dallman of the LA Kings, was created to solve the disappearing pacifier phenomenon.

Mompreneur Stacy Dallman

Stacy and her husband grew weary of the nightly trips to the crib to find baby Ava’s pacifier and so Stacy got the “bright idea” to attach a toy to it so it would be easier to locate.  Presto!  It worked.  When her son came along she waited until the doctor gave her the OK to let him sleep with it and he also slept straight through the night with his Paci Plushie.

Call it the binky, the nuk nuk or whatever, one thing for sure is that most babies spend a good amount of time sucking a pacifier and most moms and dads spend an equal amount of time looking for the pacifier to keep baby happy.

You can buy the Paci Plushies in girl, boy or neutral gift sets or singly for $13.95 on the web site at www.PaciPlushies.com.  If a new baby is on the way this makes a perfect gift.

While the pacifiers with the button handle work best,  the Paci Plushie attaches to nearly all name brand infant pacifiers with its “hug ring” and best of all, Paci Plushies are machine washable.

When baby outgrows the newborn or infant pacifier, simply detach it from the Paci Plushie and replace with the appropriate size.  When you break the pacifier habit, the baby still has the Plushie as his favorite toy.

Safety was a major concern for Stacy and all Paci Plushies meet or exceed required standards.  The beans inside the body of the toy are contained within a safety bag.  Each Plushie has a reusable cap to keep the nipple clean.

There are eight different Plushies including Milo the Monkey, P-Nut the Puppy and Lovie the Lamb.  In a philanthropic effort to “give back”,  100% of the wholesale proceeds from the sale of Lovie the Lamb are being donated to a foundation that helps ensure children have a carefree childhood.

Knowing how babies and some toddlers are so attached to their pacifiers, losing one is almost not an option for a parent who needs to soothe a fussy baby.  With the Paci Plushie it won’t be hard to find.  Think about easing into baby’s room once he’s asleep to remove the pacifier from his mouth or the frantic search in the dark when baby wakes up without it.  Much easier when you have the Paci Plushie!

When toddlers can find the pacifier themselves because they can locate their favorite Plushie, it relieves mom and dad from the daily “where’s the pacifier now” routine.

Nookums, the New York based company that features trendy products for the childrens market  launched its Spring 2009 line of Paci Plushies pacificer holders but Stacy says a plush “hockey stick”  version could show up soon.

The PaciPlushie was featured in the September 2008 issue of Parenting Magazine and was the winner of the Mom’s Best Award for 2009.

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Snap Cap Necklace

This jewelry phenomenon is best described by tweeners who are Maddie’s target audience so I enlisted my granddaughters, Jordyn and Madison, to give you their spin on M3GirlDesigns and Snap Caps.  (see video)

As described in the video, Maddie came up with the idea when starting the 6th grade and looking for a way to decorate her locker.   She was 11 years old when she started the company and is the Founder, President and head designer of Snap Caps, while her younger sister, Margot is her Vice President and an assistant designer.   Her mom,   the third “M” in the company name,  is CEO.

M3Girl Designs Pres. & VP

M3GirlDesigns has been featured on television news programs and in magazines including Time for Kids and  TV’s Inside Edition, and is growing at rapid speed.  “We have 25 employees now and have sold well over half a million Snap Caps since we started the business”, Maddie reported.

During her interview with KathyDowDiscovers, I asked Maddie how her friends treat her now that she’s a successful entrepreneur.    “My friends are all very happy for me,” she said.  Asked if being a busy entrepreneur  interferes with being a regular teenager and hanging out with friends, she said, ” We still hang out.  We like to go to the mall, see movies and have sleep overs, just like any other 13 year old girl.”

The Bradshaw girls recently attended the celebrity gift suite at the Teen Choice Awards where they got to meet some of their favorite stars.  (see media pictures on their web site at www.M3GirlDesigns.com).

Their newest collaboration is with the Make A Wish Foundation and they have designed a special Snap Cap collection for that project.  Some proceeds from the sale of that cap will help to grant the wishes of children with life threatening medical conditions.

There are nearly 50 different cap collections including special collections for Easter and Valentine’s Day.  There are different color cords and all Snap Caps are interchangeable and sharable with friends too.  At $7 per cap it makes collecting them an affordable hobby.  The necklace cord also sells for $7.

Tween girls are going crazy over the jewelry line, “They seem to love our products, we’re always coming out with new designs and we will be in several international markets in the coming months”, the girls reported.  Although this is a “girls rock” company,  guys aren’t left out.  There are designs that appeal to boys and they can wear the snap caps on their wrists.

With the the rocketing popularity and sales, there are imitators selling a similar product.  Asked what she thought about that, the bright entrepreneur said, “Imitation is the greatest honor, so I am flattered.  However, it is also frustrating that people copied my idea, I think of it like cheating on a test.” (Well said, Maddie!)

Now leader among “trends for the tween set”, Snap Caps are sold in over 1,000 stores and Maddie says President Obama’s daughters Sasha and Malia have Snap Caps too. 

Asked what she’ll do when she grows up, Maddie’s future plans include becoming either an immigration lawyer, a patent attorney or a publicist.  For now, she’s concentrating on Snap Caps, “I’m always coming up with something new” she says.

This Tween Entrepreneurial story is one readers should share with their own young people.  It’s a success story for kidpreneurs everywhere.  “Follow your dreams, and make sure that whatever you’re doing, you’re having fun,”  Maddie says.

This is an excellent holiday gift and with the shopping season right around the corner, shop early so you can get the design you want.  Visit the web site at www.m3girldesigns.com.

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In June I met a  couple of cool moms and friends, Amey and Anne, at a New York City Product Expo and they have a few other lessons they want kids to remember.

The mompreneuers launched BEBANDS,  flexible ID bracelets that carry inspiring messages relating to a state of mind.  Just over a year ago the two moms came up with this ideal product to help students “know their bottle” and at the same time commuicate a message to themselves with words of encouragement throughout the day.

BeBands

The BEBANDS  were created with the hope that “soft messages” worn either on your wrist or transferred to your water bottle at lunch time will help change the world “one band at a time,” said Anne.

While “knowing your bottle” was the instrumental purpose with waters bottles abound in lunchrooms, the moms figured it’d be a good opportunity to lay a few subtle suggestions and reminders on them at the same time.

Some of the inspirational messages include “Be Committed, Be Courageous, Be Your Best, Be Grateful, Be Humble and Be Real”.

(It’s like a chance to whisper in your kids ear all day long!  What parent wouldn’t want that?)  These are subliminal messages that are Good!

Inspirational Reminders

The bracelets are not only cool jewelry and a fun way for the kids to identify their water bottle but these bands are adult friendly too.

Aren’t there times during your work day when you  have to “Be Positive, or maybe “Be Flexible?”  In the past we’ve been reminded to “exhale” when things got stressful but a quick glance at your wrist with BeBands can help you “Be Calm, Be Cool and Be Fearless”.

There are seven different theme packages of BeBands, each with 5 colorful bracelets with other reminders  such as “Be Quiet, Be Tough, Be Whatever” in addition to some fun ones like “Be a Kid, Be Awesome or Be Chill.”

Whatever it takes to help keep our kids positive and encouraged in today’s world is OK with me.  I’m giving these mom’s an A+ for this great idea, and while the bands are only in a few stores in the Connecticut area, soon you’ll be able to find them online at their web site at www.bebands.org.

Do two things at once:  pick up a couple packages of BeBands to wear (and share)  for inspirational reminders AND keep germs from swapping unidentified water bottles at bay.

Subscribe to Kathy’s List and email subject line BEBANDS   to Kathy@KathyD0wDiscovers for a chance to WIN a package of the BEBands ID Bracelets.

In a “giveback effort”  the moms hope to donate a portion of their sales to water purification projects in Africa.  “Be Inspired!”

Two sisters and moms of 5 between them, did have an idea in 2004 and today that idea is belting out a tune of over $1million in sales nationwide.  It’s called the Myself Belt  and is a one-handed, easy closing belt that  fastens with velcro instead of the usual buckle belt we’ve worn forever.  

Believe it or not, there was no such creature on the market until Danielle Bahr Eason and her sister Talia Bahr Goldfarb put their heads together to fill the market void.

Myself Belt Display

The idea came when Talia was potty training her little boy and needed a belt that both she and her kid could “unfasten in haste when it was time to make waste.”  You can sympathize right? A little one has to go potty(right now) but has a belt on that he or she can’t unbuckle and so the potty dance begins and everyone starts to fiddle in urgency with the belt.  Sometimes you make it, sometimes you don’t.

The Myself Belt means now there’s never a time that you won’t. 

The Myself Belt, with its velcro fastening makes dressing and undressing easy for those ages 2-4 and comes in sizes XS (2 yrs/2T or 18″-20″ waist, 25 to 31lbs) through XL and even in sizes 7/8 or 9/10.  There are more than 20 different styles and the belts start around $15 and include the option to personalize.

The belts come in many different kid friendly designs for both boys (think fire trucks, race cars) and girls (hearts and flowers).  The leather belts are perfect for teens who might experience physical or cognitive issues and even adults who face limitations.   Once you snap one end onto a belt loop, you just feed it thru the other loops and then secure it in front via the velcro.

Race car belt for boys

I hear you, I hear you saying “Why didn’t I think of that?”  Good question because it’s a simple solution to a constantly reoccuring need and it’s almost impossible to think it didn’t exist.

But it didn’t.   Danielle and Talia made the move to market their invention after an exhaustive search which turned up nothing. (It would have been a lot easier to find a belt and buy it then to venture into entrepreneurship, but for these two it paid off big time for them) The Myself Belts are in more than 700 stores nationwide and for lucky readers who need one, I’ve got a girls size M, pink, belt that Talia gave me when I met her last month in New York City and now you can have it. (My girls are too big for it)

Subscribe to Kathy’s List, which gives me your email address and allows me to send you updates on other new products and posts, then email me at Kathy@KathyDowDiscovers.com and say, I need the belt!  Someone will get lucky!

All information on how to purchase Myself Belts or to email Danielle and Talia will be posted on Kathy’s List.

Thanks to a Dallas, Texas Mompreneur, the My Tot Clock,  helps  your toddler with  time management by using colors.  The clock face can display either red, yellow, blue or green, each linked to a specific routine so that toddlers know when it’s time for a certain activity, including bedtime.

The new entrepreneur mom, Pam Gonzalez, says she needed something to help her “terrible sleepers” learn to stay in bed  and after searching the market she realized “nothing existed” that would help them gauge time especially because they couldn’t read.  She and her husband went to work creating and designing the “My Tot Clock” which launched in January of this year after a long two year mission.

For me the highlight  is that you can set the clock  so that the face turns blue when its time for bed and stays that color until the designated wake up time when the face turns yellow. Little people have to stay in bed learning to respect everyone’s  sleep time.

If you’ve got a little one (or two) that need a little help managing time, then this clock is a teachable tool that will let you get your sleep on during the “blue light hours” but  I think you’d better be ready to roll when the clock strikes yellow, because the toddlers know it means the day has begun.

Parents can set the clock to initiate any routine like a nap or quiet time (light blue face), or green for a positive reinforcement time like reading, potty training or sharing.

With a child friendly handle, the clock is an all-in-one sleep clock; alarm clock, nightlight, timeout timer and activity timer.  With its 5 different levels of illumination it even has a light that keeps working if the clock stops ticking because of a power failure.

 The $49.95 clock with its bedtime story capability has interchangeable face plates that can be purchased for $9.95.   A line of Tot Clock Treasures allows them to pick their own favorite bedtime story, while lullabies and white noise are other options.  

 Is there a toddler in your life that needs to understand what time it is?  The Tot Clock is the answer, the only caveat is they have to know their colors. 

I’m loving this clock and thinking what a great idea it was.  I only wish it had been around when my kids were little because I lost a lot of sleep back in the day.  So, if the patter of little feet on the floor is interrupting your sleep, or you need to schedule quiet time or even a time out, this is the tool.  

For more information on the My Tot Clock and where to purchase it, (because it makes a great baby shower gift) subscribe to Kathy’s List.

Colors to live and learn by

JTB Concept Box

Imagine a new baby, what a joy and a job!  The  joy  is in watching them take their first steps and discover new things every day while the job is keeping them safe, even from their own toys. 

Help doing just that has arrived in the form of Jade’s Toy Box.

Parents Angelique and Robby Ledoux got the scare of their lives when they discovered a couple of “manufacturer recalled” toys in their daughter Jade’s toybox.  A swift clean up, some research and a dedication to tackle the problem of toy safety for  all children became their focused mission.

Their solution? A new business, aptly named Jade’s Toybox, packaging safe, educational, eco-friendly books, games and toys.   All toys pass the safety test of the CPSCIA guidelines and provide parents with cool tools to teach. These toys take childs play back to old school days when imagination ruled over television.

Jade’s Toy Boxes come in three sizes:  the Baby box for newborns to 18 months; Toddler box for 18 months to three years and the Preschool box for munchkins three to six years old. The prepackaged goody boxes are perfect as gifts for new parents, teetering toddlers or preschoolers. 

There are cute themes for every box, like The Bambino Box for babies which includes a starter library and a bedtime buddy.  

The Toddler boxes feature themes such as The Daily Grind which helps children learn time management skills and includes an activity clock, calendar and visual schedule cards. This helps them  learn how to transition from one activity to another and who can’t use that when trying to move a toddler along durng the day?

For preschoolers themes include the Moodie Foodie, a box that encourages the finicky eater and Too Cool for Preschool which is packed with items to give a headstart on preschool learning.

For Jade’s Toy Box the Ledouxs research the safest and best quality products on the market, provide free resources, offer ideas and tips and keep parents informed and updated about toy ratings .

Get schooled with the Ledouxs about what’s good in your child’s toy box at www.jadestoybox.com.

More contact information on Kathy’s List.