When your infant grows up a little and starts sitting up and notices its surroundings, what becomes their favorite game? Throwing EVERYTHING.
Whatever babies can get their hands on lands on the floor. They might be sitting on their high chair, in their stroller, or in a car seat. If they have something in their hand, be it a teether, a bottle, a sippy cup, a spoon, or a toy, it will most definitely land on the floor. And mothers have to bend down, pick it up, rinse it, then give it to their baby again, only for them to drop it 2 seconds later.
Beth Fynbo, a mother to an infant, created Busy Baby to make her life easier and decided to help all the other mommas out there going through the same annoying challenges. So, what exactly is Busy Baby, and how can it ease your parenting experience? Continue reading to find out.
What is Busy Baby?
The Busy Baby play mat is the first of its kind silicon mat designed with suction cups so that it can be stuck onto any non-porous surface and keeps the baby’s toy attachments from dropping to the floor. A Busy Baby mat prevents toys from being a distraction and helps kids remain focused on their activity.
The Busy Baby mat features spoons and toys that won’t drop over to solve the most common issue that parents face, picking up toys and accessories from the floor, again and again, washing them, and returning them only to repeat the process all over again.
It is designed with completely safe, food-grade silicone that is safe for babies and does not harm them as they chew on their toys. Since the toys don’t fall to the floor, they are also safe from germs at all times, which is the biggest advantage of the Busy Baby mat.
With a $45,000 funding target, Beth, along with her younger brother Eric started a Kickstarter campaign for the Busy Baby Mat in October 2018.
On 11th October 2018, they received 185 contributions totaling only $13,144. Some people expressed their appreciation for the goods in their comments on the Kickstarter campaign. Beth revealed that the Bunker Labs company awarded her a prize of $3,000, which she won for coming out on top in the pitch contest. She also took part in the yearly Minnesota Cup competition, where Busy Baby Mat took home medals worth $25,000.
After a successful customer base through her website and online sales, Beth decided she needed to expand her business and, therefore, appeared on the 12th season of Shark Tank.
Busy Baby on the Shark Tank
Beth appeared on Shark Tank to seek investment for the Busy Baby mats for a $250,000 investment in return for 5% ownership. She delivers her pitch and showcases her ingenious product impressing the sharks. She then proceeds to tell them her impressive sales figures, which totaled approximately $343,000.
Hearing the details, the sharks are all even more eager to invest in the Busy Baby mat, and without losing a beat, Lori makes an offer of $250,000 in return for a 20% share in her company. The rest of the sharks back out since they consider her offer better than what they had in mind and so commences the negotiations between Beth and Lori.
Beth increases her share to 10%, to which Lori offers an 18% share. Beth tells her she isn’t willing to give so much of her business away as she spent a lot of sleepless nights and hard work in bringing it to where it is now. She tells Lori she is not willing to offer more than 15% of her company, and therefore, no deal is struck between the two.
Beth walks out of the tank, head held high, keeping all of the business to herself.
Our Review of the Busy Baby
We believe this product is a literal life saver! Not only does it help keep the baby busy trying to throw things, but it also helps them engage longer with their toys, not to mention saving the parents’ sanity.
Let’s check out the benefits and drawbacks of Busy Baby mats:
Pros of Busy Baby
- It is composed of premium, FDA-approved, food-grade silicone that is free of PVC, BPS, BPA, and phthalates.
- It is flexible, free of bacteria, mold, and fungus, and suitable for the dishwasher and microwave.
- Sippy cups, pacifiers, and toys can all be attached to this and protect them from falling and getting germs on them.
- Feeding spoons can also be attached to it, helping the baby learn how to feed themselves.
- It can easily be attached to high chairs, travel trays, or any non-porous surface.
Cons of Busy Baby
This product is simple and so versatile; there really aren’t any drawbacks that we could find. It really helps the parent and the baby and literally sticks on to anything from windows to shopping carts, strollers, and high chairs, and can be used anywhere.
It is a lifesaver!
If you have any negative experiences with the Busy Baby, feel free to let us know in the comments below.
Who is the Busy Baby for?
The Busy Baby mat is designed for kids five months and above and can be used by kids up to 2 years old.
Are There Any Alternatives?
So far, we haven’t found any alternative similar to the Busy Baby placemat.
Our Final Thoughts
The Busy Baby gained a lot of traction from their episode on Shark Tank, and since their biggest challenge as a business was marketing their product, the episode helped them increase their customer base by huge numbers and are doing very well without winning a deal with the sharks.
Busy Baby has also introduced many more products to their line, including a textured teether which the parents seem to love by their reviews on the website. Along with the placemat, they also have a bungee bottle and have launched silicon placemats in various sizes as well.
We hope our review will help you decide on either gifting this highly useful product or buying it for yourself to make parenting a little easier.
