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!

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. :^)

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.”

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.

Let’s Get The Giggling Rolling!

Giggling can helps us in so many ways - it can lower blood pressure, reduces stress, make us forget about our aches and pains and boost our immune system. Sometimes we giggle when we find something amusing and occasionally we giggle when we fill up with nervous energy. Right now, the team at BellyLaf is giggling around the clock as we gear up for the official launch of BellyLaf and our Grippees and MiniMitts wash mitts this weekend at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas.

A year ago, we had a simple but innovative idea for a bath product and today we have built a company and entire product line of quality wash mitts for adults and kids. During our first year of building BellyLaf, “Rocko the Crab“ was brought to life. Rocko makes us giggle and we hope he brings some smiles to our customers.

On Sunday morning when the show officially opens, the 2008 Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) Innovation Awards will be announced. We’re honored to be a finalist in this competition. If you are attending the ABC Kids Expo, stop by our both for a giggle….or two. If you’re not attending the show, we will post show updates to our blog. And check back mid-September when our online store opens.

The BellyLaf Team!

…..With MiniMitts™ and Grippees™ Wash Mitts

BellyLaf recently finished a photoshoot of kids and parents using our new MiniMitts™ and Grippees™ wash mitts. While we conducted market testing on our character designs prior to having our products manufactured, you never quite know what the reaction will be to a new product line from people who have never seen it before. We had a splash – literally – watching all the kids use our MiniMitts™.

“Mom, I want to keep these!” “These are mine…No, these are mine!” and “I like them all!” Not only did the kids love our first line of aquatic characters, parents told us they thought our character names are clever — Zippo the Blowfish, Rocko the Crab, Cosmo the Starfish, Glo the Jellyfish and Echo the Whale. We can’t wait for the 2008 ABC Kids Expo where we will unveil our first characters, the stories behind each of them and our new company, BellyLaf. As Echo would say, it’s going to be a whale of a good time!

Impractical Outdated Designs

Every time I buy a new wash mitt to bathe my 3 year old daughter, the wash mitt never works as advertised. I have tried countless wash cloths and wash mitts over the years and I’ve encountered numerous problems ranging from massive shrinkage to outdated designs to “durable” fabrics. There have been times when I felt like I might just as well go over to Home Depot and grab some sandpaper!

Square washcloths are problematic because they roll and gather in your hands while most wash mitts seem to be designed as puppets instead of washing aids. A giant duck bill sticking out on the front of a wash cloth is not exactly practical when it comes to cleaning between small little toes. Functionally seems to be an afterthought with most children’s products on the market today.

Pictured:
Impractical Wash Mitt Designs

The desire for a safe, easy and fun way to wash kids has led the team at BellyLaf to design our Grippees and MiniMitts line of wash mitts. Our first product line will launch at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas and we hope you like them as much as we do.