January 11, 2005
Life with kids can be a mess, whether it’s playtime or nap time. But some products on the market, including one made by an East Valley mom, aim to make life in a busy home easier.
Denise Marshall of Chandler created the Mac & Cool Quick Cooling Dish after years of blowing on soup and pizza in an effort to spare her hungry kids from burning their mouths.
"I had very impatient toddlers when they were little and I was blowing on a lot of food, putting it in the freezer trying to cool it down," says Marshall, a mother of three whose company, Tudy’s, is in Tempe. She figured there had to be a product to solve this problem. When there wasn’t, Marshall invented one.
The plastic dish has a twowall system with a water reservoir in the middle. Parents fill the dish with water and freeze it. Placing hot foods such as macaroni and cheese, soup and oatmeal in it for about 1 minute cools the food.
This means no more blowing on it or worrying that the kids will burn their mouths, Marshall says. Mac & Cool is sold at USA Baby, Kitchen and Things at Chandler Fashion Center and online at www.macandcool.com.
Other handy products for families include:
• Good Bites Crustless Sandwich Cutter by Mom Inventors. The child-safe tool allows kids to help in the kitchen by removing the crust, sealing the edges and slicing the sandwich.
• DreamKuddle Body Pillow by Pippen Hill Designs: A colorfully patterned body pillow designed to last through the growing years. It provides comforting body support and emotional security with colorful animal patterns perfect for hugging.
• The Snack-Trap by Mossworld Enterprises: This household gadget lets children snack without spills or messes. It’s designed so that kids can get their hands inside the dish and, when the hands are removed from the cup, the flaps of the soft plastic lid close up, preventing snacks from spilling.
Learn more
Find the Best Home Products roundup at http://bestproductsmediaguide.info/26/guide.htm.
