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. :^)

]]> http://blog.bellylaf.com/iparenting-awards-grippees%e2%84%a2-and-minimitts%e2%84%a2-greatest-products-of-2008/feed/ http://blog.bellylaf.com/babybliss/ http://blog.bellylaf.com/babybliss/#comments Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:05:51 +0000 denise http://blog.bellylaf.com/?p=200 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!!”

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.”

]]> http://blog.bellylaf.com/bellylaf-adds-three-awards-for-excellence/feed/ http://blog.bellylaf.com/bellylaf-online-store-open/ http://blog.bellylaf.com/bellylaf-online-store-open/#comments Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:05:09 +0000 jcd http://blog.bellylaf.com/?p=128 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.

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.

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

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!

September Is Baby Safety Month

We found out yesterday that BellyLaf’s Grippees™ wash mitts were chosen as a new product finalist for the prestigious JPMA Innovation Awards. The JPMA Innovation Awards highlight some of the most exciting new products on the market today and the 2008 winners will be announced at the opening ceremony at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas on September 7th. The JPMA judging committee is comprised of 17 trade media representatives and industry retail buyers. New products are evaluated based on innovation, marketability, trend setting potential, appeal and usefulness.

Each year, hundreds of products are submitted to the JPMA but only a select few are chosen as finalists. Our patent pending Grippees™ wash mitts are made from ultra soft eco-friendly bamboo/cotton blended material which is ideal for bathing children. Each pair of Grippees™ wash mitt has clear, soft and non-toxic silicone gripping dots on the lower palm of the hand that aid in holding slippery children of all ages. These gripping dots help parents bathe their children with confidence and reduce the risk of injuries in the bathroom. Grippees™ also have colorful SmartShapes™ appliqué characters sewn on the top of each wash mitt which appeal to children. September is also Baby Safety Month and the ideal time to launch our company and new product line! We’re so excited!

SmartShapes™

BellyLaf’s designers have created a number of modern, playful characters that will be unveiled at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas and soon be available at the BellyLaf online store. Zippo, our round blowfish design, is not only cute and colorful but was developed with learning in mind. Zippo is composed of several shapes including circles, triangles and trapezoids. Young children are naturally drawn to bold geometric shapes and recognition of basic shapes and patterns is essential to early childhood development…which makes Zippo the “Catch of the Day.”