We’re always giddy when we get a great review from Moms.

I wanted to share this review from www.momfinds.com from July 22, 2010 (today), which always has great ideas for useful products. Happy shopping! I will post the link here, along with the copy.

http://www.momfinds.com/2010/hands-free-feeding-made-easy-with-bottle-snugglers/

By Mom Jeanine

We’ve all been there. You just sat down to feed your little one and then the phone rings. You’d reach over and grab it, but then you’d have to let baby’s bottle drop or try to prop it up with a pillow all before the fourth ring. Finally, there’s a solution. Bottle snugglers.

These adorable, cozy stuffed animals rest softly on your little one’s chest, while the stretchy elastic ring on top holds baby’s bottle in place. It’s designed to hold the bottle at the same angle a person would so feeding is still comfortable for your little one. And because the probability of leakage is high, these plush proppers are machine-washable and can go in the dryer.

Have twins or triplets? Use Bottle Snugglers to ensure everyone is fed on time without trying to hold three bottle simultaneously by yourself.

Bottle snugglers are available in several animal styles including the cuddly cow, a charming teddy bear and a precious puppy.

The copy below was originally printed in the Jacksonville Business Journal on July 16, 2010.

By Dolly Penland

They say necessity is the mother of invention. In Jennifer Marko’s case, it spawned an Internet search. Marko was the owner of a public relations firm when she had a baby in 2006. She took only two weeks’ maternity leave.

“I had an image of myself working at my desk as usual and the baby quietly sleeping in the bassinet behind me,” said Marko, president of Marko Holdings, DBA Bottle Snugglers. However, “Max, my son, would not stay in the bassinet at all. So, I only had one hand to work with. And when he had to eat, I had a bottle in one hand and a baby in the other. Feeding time would last 20 minutes. So up to four times a day I was unproductive. I would find myself so stressed.”

Thinking she couldn’t be the only one with this problem, Marko searched online for a product to help. She found three. “Only one worked and it was a Bottle Tender,” Marko said. “It was like magic. I could hold the baby and it would hold the bottle, and I could still finish the report I was doing or send an e-mail. That lightened my stress level immensely.”

Marko later tried to place another order, but she kept getting a “sold out” message. “I finally called the owners and said, ‘What’s happening? I love the product and want to buy another.’ They said they both had other jobs and were busy. It was a mom and dad who created and patented the product, but never optimized it and never advertised. [My husband and I] made an offer to buy it,” for $100,000.

In 2008, Marko transitioned out of PR while planning the new company, renamed Bottle Snugglers. Entirely self-financed, the business officially opened in January 2009. “In January of 2009, you couldn’t get a loan,” she said. “We just believed in it and knew there was a niche in the market, so we put our own dollars behind it.”

Although Marko said it is worth it, she was initially surprised to learn about the different costs associated with operating a goods-based business versus the service-based business she had successfully run. They included costs associated with design and engineering, safety certifications, industry trade shows and insurance.

“We spent $25,000 in the first year in legal fees alone,” she said.

Bottle Snugglers are sold on the company’s website and in baby boutiques.

“A lot of people come in looking for them and a lot of people register for them,” said Kacey Roache, owner of the baby boutique lulu. “They are just a cute, practical gift.”

People bought 1,000 Bottle Snugglers in 2009 and more than 650 so far this year. Marko is now trying to get them into big-box retail stores.

“The previous owners sold several thousand over five or six years,” Marko said. “We sold 50 percent more in 2009 than they sold in their best year ever because we changed it to make it more marketable.”

To help get her business going, Marko sought advice from another business owner in the industry who not only shared his insights into the retail industry, but also introduced her to a local importer. “I owned a business, my husband owns a business, but the retail industry and particularly baby retail is very different from PR,” Marko said. “There are so many things you can’t know until you come across a problem.”

She also joined one of the Jacksonville Women’s Business Center’s business advisory councils. The councils are made up of small groups of women business owners with similar annual gross revenue who share their experiences, advice and best practices.

“Each of the women is really the sum of her own experiences, and all that comes to the table for the benefit of the other members,” said Linda Nottingham, a council facilitator. “We deal with any challenges or problems or issues that one business owner is facing and it can be anything. It can be as simple as what kind of gift to buy a client to something as complicated as dealing with employees.”

Marko said she enjoys learning from others and is happy to share her experience as well.

“It’s OK to ask for help,” she said. “I think it shows strength, not weakness, when you ask for help. Everything is not common sense. I have never had anyone turn me down when I asked for advice or a meeting to pick their brain, and in return I have never turned anyone down. If I learned a lesson, I will pass that on to you and we’ll both move forward.”

Read more: Stress gave birth to a new business – Jacksonville Business Journal

Empathy is a big thing with me.  I think lack of empathy causes problems in many ways, the most obvious being intolerance.  And if you’ve read this blog for long, you know how I feel about that!

What may surprise you is that I believe a major source of lack of empathy (or at least the free-for-all communication of it) is electronic communication. Just like what you and I are doing right now! I have seen a decline in decorum and respect over the last few years as social media, email, texting and Skype have replaced face-to-face meetings, phone calls and in-person contact in general. It is as though if you don’t have to say the words out loud and claim them, some people lose sight of being understanding and respectful of another viewpoint.

My concern here, other than the obvious, is that our kids will grow up seeing this as the norm. I deal with this issue in two main areas: my son’s food allergy and my product. I join many thousands of Moms of food-allergy sufferers who have heard, directly or via whispers, the complaints of why their child has to “suffer” with skipping a peanut butter sandwich for lunch just because another child (namely mine) has a life-threatening allergy to it. Likewise, I have received my share of beratement, much of it anonymous, for my product (one that helps Moms during feeding time, while others would judge needing help as weak parenting.)

A little empathy on the part of school Moms might help them to see things from my perspective: that by not sending peanut butter to school, they are allowing my son one small moment of fitting in or being “normal” at lunch, rather than segregated to another table by himself. Perhaps they have an issue with smoking and they have had to ask someone to smoke elsewhere so they can be comfortable. It’s the same thing!

The same empathy from a would-be critic of Bottle Snugglers might have a stay-at-home Mom of one cutting some slack to a Mom of several who needs a helping hand once in a while. Don’t we all need help in some area? Housekeepers, babysitters, lawn maintenance, restaurants that deliver – these all help us in other areas. 

As I ask for empathy from others, I am also challenged with showing empathy for those who offend me in some way. I do try to see things from their perspective and decode why they may be making a certain decision. I try to remember what it’s like when I am not offered the benefit of the doubt and treat them accordingly. It’s tricky, but it’s worth it.  And I teach my son, as much as you can teach a 4-year-old, that differences are ok and that you have to be proud of yourself in any situation.

I hope that we can set an example of the importance of respect and understanding of our friends and neighbors, no matter how we differ and espcially if the issue is not one that directly harms us or our families. We may not be perfect, but we will certainly make a difference in trying.

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts. XOXOXO