Long Islanders create products to make parents’ lives easier

Like many new moms, Adi Weber of Great Neck didn’t have a lot of time to go to the gym after her third child was born. To keep in shape, she started walking with her youngest in a stroller. But something was missing from the experience: the satisfaction of knowing how far and how fast she was going.

Frustrated at the lack of stats, she and her husband, Dan, a creative director at a large Manhattan ad agency, created the Strollometer ($45.95, www.strollometer.com), an eight-function wireless speedometer/odometer designed to strap onto any stroller. It gives dashboard information during and after the dash.

“I take a great deal of pride knowing that my husband and I followed through on an idea and have created something truly useful from scratch,” Adi Weber says.

The Webers aren’t alone. They’re part of a growing number of Long Island parents who are putting their minds to family matters and designing their own tools. Whether the goal is to save money, keep children safe or even promote their well-being, these folks truly are the mothers — and fathers — of invention.

Balloons in Their Place

Brian Fried’s invention saves a parent’s sanity and money to boot. Tired of hearing the sounds of children crying at amusement parks because they’ve lost their balloons, the late-night inventor from Melville created the Balloon- O-Band ($1.49-$1.99, www.thinkup designs.com), an adjustable nylon wristband with a metal ring that holds a balloon, preventing it from blowing away.

He visited Sesame Place with his five-yearold daughter last year and followed the Mylar balloon vendors around the Pennsylvania theme park. When people bought a balloon, Fried would hand them a sample Balloon-O-Band. The response was positive. “It’s a great feeling to see these kids wearing them,” he says. Although the product is available for sale on his Web site, he’s also in negotiations with retailers to get the Balloon-O-Band on shelves.

Responsible Organization

Michael Rosenberg, a father of four, grew frustrated when his children would lose or damage their video game cartridges. His device, the Game Chamber ($19.95, www.gamecham ber.com), is a locking organizer that requires a game to be returned before a new one can be taken out. “It encourages responsible organization,” the Melville resident says. “Parents love that their kids aren’t losing hundreds of dollars in games.” Right now Game Chamber is only available for Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite, but it will be available for other game systems soon. The former CEO of a kitchen and bath construction and remodeling company, Rosenberg is now the founder and CEO of Daze Products, a company he says is “passionate about video game storage solutions.”

Growing Businesses

For many parent patent-holders, hobbies quickly grow into businesses. A marketing director by day, Balloon- O-Band innovator Fried started Think Up Designs last March. He has eight patent-pending products currently in development and over 125 trademarks in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The Webers co-founded 9 Months Up, 9 Months Down and say they’re working on more “world’s first” products in the fitness/pregnancy/post-pregnancy category.

Tethered to Go

Others wander into invention hoping for a whole-life metamorphosis. A desire to change her career coupled with wanting to keep her toddler close at hand when they went out was the impetus for Valerie Sumner. A former New York State attorney, she founded Liberté Apparel and created The Love Handle ($55, www.liberteapparel.com), a self-adjusting garment that serves as a walking tether but eliminates the stigma of a harness.

Sumner, a Locust Valley resident who runs her company out of her home didn’t like the traditional harnesses on the market. She sewed a safety sash on her daughter’s shirts and was stopped often by parents and caregivers who would comment on its uniqueness.

A lawyer for 10 years, Sumner says creating the Love Handle opened the door to a new calling. “After my daughter was born, my opportunity to become an entrepreneur sort of presented itself.”

Yoga Games

Huntington Station resident and mom to two teens, Katie Feldman took her already established business a step further. A yoga teacher for over four years, she developed Spiraling Hearts Yoga Games and Activities ($17.50-$29.50, www.spiralinghearts.com) that include activity books, two board games (Yoga Bingo and Chakra Energy) and two card games (Sun Salutation and Matching Game).

“After teaching yoga to children for over four years, my primary motivation in developing these products was to inspire kids to learn yoga through play and to receive all of the benefits that come from practicing yoga: increased flexibility, focus and overall fitness, in addition to elevated self-esteem and sense of well-being,” she says.

The games have been well-received — Spiraling Hearts Yoga Bingo was recently awarded The National Parenting Center’s 2007 Seal of Approval, a major accolade, particularly for a product that has been on the market less than a year.

The Cost of Creation

The inventing process isn’t a simple one. Time and cost often hold creators back. It can cost upwards of $10,000 to build a finished product, including conducting searches and filing for a patent, hiring an engineer and creating a prototype. It took nearly two years for Sumner to establish her business.

“Building Liberté and making The Love Handle have been more challenging than going to law school, taking the Bar and practicing law combined,” she says. “But, it has also been much more rewarding, and has taught me life lessons I never would have learned otherwise.”

To help others find their Inner Edison, Fried has been speaking at inventor groups and libraries across Long Island. Calling it “An Inventor’s Adventure,” the 31-year-old Fried relays his experiences of success and inventing.

“I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned from my inventor experiences over the last five years and may help people to keep from making the same mistakes I started to make in the beginning,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll provide them some direction.”

The products and ideas might be different, but all of the inventors have one thing in common: a take-charge attitude. “We never look back,” says Weber.

Sumner agrees. “Every aspect of going into business by yourself involves sticking your head into a new set of unknowns, and each time you get one aspect down, another unknown comes at you. After getting knocked down a few times, and getting back up, your confidence is built up and you get stronger for the next challenge.”

Whether wanting to know the details of a workout, avoid a theme park temper tantrum or get the kids to organize their video games, these Long Island parents saw a need and they filled it — not only for themselves but for parents around the world. Now, if only someone could invent a better-tasting broccoli or a self-changing diaper.