Connecticut Mompreneur Invents Kids Fun Hand Soap
Getting your kids to maintain good hygiene on a daily basis can be difficult, so one Connecticut mom took matters into her own hands, and has invented an interesting new product called "Splatz".
If you're a mom, then you know how hard it can be to get your kids to wash their hands. Now it's more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic, so a Westport, Connecticut mom had an idea that if you can make washing your hands fun, kids would want to do it. So with that in mind, she worked with some top scientists and 'Splatz' was created.
Billed as irresistible balls of fun, they can actually change the way kids think about washing their hands.
I got a chance to talk recently with Alli DiVincenzo, the mompreneur behind this product.
This is very exciting, you're from Westport, Connecticut, and you've created something very interesting, especially now that we're in the middle of a pandemic, and washing your hands is one of the most important things. You have come up with a way to get kids to wash their hands, tell me a little bit more about this new product.
"I'm bursting with excitement to share with you, and all of your KICKS 105.5 parent listeners about a new hand soap for kids called 'Splatz'. As you mentioned, washing your hands is the number one way to keep yourself and your family safe during this pandemic. With this new product, parents will no longer need to beg their kids to wash their hands, your kids will be asking you if they can wash their hands."
You have a young son, was he the main inspiration for this product?
Yes, like many parents out there, it is often a struggle to get your children to wash their hands. When my son was four, he simply disliked washing his hands. He would come in from playing outside in the mud, to playing with slime, and even loved popping the bubble wrap from shipping boxes, but he simply did not like washing up after. He loved the feel of all those other things, but hand soap was boring. So as a health conscious parent, I knew I wasn't alone in this battle for clean hands, and at that moment, I had what you could call an "ah-ha" moment. There was no way I was going to change this child, so I knew at that moment I had to change the soap.
So how did you come up with the idea for 'Splatz'? How did you know this would be a winner?
"I knew I couldn't do this alone, I knew I had to find some scientist to team up with, so I cracked open my mental rolladecks, and a few introductions later, I met the coolest scientists on the planet, Dr. Jeffery Karp, and Dr. Yuhan Lee, both from Harvard. Ironically, both had young children who also didn't like to wash their hands. I pitched them the idea and we all began tinkering in our kitchens, and by January of this year, we had a shelf stable prototype ready to take out and beta test it."
So this is what you call a fun hand soap that you squeeze and it explodes underwater, is that correct?
"Pretty much so. The idea is that 'Splatz' is a round, all natural, biodegradable bubble. It's filled with soap, so you take a bubble, a ball, and you literally splat it in your hands and it releases the moisturizing soap. It's just fun, it's a few seconds of curiosity and discovery, and then splat there goes the soap right into your hand."
So after the splat, does the soap stay contained, or does it wind up all over the place?
"There's a slight learning curve to the product, but yes, you pop it away from your face and you quickly learn where the soap goes. It's fun, it's different, and the kids go crazy for it."
So where can people get this product who want to get their kids to finally wash their hands?
"Right now, we're selling on our website, Onefun.com, and for all KICKS 105.5 listeners we have a special code, 'Mr. Morning" that will be good for 10% off your order for the entire month of December. If you order four or more units, there's free shipping with free gift wrapping too. We're just so excited to be in the market and have our product available and share it with everyone."