About the Invention

It wasn't too long ago that infant car seats were a novelty and parents had to be convinced of their value. Today in North America, most parents automatically put their babies and toddlers in car seats. But babies come in all shapes and sizes, and some babies who are born prematurely or with various handicaps have special needs, which often can't be met by hard- bodied one-size-fits-all car seats.

Laurie Tandrup's invention, the Travelbud™ Support System is a modular multipurpose infant/child support system that can be used on its own or with a wide variety of equipment such as car seats, strollers and high chairs. The Travelbud™ is soft bodied (cloth), padded and adjustable. The support system is especially important for kids with special needs who may be very small due to low birth weight or have muscular disorders or other problems like Cerebral Palsy. For children who are born healthy, happy and ready to go, the Travelbud™ customizes wagons, bike carriers or anything else parents wants to put them in.

Another invention, the Butterfly™, was developed because hospitals were trying to make the Travelbud™ do things it was not designed for. The Butterfly™ supports babies in their cribs and brings them back to "midline." This helps to correct or avoid conditions such as torticollis (a persistent muscle spasm that causes the head and neck to be held at an unnatural angle) and head and neck hypertension.

About the Inventor

It is often said that necessity is the mother of invention. The Travelbud™ was the result of a very bad year and a mom who was desperate. In 1995, Laurie had a death in the family, was laid off from work, gave birth to her second son, and had her husband leave town for two months to look after his ailing father. In September, a planned "reunion” camping trip took a bizarre turn. The family car was stolen, including the infant car seats, all the camping gear and even the diaper bags!

The insurance company covered the cost of a car rental, but not the infant car seats. The cost to replace all the lost items was staggering. "You know how you go to sleep with a problem and then wake up with the answer, well I woke up several times, and then made the Travelbud™." The camping trip was a great field test. When Laurie returned home, she still needed a job, but she wanted to be home with her kids. Following research and patent applications, the Travelbud™ was born.

Creating a home-based business seemed to be the solution. Laurie started Snuglbuds Inc. in 1996, the same day that she applied for her first patent. True to her vision, she runs her business out of her home, "moving around the house, depending on which floor the kids are playing on." She and her husband do all the marketing and advertising, including personal visits to hospitals in Canada and the US to demonstrate the products.

How does Laurie come by her resourcefulness? When Laurie was seven years old, her dad died leaving her mom to look after five children. Laurie was the second oldest and had a lot of responsibilities while her mom worked towards an education degree. She remembers her mom always saying, "You can do anything, you just have to figure out how." As Laurie says, "I truly don't understand the word 'no' or 'it can't be done.' To me it just means that I need to figure out another way of getting around whatever obstacle is in my way." Way to go Laurie!