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Fayette couple working to improve baby-care products

Posted 7/27/21

A new Fayette company is setting out to introduce better and more environmentally-friendly products to the baby care industry. Tiny Tot Innovations, founded by Cortney and John Pettit of Fayette, …

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Fayette couple working to improve baby-care products

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A new Fayette company is setting out to introduce better and more environmentally-friendly products to the baby care industry. Tiny Tot Innovations, founded by Cortney and John Pettit of Fayette, launched in October 2020 and has already won the top prize in a contest aimed at funding new businesses.

The company’s first product is a tray for freezing and storing breast milk. Cortney said the one she was using after her second daughter was born had so many design flaws, she was frustrated. But with John being an engineer and Cortney a pharmacist, the two decided to put their skills into developing a better option that not only corrects those flaws are was reusable and not made of plastic.

“We said, ‘we can do this better,’” Cortney said.

The first thing that had to change, she explained, was the material. The one she had been using was made of plastic and was very stiff. But the biggest problem was the lid.

“Their lids didn’t seal, so milk got spilled all over our floors, our counters, our freezers. Every time we would fill a tray we would spill milk all over the place,” she said. 

They decided to craft their new trays out of food-grade silicone which stays flexible even after freezing. John and Cortney took their design to a silicone manufacturer and began fine-tuning the design. The result was a tray that is deeper, flexible, and has lids that seal properly. The trays hold 10 one-ounce bars of milk or baby food—two more than that of their competitor— and are dishwasher safe.

The trays are available to purchase in packs of two at five area retailers including Paisley BowTique and Floral Design in Fayette and Abbey’s in Glasgow. They are also sold with free shipping on the company’s website, tinytotinnovations.com. Most of the company’s sales have been made at online retail giant amazon.com, with customers purchasing from most, if not all, of the 50 states.

Cortney said that many of the online purchases have been made as gifts. “I think we're getting on some people’s baby registries, which is exciting. It's a really practical item and it's giftable.”

She said one of the company’s goals for 2021 is to get the trays in more stores.

Since launching the trays, Cortney said the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. 

In June, the company launched new reusable food pouches. A pack of six costs $14.99, and may be purchased at tinytotinnovations.com, or locally at Abbey’s. The pouches are dishwasher and freezer safe and come with an extra lid and a cleaning brush.

As the saying goes, ‘necessity is the mother of invention,’ and the Pettits are constantly identifying ways to improve and innovate products as they raise their two young daughters, Blakely, 6, and Katie, 2. They have already set their sights on re-designing the baby bottle.

“Our whole business is based around the things we’ve used the most with our kids, and how we would make them better,” Cortney said.

The company is focused heavily on developing a brand that is known for reusable products and reducing waste.

On April 28, Tiny Tot Innovations won first place out of a field of more than 30 other companies in a pitch competition from the Missouri Women’s Business Center. That came with a $5,000 prize. Cortney said that money will go toward new product development and inventory to keep up with product demand.

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