The best inventions for mums, by mums.

I’m constantly amazed by people who see a need for a product and put their blood, sweat and tears into making their idea a reality. Even more so when that person is a mum, simply because I wonder where on earth they get their time and energy from.

However, there are some super clever mums out there. Mums who in the course of their mum life, came across a gap in the baby product market and took it upon themselves to make something better, to make life easier for other mums.

Here are some mum inventions I’ve come across which are just so darn fantastic I recommend them to everyone.

Fly babee

The thought of flying long haul with a baby is enough to give most parents cold sweats but that needs not be the case.

Fly babee was developed by Australian mum of two, Emma Lovell, to make travelling with a baby as stress free as possible.

After finding it difficult to adhere to her daughter’s routine while travelling back and forth from Australia to the U.K., Emma designed a cover which would fit over most in-flight bassinet's to block out light (up to 90 per cent), allowing baby to sleep despite what's going on around them. 

The fly baybee creates an ideal sleeping cocoon which is not only dark but also 100 per cent breathable.

The cover itself is amazingly light and folds up easily when not in use. It features magnetic and zip closures allowing you to easily check on your baby without waking them.

It also doubles amazingly well as a universal pram cover which, because of it’s breathability, means that you don’t need to worry about creating a hot little oven for baby shielded by covers. It has a U.V. protection of 50 which is great when out and about with your little one and is ideal for newborns because it protects them from sneezes and coughs while in public.

In April 2015 Emma appeared on Network 10’s ‘Shark Tank’ and presented her idea to a panel of well known and respected investors. She impressed the panel so much that Boost Juice founder, Janine Allis, agreed to invest $80 000 into the business.

Mucky Bubba Bibs

I came across the Mucky Bubba after I saw Mel Watts, of the Modern Mumma, use one on her little girl, Indie.

Having just started the journey of baby led weaning with my third child, I was all too familiar with the mess which came along with baby exploring food.

In fact it was seeing the Mucky Bubba that gave me the idea for this article- products which have been created by mums because they wanted something that just works.

Helene Murphy is the brains behind the Mucky Bubba and says that she came up with the idea for a bib that adheres to a high chair (or table) after watching her two boys get covered in food no matter what she did to protect their clothes. Like a lot of great inventions the Mucky Bubba was born because Helene simply couldn’t find what she wanted on the market so, she made it herself. “Watching my independent babies explore yummy and no so yummy food was fun, however the clean up was not. No matter what bib I used there was good and drink on their laps, on the floor and occasionally the walls” she says.

Mucky Bubba is a soft feel bib which is BPA free and food grade quality and features a super sticky strip to attach to baby’s highchair or dining table. When in place, it acts like a catch-all pocket for dropped food and keeps baby’s lap (and your floor) free of mess. 

BuggyCart

Hands up who has ever ducked into the shops, pram in tow, for ‘a couple of things’ only to leave with an overstocked pram and painful red indents on your arms from all the bags that didn’t fit in the pram basket? Yeah, me too.

Enter the BuggyCart.

Designed by Aussie mum, Helen Druitt, during the early months of her third pregnancy, the Buggycart was born after she grew frustrated at not being able to do enough grocery shopping at her local supermarket while with her stroller simply because she couldn't fit what she needed to in the underneath basket. 

Again, not being able to find anything that met her needs already available, Helen came up with the Buggycart, a hold-it-all shopping bag which attaches to the back of prams and allows mums to get what they need at the shops.

The bag itself is very large and can easily hold bulky items like nappies and toilet paper, and it has a handy drink bottle pocket (or wine bottle pocket, I’m not judging). The reason it works is because the buggy has it’s own set of wheels which means that you’re not dragging along the weight of your shopping. It also means that it won’t tip over because the pram is not carrying the load.

I've used the Buggycart with my pram in single and double mode (which was very helpful because when converted, I lose pretty much all the basket space- a common complaint for a lot of mums). It can also be used with an extension strap on traditional side by side models.

My Moovit

My Moovit is a collapsible trolley which was designed by Sydney mother Rebecca Moss.

Rebecca says the idea for the cart came to her after she found how difficult it was to carry her children, plus all their stuff to the beach on the weekend when her husband was working. With only two arms available, it made an excursion to the beach more trouble than it was worth.

As someone who is lucky enough to live close to the water, I know exactly what she is talking about. Forget the days of grabbing a towel and heading down for a quick dip, with kids involved beach supplies include towels, change of clothes, snacks, drinks, boogie boards, sand toys, floaties and the kitchen sink.

For the past few days I’ve been road testing the My Moovit and to say it’s made life easier would be an understatement. There was so much room that I was able to load beach necessities and picnic and my two year old in the trolley to walk down to the sand. On the way back, the four year old even offered to cart his brother home. Winning.

The cart is designed around the idea of a port-a-cot. It folds up and down easily using the same port-a-cot mechanism. The buggy stands at 90cm x 48cm x 90cm when in use and folds down to just 35cm x 19cmx 74cm when compact, meaning it won’t take up too much space in the garage or in the car (it’s also great for shopping, sports equipment and camping).

Toddler Tints

Toddler Tints are the latest technology in kids car window shades and we have two young mothers to thank for it.

They designed the shades after purchasing numerous different options for sun protection and glare and being left disappointed when they didn't quite deliver on the promises.

Developed as an alternative to traditional window coverings, Toddler Tints are an adhesive window shade which sticks to the glass itself and is cut to size so fits all car models. 

It's unique adhesive won't damage the window and when you're done using it, the tint comes off cleanly with water and soap.

The window shade sees a dramatic reduction in the amount of light let into the car and despite their bright designs (plain black is available if preferred) they are undetectable from the outside.

If you follow the instructional video on youtube, the application is pretty easy and you can still put your window up and down (which is not always the case with other window shades). 

Have you come across a product invented by a fellow mum that you love?