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!

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.”

Giggle Gear Collection™

It’s time to “Get Your Green On!” BellyLaf has added our new green logo to our Giggle Gear Collection now available at Cafepress. Check out this latest design and other fun taglines too! If you have some ideas for us, feel free to contact us.

Thirsty?

More often than not, I find myself disappointed when I enter most retail stores searching for cool contemporary designs, only to be presented with the same old drab concepts. Several years ago when I was designing the nursery for my baby girl, I was astonished that all I was offered was barnyard, flower and teddy bear motifs. Parents of today are thirsty for chic contemporary designs and products that are functional and affordable.

Bellylaf created SmartShapes™ which encompass developmental geometric shapes, cool contemporary colors and when combined together create cheeky, playful characters. No more primary colors! What’s wrong with yummy lime green or refreshing aqua? BellyLaf’s SmartShapes™ designs are incorporated into our first line of products, Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ wash mitts. As our line of products expand so will the birth of new exciting designs and products.

Practical Safety Tips

There are numerous non-profit organizations focusing on ways to keep children safe. For parents who are on-the-go during the summer months, it’s nice to have trusted resources to turn to for tips and advice.
BellyLaf likes an organization called Safe Kids USA, who’s mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury, a leading killer of children under 14. Each year, Safe Kids USA releases a number of research reports and injury facts to help educate the public on childhood injuries. Unfortunately, summer injuries aren’t limited to skinned knees and scraped elbows; they include paralysis, brain damage and even death.

Here are some tips for keeping your children safe this summer:

• Actively supervise children in or around water. Never take your eyes off of your children. Always make sure your children wear life jackets when riding on boats or playing in or near open bodies of water.
  
• Properly secure all children younger than 13 in a back seat for every ride in the car. Keep children in the right type of car seat or booster seat until adult lap and shoulder belts fit them correctly. If you are flying to your destination, bring any car seats with you so your children ride safely in cars while on vacation.
  
• Make sure your children wear a helmet and other protective gear every time they bike, skate, skateboard or ride a scooter. Bring the gear with you if none will be available while you’re traveling.
  
• Bring your own folding playpen rather than using a borrowed crib. If you do use a hotel’s crib, inspect it for broken or missing parts to make sure it is not defective, damaged or even recalled from the market. Visit http://www.recalls.gov/ to check the model number.

Have a safe vacation and keep your summer full of giggles!

LED Lights: Environmentally Friendly

Bellylaf is getting even greener at the 2008 ABC Kids Expo being held in Las Vegas September 7-11, 2008. Our in house design team has been busy creating our trade show Booth (#2134) for our company and product launch and we plan to incorporate environmentally friendly products into our booth design. We have decided to break away from the norm of using standard high wattage light bulbs or even dangerous mercury filled CFL’s. After extensive research, our team selected extremely energy efficient LED lights.

LED lights have a number of benefits:

• LED’s have eight times the efficiency of incandescent lights, and twice as high as compact fluorescent lights
• LED’s emit a much higher percentage of light in the desired direction
• LED’s operate at much lower temperatures. Halogen and incandescent lights are hot enough to cause fire
• LED lights emit no damaging ultraviolet light
• LED’s can operate for 30,000 to 50,000 hours. One LED lightbulb can easily outlast 30 incandescent bulbs, or 6 compact fluorescents!
• LED lights help the atmosphere. Regular light bulbs put carbon dioxide, sulfur oxide and nuclear waste into the landfills and atmosphere
• LEDs light up very quickly and achieve full brightness in microseconds (try that with a CFL)
• POWER CONSUMPTION = at 4–5 V approximately 100 mW. That’s 100 MILIWATTS

Drop by our booth to see Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ — our new lines of wash mitts for kids and adults will no doubt light up the show!

Come “Get Your Giggle On”

Come on out and “Get Your Giggle On!” with BellyLaf at the ABC Kids Expo being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center September 7-11, 2008. If you’re attending the show, please stop by and see what we’re all about and what makes us different from other exhibitors at the show. We’ll be showcasing our new product lines at Booth #2134.

At our booth, you will have a chance to speak with our team about BellyLaf products, Grippees™ and MiniMitts™ wash mitts, exclusive show promotions including our Starter Kit and retailing opportunities. BellyLaf is looking for Retail Partners and Sales Representatives with the desire to provide customers with clever, practical and innovative new products.

The ABC Kids Expo is an industry only show, so if you can’t attend or don’t have a chance to speak with us, please feel free to contact us through our website.

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.