Big vs. Small Stores

As they say, "Be careful of what you wish for!" When I first had my idea for the nomie baby car seat covers, the feedback was so positive and encouraging that I imagined that they would sell out as quickly as they were being manufactured, and remember asking how quickly the turn around could be. I also imagined that getting the products into stores would be a snap. In fact, while the feedback for the actual product has been equally incredible as it was for the idea, getting the product in stores has been a bigger challenge than I first imagined, but not all the time.

I first introduced the nomie baby products to a very large baby store chain over a year ago. At the time they weren't taking on new products, but said they wanted to keep in touch, and in October 2009 after keeping them up to date, they said that they would like to carry the car seat covers, and then sent a 24 page vendor agreement. Since October, 6 months ago, we have been going back and forth with the forms, images, insurance forms, warehouse and shipping details, and then they said they needed some updated forms since things had changed since October. While I was re-filling out form 2, I received 2 orders from stores in Brooklyn, NY. My first thought was, how easy those 2 new stores were, and my next was, "Are the big stores really worth it?"

On the one hand, with the small stores I am dealing with one person for the order, billing information, shipping, or photos for their site. On the other hand the larger stores take longer to open the account, there are usually multiple people dealing with the account for each step, and often the initial order is not much bigger than orders for the smaller "mom and pop" stores. I am still holding out hope that the products will be as successful as they have been at Diapers.com, and that will lead to increased orders, and putting nomie baby products in their bricks and mortar stores as well as online. My hope is that the time invested on the front end will be worth it in the end.

Getting Out There!

This past week, nomie baby was part of Big City Moms and The Bump's "Biggest Baby Shower." It was a wonderful opportunity to meet moms and moms-to-be, as well as many many many people I have been in touch with via Facebook, Twitter, a miriade of bloggers and other people in the baby world. Face to face is always better than from behind the screen. I was thrilled to hear how many people have heard of nomie baby, have nomie baby products, or were excited to get some!

While I know it's hard to be everywhere, it is so important to get out in the real world and see real people! Often I feel as if I have, only to realize it is Facebook pictures, or tweets and not person to person. Thank you for such wonderful welcomes!

What's the Difference?

When trying to pitch, sell or simply describe a product, I have found that people like to be nay-sayers or skeptics. "What's so great about your product?" "Why should I buy your product?" "Why is your product different?" These are all very valid and intelligent questions, and ones that I have asked myself countless times, and they also made me think about how to get across what I have learned. Sometimes, because I am so close to my "baby," the nomie baby car seat covers, the answers seem obvious to me, but not necessarily so for others, so here's an attempt to clearly and simply answer these, as well as other FAQs.

"What's so great about your product?" It is an easy way to deal with all the messes that happen to your child's car seat, without the hassle of wrestling to remove the seat from the car, or disassembling the straps. It slips on and off in a snap and goes right into the washer and dryer. It solves the messy problems with ease.

"Why should I buy your product?" If you have ever experienced the hassle of trying to clean up after a long car ride, or even a trip to the grocery store, you know what a pain it is. The nomie baby car seat cover makes it so easy. In addition, it can extend the life of your car seat, and even makes it possible to pass along car seats to younger brothers and sisters, friends and family without being ashamed of how messy they look. In short, it's much less expensive, only $36, to get the cover than to buy a whole new seat because the seat is just too gross to put your child in it one more time!

"Why is your product different?" While there are other car seat covers out there, most are just decorative, and therefore the mess will just leak through. The nomie baby car seat cover has a waterproof back, so your car seat is protected from leaks and spills. The nomie baby cover is also much less expensive than others on the market, and the design allows it to slip on without rethreading the straps or taking it out of the car.

Another common question, is which car seats does it fit? The cover is designed with elastic edges and Velcro opening for the straps, so it fits many makes and models, but with the huge variety, it is not possible for it to fit all. The following is a list of toddler and infant car seats that each size fits:
TODDLER
Britax Marathon,Britax Roundabout, Britax Boulevard
Cosco Alpha Omega,Cosco Alpha Omega Elite (Raise Arm Rests), Cosco Convertible, Cosco Scenera 5-point Convertible
Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 Deluxe (take out cup holders)
Eddie Bauer Deluxe (arm rests up)
Evenflo Titan Elite, Evenflo Tribute 5, Evenflo Triumph Advance LX, Evenflo Triumph Advance DLX,
Evenflo Triumph Advance
Fisher Price Safe Voyage
Graco Safe Seat Step 2 Convertible, Graco Comfort Sport
Maxi Cosi Priori
Sunshine Kids Radian 65

INFANT
Graco SafeSeat, Graco SnugRide
Baby Trend Flex Loc
Chicco Key Fit 20
Evenflo Embrace
Eddie Bauer Endeavor

I hope I have succeeded in answering and convincing you why the nomie baby car seat cover really is a must-have, and if you still need some convincing, please visit the "testimonials" page on the website, www.nomiebaby.com.

Here's to spreading the happy-mess!

A Pictures Tells 1,000 Words

Often I have found, that while I think I am being clear when I am describing things, there are times that words seem to fail me. As a result, sometimes drawings, diagrams and demonstrations work really well. For many reasons I love doing demonstrations. Getting in front of people is really the best. It not only allows me to quickly demonstrate how quickly and easily the nomie baby car seat covers and 'cozy ups' work, and how great they feel, but it allows me to get instant feedback and thoughts.

I have been fortunate to have received many wonderful emails and comments about the nomie baby products, and some people have even sent wonderful photos of their little ones. What a treat! The more the merrier. I would love to start a gallery of nomie baby babies. Again, I love receiving the notes, getting re-orders and referrals, but "a picture tells 1,000 words - truly!

Testimonials

There are many great and rewarding aspects of having started nomie baby: watching my idea go from a thought to a product, working with incredible people, watching the products and brand grow in popularity, exposure and sales, and hearing from customers who are happy with how easy it is to solve problems!

This evening I opened my email to read a note from a customers, and was thrilled to hear her happy-mess...

"I've been meaning to write.

I saw you speak at Barnes and Nobel at the Collective-E Mompreneur Event and I won a car seat cover.

It was PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT on our recent trip to MD. We drove down to see my parents and had no traffic so I pushed through and didn't stop. My daughter is 17mo so she sleeps throught the night longer than we were in teh car (4.5hrs) so I figured we'd make it safely. No such luck. She was soaked and more importantly, the car seat would've been destroyed if I hadn't put the nomie baby car seat cover on that morning. We got to MD, I handed her off to her grandparents, before we even got to the front door, and 5 minutes later the cover was in the laundry ready for our trip back to NYC.

THANK YOU! Plus, the pink cover is so much nicer than the random gender-neutral car seat we ended up with.

Good luck!"

Daddy Diaper Duty

Calling all Dads! Very often you are called into action when the going gets tough AND dirty. I know my husbands likes to say, "The dirtier, the better," and whether he's joking or not, I take him up on it, or call his bluff, which ever the case may be! There are also those jobs that require tools or spacial relations, or assembling or re-assembling, which often go to the Dads as well! One such task is cleaning the children's car seats after a long road trip, or the dreaded carsickness. It used to require gloves, a hose and a great memory for exactly which strap went into which slot to reassemble. No more!

The nomie baby car seat cover solves all these problems. It is a cozy, removable, washable and waterproof cover for infant and toddler car seats that slips on and off without having to take the car seat out of the car, or even removing the straps. It's a hassle-free way to deal with all the messes. So now really the "dirtier the better," even though the challenge isn't quite the same, but you'll be thanked for dealing with the mess all the same, and now you have more time for the fun stuff!

Dealing with the Cold All Over

Usually, it is just around now when those phone calls from our friends in California or other warm states are really difficult to take. BUT not this year. A friend just returned from Florida, where it was in the 40's, it's cold and rainy in California, or at least to them, and I even heard from a customer in North Carolina, who is trying to figure out what to do in this arctic chill that is blanketing the entire country.

For those of us who are used to having a real winter, over the years we have collected all the necessary gear to allow us to weather the temps, but for those who are not used to nor'esters this is all new, and they are racing around trying to figure out what to do. There are just so many days one family can reasonably stay inside. Many organizations and clubs are helping by offering inside activities for the whole family. My inbox seems to be overflowing with great ideas from shows the whole family will enjoy to play time at inside gyms to Valentine's Day fun for all. Now the trick is getting there without absolutely freezing, so here are a few suggestions that make leaving the house possible and even pleasant. For you don't forget mittens or gloves and a hat. Yes, our moms were right when they said, "It really does make a difference." A long down coat like the Canada Goose brand, which is so warm that I have to take it off the second I am inside, but outside I am really toasty warm. Now for the little ones, a jacket, hat, mittens, and the 'cozy up' stroller blanket, which zips around them so you don't have to worry about lots and lots of layers! Now you are ready to brave the arctic temps no matter where you live.