Frisco, Texas (WFAA) - Sales are soaring for a Frisco mom who created a new unique stroller pad that’s designed to keep toddlers cool in the Texas heat.
Christie Smith, a stay-at-home mother of three, isn’t a native of Texas.
She grew up in Detroit and moved to the Lone Star State around 2008. Admittedly, she says it wasn’t hard to notice how brutal the Texas summers can be.
And she says it became more apparent when she had children. “We realized that it was very difficult to do outdoor things, go for walks, or go to baseball games,” Smith said.
That sentiment goes double when kiddos are in the stroller. “They’re in a five-point harness, and there’s no air movement going on—so they get cranky or fussy.”
Starting around 2014, Smith got the wild idea to combine a stroller pad with cooling packs. Last year, that idea came to fruition and Smith started to sell what she calls the ‘Cool Caboose.’
It’s a stroller pad with custom inserts for cooling packs. “I started playing with concepts and doing research,” Smith said. “It’s 100% my design from where the stitching goes, to how the label looks, to how big the cold packs are.”
And there’s a lot of moving parts when it comes to getting the finished product and sending it out to customers—which Smith does from the comfort of her own home.
“There’s a factory that cuts and sews the pad, there’s a factory that makes the gel packs, and there’s a factory that makes the cooling gel inside and matches it to the foam pouches that catch the condensation,” Smith said.
According to Smith, everything is assembled by another business and sent to her ready to ship for customers
She doesn’t have a patent on the ‘Cool Caboose’ at the moment but is looking at her options. Right now, her business is just getting off the ground.
As previously mentioned, Smith started selling the Cool Caboose last year but added that sales just started picking up this summer.
So far, she's sold more than a 100. They sell for $60, but Smith said to not be intimidated by the sticker price. “To ask that much for something that’s going to keep your baby cool and comfortable—it’s well worth it,” Smith said.
And she says feedback has been very positive.“People just say like why didn’t they think of this sooner or why they didn’t think of it,” Smith said. “It’s been a lot of great support.”