Made for moms: Three local inventions target motherhood, before and after the fact

By: ALEXANDRA DeLUCA - For the North County Times | Saturday, November 5, 2005 10:08 PM PST ∞

Necessity is the mother of invention, and three area residents hope their inventions become necessities for mothers. The products and services they have created aim to make life a little more fun, comfortable and safe.

Hot mama

Carmel Valley resident Amy Cubbison, 38, started Leave Me B (www.leavemeb.com), a line of clothing for pregnant women and mothers, eight months ago.Ý

"I've actually had this idea for a few years," Cubbison said. "When I was pregnant, I got really irritated by people grabbing my belly and saying things like, 'You're still pregnant?' or 'When are you due?' "

In response to people's never-ending curiosity, Cubbison created a collection of tops for pregnant women that speak for themselves. Her "Cheeky Girls" collection features tops with irreverent sayings such as "Yes I am STILL pregnant" or "Don't Touch My Belly." The "Good Girls" collection of tops have more innocent sayings such as "I'm due in (month)." Tank tops retail for $28, and long-sleeved tops cost $34.

"I get great feedback," said Cubbison, who personally e-mails all customers to thank them for their purchases.Ý

Besides wanting to create a hip, trendy product for "hot moms and sexy pregnant women," Cubbison, a longtime sales representative, said she began her business for her own well-being.

"I liked working full time, and after I stopped, my self-esteem was wavering," she said. "I love being a mom, but I wanted to do something else."

Now that Leave Me B is in full swing, Cubbison said she has never been happier.

"More than anything, it makes me happy and fulfilled," she said. "Things are happening ---- it's so exciting to me."

Cubbison has recently expanded her clothing line to include tops for mothers ("I am a Mom therefore I drink"), children ("Drama Queen in training") and fathers-to-be ("Yes, I did it"). She is also working on a line of crocheted tops.

"I love fashion," she said. "I'd like to get into more design and more original things."

Cubbison's clothing can be found at retail locations in Cardiff, Del Mar, Encinitas, La Jolla, San Diego and Solana Beach, as well as on her Web site. She recently held her first trunk show, and hopes to expand into more stores.

Although she admits that it can be difficult to balance running her own business and being a wife and mother of three children younger than 7, she believes her experience helps customers relate to her.

"Moms probably connect with me ---- they know I'm juggling a lot," she said.

Still, no matter how successful her business grows, Cubbison said her family will always be her top priority.

"My business is nothing without my family," she said.Ý

Sole man

Encinitas resident Andrew Block, 36, is the designer of MommySox (www.mommysox.com), which are what he calls the world's first socks designed for pregnant women.

The patented socks, which retail for $12.95 a pair, are specially designed to alleviate the foot pain that often comes with pregnancy. The socks feature cushioned zones on the heels and balls of the foot, and arch support for added relief. They're made of polyester-based Comfortrel fiber, designed to wick away moisture to keep feet warm and dry.

"The real difference is, the cushioning is proper," Block said. "What I call cotton-ball cushioning is right underneath the forefront (of the foot) and heel. As it spreads out, it doesn't take up more bulk in the shoe."

Block, who said he used to own a company that made custom socks for cycling and running, said the idea for MommySox was a collaborative effort. After selling his business, Block had a chance meeting with the two people who would become his partners in MommySox. They discovered they all had children, and as talk turned to pregnancy, the idea for MommySox was born.

"We really just targeted a group that hadn't been targeted in this specific niche," Block said.

Block asked his wife, a physician, for her opinion, and she bounced the idea off her co-workers, most of whom are OB-GYNs. The response was unanimous.

"The more we told people about it, the more they said, 'You gotta do it! Why didn't you think of this earlier? My patients will flip,' " Block said.

Block and his partners worked with podiatrists, prenatal educators and pregnant women to get the socks just right, designing many different versions until they achieved perfection.

"The focus group said we were right on the money," Block said. "They all came back with, 'This is the most amazing thing.' "

MommySox, which were recently named "Best New Product" by Today's Pregnancy Magazine, are sold through the Web site and at select maternity stores nationwide. Block said plans are in the works to introduce a black sock, a dress sock, and a sock with tread on the bottom for wear at home or even in the hospital.

"It's a great gift idea, and a very usable gift idea," he said.

Block said the response he has gotten from customers and store owners has been overwhelming.

"My greatest satisfaction is when I get a letter that says thank you," he said. "I don't want to make a product just to make money. I want to make a difference."

An even more rewarding aspect of Block's business is that it allows him to spend time with his children, ages 4 years and 18 months.

"It's really a win-win for everyone," he said.

Sitter savior

Oceanside resident Karen Willson, 48, started Babysitting Class.com (www.babysittingclass.com), an online baby-sitting course, two years ago.

The course, created with the help of nurses, EMTs and public safety educators, was designed to train baby sitters to prevent emergencies through proper planning and to give thoughtful, loving care to their charges, thus reassuring parents that their children are in good hands.

"We wanted to make sure the advice was exactly right on with what the top child care experts were saying," Willson said.

The idea was born not only out of Willson's experiences (growing up, she said, "I was the baby sitter on the block"), but out of the experiences she was hearing about from baby sitters on the original Web community she created, A Girl's World (www.agirlsworld.com). Willson noticed that baby-sitting advice was a frequent topic on the site, so she put out a call asking for the girls' baby-sitting-related questions.

"Over 200 sitters wrote us (with) things that aren't covered in traditional classes," Willson said. "They were running into things like custody, ADHD, guns in the house."

In response, Willson began offering a chat class on A Girl's World, but the class proved to be so popular that she decided to dedicate another Web site to the topic.

Two years later, she said, more than 11,000 people have completed the comprehensive course, which costs $17.50. Six classes are offered on topics such as safety and security, age-appropriate activities and how to build business. If all six classes are successfully completed (through quizzes and a mastery test), the student is rewarded with a baby-sitting certificate and a business kit. Printable class notes, safety checklists and forms, access to a constantly updated encyclopedia and a live help option are also included. Ý

"It's really answered a lot of baby sitters' prayers," said Willson.

Babysittingclass.com is endorsed by the Better Business Bureau and is presented by the cities of Oceanside and Vista parks and recreation departments. However, the class is not just for baby sitters: It is also used by child care workers, recreation assistants, siblings, new parents and parents who want to know what they should expect from their sitters. To that effect, there is even a "Test Your Sitter" quiz on the site that parents may have prospective baby sitters take to find out whether they have mastered the basics of child safety and accident prevention.

"Before the holidays, we want every parent to test their sitter," Willson said. "Our goal is that every parent can feel assured that their sitter has some basic safety knowledge."

Willson said the course is in keeping with her lifelong career of working with children.

"I love designing things that make kids happy and safe," she said.

Contact freelance writer Alexandra DeLuca at Alexandra.L.DeLuca@gmail.com.