Welcome to our series spotlighting our Featured Vendors from our Vendor Guide. The guide includes carefully curated vendors from the baby and children’s industry in design, retail, special services and much more.
Meet the LoungeBuddies from Comfort & Harmony. We caught up with Ali Wright, Senior Design Manager at Comfort & Harmony, mother to 19-month-old Baylor and the creative mind behind the adorable new LoungeBuddies Infant Positioner (available at Amazon.com and Babies R Us). We got the scoop on how the idea was born, what inspires her and some tips she has for other moms.
We love a good origin story. Tell us a little about how LoungeBuddies came to be.
People say that most of the time what you are looking for is right in front of you. True statement! I was in my creative zone, researching, sketching, pinning, clipping—you name it!—and trying to ideate the next best thing in infant positioning pillows.
It wasn’t until I took a break that this plush toy from a bouncer that was sitting on my desk caught my eye. Immediately it clicked. “Take that toy, blow it up and make it a pillow!” So that’s what I did. I took a picture of it, drew measurements on top of it, sent it to our production team and five days later, we had our first prototype.
Now that your vision has materialized, what do you like best about the final product?
I am a mom to a 19-month-old little girl. What I loved about giving her the owl pillow was that she was old enough to recognize and relate to it. She lit up and ran right to it, pointing and saying, “Ow-el!” It was a special moment for me.
What do other moms say about LoungeBuddies?
Hearing other moms say how much they adore the fabrics, design, quality, tags, treatments, versatility and how giftable it is makes me feel like I have met their expectations. But to hear that their children love it is what puts the pulse in what I do every day. After all, nothing is more satisfying to a mom than making her child happy. This is a product that will bring a smile for years to come.
You say “years to come.” Explain how the pillow grows with baby.
This pillow has a versatile design. The cradled well in the center is supportive for an infant to lounge in or for tummy time, comfortable for an older child to sit on or prop up in and suitable for a young adolescent to use as a head pillow—we call it Baby’s First #BFF because it truly supports little ones from baby to big kid! The Taggies satin tags are soothing for baby, not to mention the super plush fabrics and textures that cover the entire pillow. Second-time moms who have purchased LoungeBuddies for their infants are finding themselves needing a second one for their toddlers. However, we also have moms who are buying them for their 12-year-olds! It makes for a cute addition to any nursery or book nook.
Click here to watch the LoungeBuddies video.
What advice do you have for parents when curating their nurseries? Any nursery must-haves?
Personally, I like a versatile space. So I chose to go with a neutral foundation that can be updated by swapping out simple accessories when my daughter gets older or if I have a second child and want to reuse the room.
Have a design plan and stick to it. There is so much inspiration out there that it’s very easy to go off plan and over budget. Decide what you want to splurge on and where you want to save, and don’t buy a piece just because you like it if it doesn’t fit your theme.
My nursery must-haves include a Diaper Genie, a LoungeBuddy and lots of love!
Where do you find your inspiration?
I am inspired all the time everywhere I go. Because I am in design, I am always looking at things with the mindset of recreating it as something new, different or unique. Of course, Pinterest, Instagram, retail and magazines are sources of inspiration, but I also find it in vintage shops, TV and just by observing the world around me.
Is there anything else about Comfort & Harmony that you’d like to share?
While we are a large-scale entrepreneurial company, we have an intimate community of moms (and dads!) who are at the forefront of our design process. Our personal experiences as parents allow us to truly relate to our products, connect with our designs and better understand the needs of other moms and dads so that we can deliver solutions that will bring joy and comfort to other families.
At the same time, we also have an “Idea Mom” program that gives us the opportunity to partner with moms who have a product or a business that fits within our portfolio of brands. These “mompreneurs” are typically women who have created a solution-based product that was born out of a problem they encountered while parenting. It is so rewarding for us to help these moms scale their business and bring even more life to ideas that were likely started in their sewing rooms at home!
To learn more about Comfort & Harmony be sure to check out their listing in our Vendor Guide.
If you are interested in applying to become a Project Nursery Vendor, please click here.
