2019 felt like a tumultuous year with our pacifier clips and with 2020 upon us, I am relieved that we have finally found the best solution to our clips. Let me first start with the history of our pacifier clips.
Tiny Teethers was founded at the end of 2013 and by April 2014 I began making pacifier clips. I like to think of myself as one of the founding pacifier clip makers and in fact I stumbled upon it quite by chance. In my first order of bead supplies, I had purchased the small beads we now use in our clips. I had no idea what to do with them and put them aside. My son was 8 months at the time and using a ribbon pacifier clip. It was always so dirty and gross from him sucking on it. That's when I had the idea of using these small beads to make a clip for him, one that was lightweight that he could also teethe on. I purchased metal "suspender clips" and got started.
I used a metal clip for about 2 1/2 years until I discovered wooden clips in 2016. I had a sample made with my logo on it and from the moment it arrived, I loved it. I love all wooden products, the more natural the better. I thought our pacifier clips had a distinct and modern look to them, combined with our custom colours, they were perfect.
The only thing is your little one can't teethe on it. Just like the metal clip, the wooden clip can't be chewed on. You know well that babies like to chew on everything and anything. This point has always bothered me. Both my sons were always putting the clip end in their mouth. Andreas with the metal, and Theo with the wood. Finally at the end of 2018 I had had enough. This also came at the end of our first real year of supplying Walmart, and with the volume we were doing, I recognized that a change needed to be made.
I started 2019 with an idea of a design for the clip part, it needed to have very few moving parts, no metal and it needed to be safe for babies to teethe on. I went back and forth with a designer and finally, we had the design. Around April I had a factory in China that is a leader in the silicone industry and one that I've visited, make the clip. Then I waited, and I waited, and I waited. I went on summer vacation with my kids and finally in the middle of August they arrived. I was excited, but there was something off about them. Upon getting them tested and trying them out, my gut feeling was right and so I was back to square one and ready to quit.
Earlier in the year I had sent my design to the factory I use for my manufacturing, but the quote was just too high. Months later, wouldn't you know it, they have just the clip I want made (hmmmm). Having learned my lesson, we went straight to testing and when it passed, we had the clip made with our Tiny Teethers logo. The feedback from this new clip has been amazing. While the fastener is a bit bigger than we're used to, it's strong and sturdy and is a quality product. The silicone looks fantastic and now we've finally created a pacifier clip that your little one can teethe on entirely.
Tiny Teethers is a one woman operation, run by yours truly. This is the dedication, and out of the box thinking that it takes to make a great product. I want to constantly do better and innovate so that I can bring your little one the best teethers possible. Why? Because they deserve it.
1 comment
udvQWcDRl