Today is a great day for BellyLaf but a difficult and costly day for many companies making products for children under 12.  Stringent new laws set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) went into effect today.   BellyLaf has been working diligently over the past few months to understand the new laws and fully comply with the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).   Over the past month, our entire product line of Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ wash mitts were thoroughly tested by a CPSC approved lab called Consumer Testing Laboratories, Inc., based in Bentonville, Arkansas.

We were sure our Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ would pass, and they did! Every single thread apparently! The testing the government now requires of manufacturers is quite rigorous.  Although our product line is made from the same material (60% bamboo/40% cotton)  each appliqué in our line needed to be tested which amounted to 10 different SKUs!  Last week, we received our General Conformity Certificates (GCCs) for the entire product line.   Whew!

Other companies will not be so fortunate and may go out of business due to the new laws.  Costs for testing are high for products composed of plastic, metal or chemical substances.  While there was a one-year stay of enforcement of the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act that allowed some to breathe a sigh of relief, the impact is being felt now.  Big-box retailers such as Babies-R-Us, Wal-Mart and Bed, Bath & Beyond are asking for GCCs due to the threat of liability.   They have been anticipating the new federal laws for months and do not want to stock their shelves in 2009 with more products that may not comply with the law in the future.   As far as we’re concerned, the law is passed.

Baby Must Haves

Amy Vandereof at Good Morning Texas is expecting her first baby and needed a little help preparing.  Paige McCoy Smith of The NOT so Perfect Parent came to the rescue on Wednesday showing all of Texas what every new parent needs. BellyLaf’s Grippees “Wash Mitts that Grip”, was a part of the product line up that aired during the “Baby Must Haves” segment.  Grippees are essential when bathing baby because as Paige McCoy Smith perfectly stated:  

…when you’re washing baby, they get really slippery…

Many thanks to our friends at www.thenotsoperfectparent.com and www.metroplexbaby.com and congratulations Amy!

Bellylaf’s website now features a convenient searchable Google map to help consumers find stores near them that carry BellyLaf product line.  All consumers need to do is type in their zip code or address and choose their search area. Search results are immediately displayed on the map on the left hand side of the page. 

BellyLaf will be adding significant retailers to our mapping system in the next few months and our coverage area will grow over time. If you do not have a retailer nearby today, don’t worry!  You can purchase Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ from our secure online store or from one of our authorized retailers!

Know a retailer in your area who you want to carry our product line?  If so, contact us with the name of the store!

Santa Needs Stocking Stuffer Delivery Help…

We were thrilled to win Disney/iParenting’s “Greatest Holiday Products of 2008″ award for our Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ wash mitts when out of the blue we received a call from Santa congratulating us! Can you believe the press release traveled all the way to the North Pole? Santa told us that he’s been receiving wish lists from good little boys and girls all around the globe asking for Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ this holiday season. Apparently, Santa’s elves are overwhelmed with demand and they need help to make Christmas wishes come true this year.

For Grippees™ or MiniMitts™ to be delivered directly to Christmas stockings, visit the BellyLaf online store. www.shopbellylaf.com

Only Six Companies Products Win Most Prestigious Consumer Award In Bath Category

iParenting Media Awards, the premiere product evaluation and testing service in the country operated by iParenting.com (a Disney Internet Group media property) awarded its coveted “Greatest Products of 2008” awards and seal of approval to BellyLaf’s Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ wash mitts for the bath. Only six companies products were selected for the prestigious “Greatest Products of 2008″ in the bath care category and BellyLaf won awards along with Johnson & Johnson!

We are honored to receive these awards because each year thousands of products are submitted to iParenting’s experienced reviewers for judging. Each product undergoes a thorough review evaluation process that uses internationally recognized standards of quality assurance. When a consumer sees an iParenting Seal of Approval, they know that a product is superior quality and has been through rigorous testing.

We received some great feedback from the hands-on reviews. “Wow! Grippees™ provides a solution to a problem experienced by ALL new parents - slippery kids!” And “MiniMitts™ are a hit in our household!”.

We issued a creative holiday themed press release about the awards BellyLaf won – apparently Santa and his elves are stockpiling Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ at the North Pole for the holiday season. :^)

Baby Bliss Is “Hip-Hip!!”

If you live, work or are enjoying a vacation in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you can now find BellyLaf’s Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ products at Baby Bliss. The timing for Baby Bliss to carry our new line of wash mitts could not be more perfect as MetroMom’s just held event held on October 16th in Dallas showcasing our products. Baby Bliss has one of the best selections of baby and toddler clothes in Dallas-Fort Worth area. The store strives to offer Mom’s a simple resource of what you need without losing yourself and your sense of style along the way. They leave no stone unturned in their endless efforts to continually bring parents the latest and most innovative baby products on the market. As one Internet reviewer remarked, Baby Bliss is “hip, hip!!”

Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ Receive 5-Stars

We are excited to announce that BellyLaf’s Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ wash mitts recently won three prestigious awards from The Toy Man™ Product Guide for product excellence. A full product evaluation summary of BellyLaf’s washmitts can be viewed on The Toy Man’s website. Following is some of the direct reviewer feedback on our products that we thought we would share with our customers.

“Grippees™ gripping dots do not irritate a child’s skin while still aiding in holding slippery children as parents wash or move them in and out of the tub or shower. An important point to note is that the upper portion of the Grippees™ is designed for washing, not gripping. This way you have a washing area so that all areas of the infant’s body can be washed more easily. This is what makes them so special; you can use them both for gripping and washing!”

“Grippees™ wash cloths are undeniably a monumental creation which will drastically reduce the risk of losing your grip on your infant when bathing him/her…. Best of all, they are just so cute!“

“From well before the actual birth of the child, they (child) are impacted by every form of stimulation they experience. The stimulation from each experience helps the child begin recognition of sound, touch, feeling, etc. “The fabric, the colors, the shapes of BellyLaf’s Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ with SmartShapes™, all play a part in the critical skill development. They are more than just a fancy washcloth, they are a part of this exciting new world that the infant has been brought into most unexpectedly.”

“BellyLaf’s Grippees™ save the day even for Dads! By using a shower instead of a bathtub, there is far greater risk of losing grip on an infant while bathing them. BellyLaf’s Grippees™ resolve that problem and lower the percentage of risk dramatically. This provides a comfort for Dads never realized before while at the same time providing a level of comfort for the mothers, that their husbands will not drop the infant.”

“BellyLaf’s washmitt line creates an entirely new point of view in regards to wash cloths.”

Shop Online Today

It took a little longer than we had planned to open the BellyLaf online store, but that is because we decided to create our store with a very sophisticated e-commerce solution from Volusion. Volusion software allows us to better serve our customers and allows customers to easily navigate and makes purchases of our Grippees and MiniMitts wash mitts. Our store is designed much like Amazon so customers will feel comfortable with the navigation scheme and making purchasing from us.

We are also using the latest security software to ensure credit card purchases are highly secure. Having an online store allows BellyLaf customers that can not purchase from one of our brick and mortar retail partners an easy way to purchase our wash mitts. We are currently working on a store locator application for our website as well. This store locator will allow customers to easily find a retail store near them simply by searching by zip code. Check out the BellyLaf online store today.

Wash Mitts Well Received By Show Attendees

The introduction of our Grippees and MiniMitts wash mitt products were well received by both large retailers and small specialty shops at the ABC Kids Expo 2008. Our new bamboo wash mitt line is going to be carried in a number of different stores across the US starting next month including Lullaby Lane in the San Francisco Bay Area and Wee in Austin, Texas. You can also purchase them online in the BellyLaf store.

We received multiple compliments on our modern booth design, company name and logo and overall product design and packaging. Many people were surprised to find out that we are a new company and this was our first show. We were on our feet for five solid days and handed out over 700+ brochures and pricing sheets to interested buyers, retailers and sales reps from all over the world.

Grippees and MiniMitts Products Named Top 10 Favorite Picks

Rev. James G. W. Fisher (aka The Toy Man), one of the leading industry evaluators for juvenile products recommended JPMA buyers/retailers to visit BellyLaf’s booth (#2134) to see BellyLaf’s Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ wash mitts that launched on the opening day of the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas.

To learn more about The Toy Man and the fantastic products that he reviews visit: www.thetoymanonline.com