WHY WE STARTED SKINNYKIDZ
The idea for our SkinnyKidz belt came to us in 2008 as stay home moms when we realized when we shared a common struggle: figuring out how to make pants fit a toddler who is below the 60th percentile on the growth chart! It seems kids’ pants these days are meant for the 90th percentile kids, forcing the rest of kids to either “go plumber style,” with pants that fit length-wise, or “prepare for a flood,” with pants that fit the waist.
The alternative available to us was a traditional belt that got in the way of potty training and quick diaper changes. As the mother of 3 toddlers, having to undo a belt buckle in the 20 second window I typically have from hearing “mom, I have to pee,” to “mom, I peed” is a daunting concept. So, I often resorted to rolling the waistband over…until I had a better idea.
We wanted to create a socially conscious company that could help other parents solve their kids’ pants problems, but also one that would allow us to give back to charities through our sales. We are passionate about humanitarian work and we hope our “Charity Belt of the Month” will allow customers to shop without guilt, since all proceeds from the Charity Belt of the Month will go to the designated charity! Additionally, 10% of proceeds from all sales each month go to the designated charity for that month. If you have a particular charity you would like to see benefit, feel free to suggest a charity to us!
OUR PROFILES
JENA is a passionate SAHM (now WAHM mom) to 3 beautiful children. Together with her supportive husband Sheldon, they enjoy being a family and living life to the fullest! Jena is motivated by learning and growing as a whole person, which includes spiritually, intellectually, and physically (running is one of her favorite hobbies!), as well as in relationships with family, friends and her children. Jena has an incredible warmth about her, finds joy in every day of motherhood, and brings incredible enthusiasm to all her endeavors. She is the creative engine behind SkinnyKidz and is one amazing multi-tasker, a skill that she employs each day as a mom and small business owner! Between SkinnyKidz and raising her children, Jena lives a wonderful, busy life and is excited for this chapter to unfold.
LAURIE is a medical school graduate, now training to be a dermatologist, who paused her career in medicine to stay home with her 3 young children for the first few years of their childhood. It was during her time at home that she became an inventor and “mompreneur.” Laurie is married to her high school sweetheart, Travis, who also has a career in medicine and has juggled the rewards and challenges as a stay-at-home parent himself for a period of time. Laurie and Travis have shared an adventurous life infused with international travel, humanitarian work, and outdoor athletic pursuits. They enjoy the many different adventures life with 3 toddlers has brought, and hope that medicine someday brings their family back to the developing world, where they will continue serving vulnerable populations who inspired their interest in medicine to begin with! Laurie looks forward to working with various international NGO’s through SkinnyKidz charity work.
LAURIE and JENA first met in 2007 while they were both adopting children who were born in Vietnam. Despite their differences, ranging from stage in life (Laurie was in medical school, Jena was a SAHM), to politics, to religion, Laurie and Jena forged a friendship that has taught them the value of finding and building on the commonalities they share. Their friendship is a testament to the many universal experiences of motherhood, no matter what that looks like for each individual mom (WAHM, SAHM, full-time working mom, etc.). Additionally, starting this business has taught them a lot about their individual strengths and weaknesses, and how their differences are an asset, not only to their friendship, but to the business as well. It is their hope that SkinnyKidz will help bring all different kinds of people together, from moms and dads, grandparents and friends, to all the different charitable organizations it will support.
