‘Necessity is the mother of invention,? so the old saying goes.One Oxford mother took those words literally and invented something to make other mothers? lives a little bit easier when junior’s in tow.
They’re called ‘TAG-A-LONGS? and they’re the brainchild of Wendy Deutsch, a science teacher at Scripps Middle School in Orion.
TAG-A-LONGS are fashionable, adjustable straps that attach to a child’s sippy cup or bottle while the other end hooks on to strollers, high chairs, car seats or shopping carts.
‘I’ve gone to places like Babies R Us and looked around and I can’t find anything that’s like this,? Deutsch said.
Their purpose is two-fold.
First, they make mom’s day simpler because she longer has to constantly bend down to retrieve dropped cups or bottles at the mall, in the car, at the grocery store or in a restaurant.
And because junior’s cup or bottle is no longer making contact every five seconds with unsanitary surfaces like supermarket floors or asphalt parking lots, mom doesn’t have to worry about those nasty germs.
Deutsch invented the TAG-A-LONG in 2001 because she was tired of ? tagging along? behind her son Hunter, who’s now 5 years old, as he dropped bottle after bottle and cup after cup everywhere they went.
She made her first protypes using some twine from the garage.
Although they were functional, Deutsch longed for something more stylish, something not so messy looking, but not knowing how to sew she ‘sat on? the idea until last month.
That’s when she and Julie Hallock, a fellow Oxford resident and math teacher at Scripps, merged their talents and skills after years of talking about the idea.
You see, Hallock knows her way around a needle and thread.
Since then, thanks to word-of-mouth, friends, fellow teachers and encounters with curious strangers, Deutsch and Hallock have sold about 100 of the straps.
Hallock said the straps are great because they’re long enough so the child can drink in comfort, but short enough so the bottles and cups don’t hit the ground.
Right now, Deutsch and Hallock have about 150 straps in stock for a Feb. 24 craft show at Murphy Elementary in Lapeer County.
‘We probably have between 15 and 20 different colors right now,? Deutsch said.
From stripes and ginghams to solids and current trends, fashionable colors and patterns are available for both boys and girls.
If all goes well, the TAG-A-LONG may get some exposure on national television.
Deutsch and Hallock are taking a road trip to Chicago March 23 to enter a nationwide invention search sponsored by Oprah Winfrey and the QVC network.
They’re also entering their ingenious strap in Good Morning America’s 3rd Annual Mothers of Invention Challenge.
TAG-A-LONGS sell for $8 each or two for $15.
For more information call (248) 969-3697.