Our Story
How it all began...
It was 2am and my husband and I had finally fallen asleep, when our slumber was shattered by the cries of our 3 month old daughter. It was my turn to get up. I found that the little one had done it again - she needed to be changed AND so did her crib sheet. Of course it wasn't her fault, but it was 2am and the crib sheet needed changing again? A necessary evil, I supposed. A baby needs a clean bed and you have to do what you have to do. But, the thought was overwhelming!
Why? Because it is not an easy task. I, like most people, had the crib set up with bumpers and toys so the baby can be safe and stimulated. In addition, crib mattresses are now required by US regulations to fit very snugly in the frame - again for safety reasons. While safe, it presents quite a problem when you go to change the sheet. You can't fit your fingers between the sheet and the crib frame to get enough leverage to pull the sheet off and put a new one on. You literally have to pull the entire mattress out and stand it up in the crib to change the sheet. Of course, you can't do that with the bumpers and the toys on. Aaarggghhh! All this, of course, at 2 am with a baby screaming!
As I removed the various mobiles and toys, untied the multitude of bumper ties (my particular set had 18) and lifted the heavy mattress over the edge, I thought........."there has to be an easier and less strenuous way to do this, a crib should not be more difficult to change than a baby!"
I started talking with other mothers, and realized that I was not alone. It seems that all Moms (and some Dads!) had the same problem! Going to the baby store did not offer any solutions -- I quickly discovered that the crib industry focused on safety modifications not the fundamental design of the crib itself.
So the Quick Change Crib was born!
The Journey
At this time, I was in business with a long-time friend - Johan Julin. Together, we owned and operated a small management consulting company. We'd work as external consultants and assist companies -- mostly financial services companies - in managing the talent of the organization.
Well, this crib sheet-changing nightmare that I'd been experiencing was on my mind and as I was repeatedly.... uh....explaining it (read: complaining about it) to my childless business partner, we started to think about ways that we could make it better.
We reasoned that if the mattress didn't need to be lifted up and over the edge of the crib, that not only could some back-breaking labor be saved, but the process of changing the crib sheets could also be done much more quickly - no need to remove any attachments (like the bumpers and mobile).
We knew we were onto a really good idea! So we started down the road of making life easier for Moms everywhere. Here's what we did:
Build a Prototype
We designed a crib where the footboard of the crib opens like a door, so that the mattress can be slid out without removing any crib attachments, and, best of all, without any heavy lifting!? Changing the crib sheets went from being a 10-minute chore, to a 30-second snap.
Focus Groups
Johan and I did market research for a living, so we thought that we would do some research and determine the extent to which there is demand for a product like this. We conducted several focus groups with Moms - those who already had a child under the age of 1 and those who were about to be Moms for the first time. Our purpose was first to assess their degree of interest, and secondly to introduce a prototype of the Quick Change Crib so they could see how it works. We could not have predicted how overwhelmingly positive the response was! We were regaled with stories from the Moms about how they avoid changing the sheets on their cribs because it's too hard, too time consuming or they are just too tired. Many resort to merely "covering" the soiled sheet with a towel (clearly not the safest or most sanitary environment for the baby) or bringing the baby back in to their own beds where the Moms lie awake the whole time in fear of rolling over onto the baby! The Moms-to-be were shocked at how much faster and easier my crib was to change compared to the "traditional" way - and were demanding to know how soon they could get a Quick Change Crib of their own!
And, we hadn't even thought of how much more difficult it is for "height-challenged" Moms (as they called themselves) to reach over the side of the crib to lift out the mattress. These short Moms literally have to perform the "wrestling match" that is crib sheet changing on top of a step-stool!
A similar problem was discovered for the parents of these new Moms - they had a particularly hard time with all the bending and lifting required.
Revise the Prototype
We had the prototype revised based on the suggestions we heard from focus group participants. After a number of revisions, we knew we had a winning design!
Patent
We also knew we had a unique and promising solution to a problem faced by Moms everywhere. But, of course, we were thrilled when the uniqueness of our invention was corroborated by the U. S. Patent Office, which awarded us a patent in 2005 (U. S. Patent #6,848,129).
Safety Testing
Our next step was to make sure that the Quick Change Crib passed safety inspection. This was a primary concern of mine and of all the women we spoke to in the focus groups. We had the prototype safety tested by the Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association. JPMA is a national trade organization representing 95% of the $6.02 billion juvenile products industry and is the leading force behind safety standards and certification for such products. The Quick Change Crib prototype passed all certification standards and received the JPMA seal.
Now we had a unique solution that was not only easier for Mom, but safe for the baby!
Trade Show
Our next step? We took the prototype of the Quick Change Crib to the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas in September of 2005 to see what kind of reaction it would receive from retailers. Similar to the reaction from the Moms in the focus groups, there was an overwhelming amount of interest in the product. Many retailers had expressed interest in carrying the crib once it was manufactured. We actually heard that the Quick Change Crib would be "revolutionary" in the crib industry!?
At the show, we were also approached by several major crib manufacturers who were interested in purchasing the patent rights. We are not interested in selling the patent; we believe in this product and want to bring it to the market ourselves. The fact that major manufacturers wanted to purchase the patent rights proved to us that this invention was a winner.
Whirlpool Mother of Invention Award
At this point, we entered a contest sponsored by Whirlpool. Whirlpool brand knows Moms are constantly identifying challenges and coming up with innovative and inventive solutions everyday. To recognize this ingenuity, Whirlpool Brand offers an annual Mother of Invention Grant to help moms turn their business dreams into reality.
Well, we won! Literally, the Grand Prize! The prize package included $25,000, a stipend for a new home office and a trip to Whirlpool headquarters for some expert advice from their executive teams. They even brought in Julie Aigner Clark (the Baby Einstein founder) to speak with us as she was one of the judges in the contest. It was really a fantastic experience and I absolutely have a renewed respect for Whirlpool - they live what they believe.
Creating "Innovative Crib Designs"
The Whirlpool award really made Johan and I start to think that this could be a viable business. So, we sat down and for about 3 weeks straight, did nothing but put together a business plan. Everything from how we would market the product to how we would build the product and how we would fund the product. "Innovative Crib Designs" became official in January, 2007.
Manufacturing the Cribs
One of the critical first steps was to actually make the cribs. Where? What kind of materials? Well, once again, our research skills came in handy. At first we contacted several US based manufacturing firms. Surprisingly, not many actually made their wood products in America. The one that did charged so much that the crib would have to retail for an extravagant amount just for us to break even! At that price, our dream of "making parents lives a little easier" would only benefit only a handful of parents!
So, we decided to look for a manufacturer overseas. Almost all of the cribs on the market today are made in China and we found a reputable company there as well. We felt that before we started any business with them, we'd have to visit. A trip to China?? Pretty exciting!
When we got there, we were very happy to meet fine people who took pride in their work and craftsmanship. They built the first crib and we sent it to the US government to have it safety tested - while we were there! It passed and received JPMA certification on the first try. We signed the contract.
Of course, when the first shipment was ready to take the boat trip to the US, we decided that it was prudent to return to the factory and inspect the cribs before shipping. We were very happy with the results - only high quality, fine cribs are going to be in our warehouse!
Life will now include business trips to China. The next time I go, I hope to visit the city where my daughter, Anli, was born 7 years ago. That was my first trip to China and I also left very happy. China has given me quite a bit of happiness over the years J!
Selling the Cribs
So, now we are selling our cribs. If you've read this far, you'll know that a lot of work has gone into this endeavor - the website, the manufacturing, the marketing, etc., etc., etc.!!!!!!!
This whole process has not been an easy road to travel! I am not only a mother of two, a wife (of one! J) and a daughter of aging parents, but Johan and I also closed the management consulting business down so that we could focus on Innovative Crib Designs. Many of our friends are surprised to hear that. But, honestly, neither one of us could figure out how to give 110% to two different businesses. We're good, but not that good! We really wanted to give this idea a shot to take off and we decided the only way to do that was to focus all of our energy on making that happen.
The result? We have brought to market a high quality, reasonably priced crib that makes parents' lives a little easier.
Please let us know what you think - Johan and I are very open to feedback and actually welcome it very much. We'd like to know if you like our crib and whether we can make any changes to improve it.
We hope you enjoy the crib and we offer our best wishes to you, your family and your new arrival!
Warm Regards,
Mary Anne Amato