Essentially the clean up crew for their bundles of destruction, parents have gotten creative over the years with how to keep up with their kids. The best creative solutions have become lifesaver inventions for parents everywhere, and turned innovative parents into full-fledged entrepreneurs.
When parents called out for help, these 13 "Par-Entrepreneurs" answered the call.
Indestructibles
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The best way to test the durability of a product is to hand it to a baby and see if it survives. A mother of triplets soon realized that the books she had for her infants not only were destroyed in minutes, but also turned into potential choking hazards. Taking the matter into her own hands, she created Indestructibles, a new take on books that makes them water proof and tear resistant.
SnoozeShade
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Every parent knows that trying to get a baby to nap in a stroller can be very hard—and while laying a blanket over the top to block out noise helps, it doesn't always do the trick.
Mom Cara Sayer also noticed that if it was windy or she turned the stroller, the blanket would fall off the stroller and wake her daughter up anyway. She decided to create the SnoozeShade, which attaches to a stroller or car seat and drapes over the front, blocking light and noise so baby can nap while mom and dad are on the go.
Poopoose
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Parent duo Dana and Brian Fort noticed that changing the diaper of their wiggly 6-month-old was not only difficult, but also potentially dangerous on a changing table. Dana, a dentist, realized that she could take a device used in dentistry and modify it for her daughter. With the help of Brian, they created PooPoose, a diaper pad and attached cozy harness that immobilizes children on the changing table and prevents them from rolling off.
PackIt Cooler
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Eating fresh foods on the go can be challenging, especially when they're packed in a lunchbox hours before lunchtime. A mother to three, Melissa Kieling noticed that sending her kids' lunches with freezable gel packs or baggies filled with ice wasn't working to keep their fruits fresh—they'd lose the packs or the bags would leak, and even if all went according to plan, all of their food wasn't kept cool.
Melissa decided to try something new by putting the freezable gel inside the walls of the lunchbox. She created a prototype with her local dry cleaner that kept all of the food in the lunchbox cold and dry. Her prototype was a hit in her local community and the idea took off from there. Her company now creates coolers for baby bottles, wine bottles and more.
Boogie Wipes
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Designed by two moms—affectionately known as Boogie Moms—the Boogie Wipes product has become a staple in many parents' bags. The Boogie Moms had trouble with their children having sinus problems, but with no easy way to administer saline drops, they became frustrated. When one of them added the drops to a tissue to wipe their child's nose, Boogie Wipes were born.
Snugli
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In the late 1960's, Snugli inventor Ann was in Togo, West Africa, when she noticed that the local babies were peaceful and carried on their mother's backs with a cloth sling. She used this as inspiration and created the Snugli, which moms can use to easily carry their little ones around in style while the babies are free to take in the world from the safety of their harness.
Tinkle Targets
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Potty training a boy can be one of the messier things parents have to do—and the clean up has to hit every nook and cranny of the bathroom. Mom Ann Neale wanted a way to help her son visualize the target, so she created one... literally. Tinkle Targets are small targets with fun designs that make it fun for boys to go to the bathroom, and the clean up is much easier on the parents.
Patemm Pad
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Patemm creator Grace Welch found average diaper changing pads to be a pain—especially with a wiggly baby. She wanted more out of a diaper pad, specifically one that could fit reasonably in a bag and hold the few things she'd need while out for quick errands. The Patemm Pad does all that and breaks the square mold of what most parents think a changing pad should be with its versatile round design.
The Clean Shopper
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There's nothing worse than when you're out shopping with your child, go to reach for something off shelf and look back to see your kid licking every germ off the shopping cart handle. Mom and inventor Missy Cohen Fyffe had this very problem with her son, until she had the idea to create the Clean Shopper. It's designed to fit into a shopping cart and surround the area of the cart that your child sits in, acting as a barrier between grocery cart germs and your child. Now it's time to shop in peace.
Blowout Blocker
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Diaper blowouts are at the heart of every parent's panic when they smell a dirty diaper. The worst blowouts get the diaper, clothes and baby dirty enough that there's no way wipes alone will get the job done. A mom of three boys saw this problem and created the Blowout Blocker, a wrap that covers the baby's diaper in the front and back to stop a blowout from ruining your day.
Flyebaby
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Flying with an infant is extremely stressful for both the parent and the baby. The inventor of Flyebaby realized that flying with her daughter could be a lot easier if only she could put her baby down to interact with her face to face. With the help of her dad, she created Flyebaby. It looks like a hammock, but is much more versatile. The Flyebaby has been designed to hold a baby on a plane, using a dining room chair and as an outdoor lounge chair. Finally, a traveling baby can be a happy baby (until their ears pop).
Baby Safe Feeder
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The Baby Safe Feeder came about as a result of the near fatal incident the inventor/father experienced with his infant son, Matthew. Luckily, Matthew's parents were close and could save him in time. However, his father didn't forget that panic, and through 12 years of research and development was able to create the Baby Safe Feeder. Made with a handle and mesh, the design allows babies to chew on the food placed inside, without worrying about food pieces becoming a choking hazard.
Good Nite Lite
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One of the most important things you can teach your child (for your own sanity) is the concept of day and night. Most children are their parents' alarm clocks, waking up much earlier than desired or necessary. Adam Nelson, a dad in Atlanta, realized that teaching his two sons to get the right amount of sleep was important, so he created the Good Nite Lite. This light is a behavioral modification tool that allows you to set specific times for when your child should wake up or go to sleep. The light itself changes from a sun to a moon to reflect the time, so your child can look at the light and know if it's time to wake up or go to sleep.
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