With more than 70 per cent of Australian women thinking more about starting a business since becoming a mum, it should come as no surprise that the Huggies® MumInspired® Grant Program received more than 1,100 entries. Today, Huggies Australia congratulates the five mums who will each receive a $20,000 grant to help turn their business idea into a reality, and to Amanda Wong, the People's Choice winner, who won an additional $10, 000 for her Duka water-saving device.

From providing tools to help improve the life of a hearing impaired child, to a bra that enables more private yet supported breastfeeding for mum, the judging panel said they were impressed by the overall calibre of entries.

General Manager of Baby and Child Care at Kimberly-Clark Australia, Alison Holland, says, “It is clear from the quantity and quality of entries that motherhood truly breeds inventive thoughts. The need to suddenly acquire a whole new skill set brings out not only great ideas, but amazing business opportunities and we at Huggies are proud to support these mums in their new endeavours.”

Huggies MumInspired ambassador, judge and founder of Carman’s Fine Foods, Carolyn Creswell says, “It was tremendously inspiring to read all of the wonderful entries. There is an enormous wealth of creativity amongst our Aussie mums and selecting just five grant recipients was a challenge. I really look forward to meeting with these innovative women, acting as a mentor and watching their ideas blossom into successful businesses.”

In addition to the five $20,000 grants, there will be one People’s Choice award worth an additional $10,000. The public can Vote online on their favourite MumInspired idea, and the winning mum will receive an additional $10,000 to help start or grow their business.

The five ideas to receive $20,000 each are:

Hearinghenry

After giving birth to a child who is hearing impaired, New South Wales mum Sarah Hindes was faced with a whole set of issues she was not prepared to handle. When her son Henry received a hearing aid, she became constantly stressed about the device falling out. This was not only due to the implications of losing the important device but also the child’s need for consistent access to sound during such a critical learning period of speech and comprehension development.

The hearinghenry range consists of two simple yet innovative products, which assist in keeping a child’s hearing devices firmly in place. The hearinghenry hat holds hearing aids in place and the hearinghenry headband secures the Australian invention, the Cochlear Implant.

For further information on her story, visit www.hearinghenry.blogspot.com

Sleepy Wings

With newborn babies sleeping up to 16 hours a day for the first few months of their life, it is essential that a parent can provide a comfortable and safe sleeping environment.

After enduring sleepless Sydney summer nights, with a midnight breastfeeding routine, New South Wales mum, Shae Tye needed to find a solution of how to keep her daughter from overheating but also wrapped so that she didn’t startle or scratch. Following home-made pattern making, over locking classes and months of trials the Sleepy Wings product was born. Sleepy Wings is an infant slumber-wear jacket worn during a baby’s day and night sleep, enabling them to sleep in their natural and preferred position. The garment keeps the baby’s neck and chest clear of hazard and overheating as well as prevents the baby from scratching their delicate skin. The product is designed to mimic the swaddling method, without all the layers of muslin wrap.

For further information visit: www.sleepywings.com.au

Discretion by Gina

After constant frustration with breastfeeding bras on the market due to their lack of support for milk-swollen breasts, Queensland mum, Gina Kun took one of her regular bras and cut holes in the cup. From this act, the idea transformed into a prototype for mums to feel confident and comfortable when feeding their child.

The outer visual component of the bra is similar to that of any good quality feeding garment, where the outer cup is fitted with a clip, which disengages at the strap. The outer cup is then free to drop down. Instead of the whole breast then being exposed, an inner cup provides support and covers most of the breast, leaving only the minimum required exposed for feeding.

Duka

Concerned about wasting water during the recent droughts in South East Queensland, Amanda Wong wanted to give her child the chance to “play” in the water whilst still being able to conserve it.

The Duka is an inflatable bath time aid that sits in a bath tub, minimising the amount of wasted water used and time taken to bathe a child. Instead of filling the bath with water, the Duka is placed in the tub to occupy space, instantly making the tub half size.

Toddler Tints
Inspired by advertising on bus windows, West Australian mums Rachel Cordina and Lia Tonich paired up to create a much needed alternative to the current car shades for children in the market. Understanding fellow parents frustration of window socks that faded in the sun, flapped in the wind and didn’t enable the window to be wound down, Rachel and Lia’s Toddler Tints offer shade for the child whilst not affecting the car’s appearance or functionality. The animal print tint can only be seen on the inside of the car, doesn’t need to be removed to wash the car, nor is it easily removed by a child.
For further information, visit http://en-gb.facebook.com/toddlertints