Every one of Boppy’s baby care products is thoroughly vetted by parents, experts, and safety labs before it hits store shelves.
Our rigorous product development and quality control process ensures that every product we create meets a real-life need, safely and comfortably.
Step 1: Putting in the Research
A new Boppy product may be born from a need expressed by one of the many moms on Boppy’s staff. Or it might come from an article or a post on one of the mommy blogs that the Boppy team keeps up with. Or perhaps from a research study or focus group. WE're always looking for the ways moms are asking for help.
“I read up on all the hacks moms are using so I can integrate them into new product designs!” says Haley Gibbons, Boppy’s Senior Product Designer. Her goal: Look for a common parenting problem, then solve it. “We look for solutions that don’t exist yet, or aren’t performing well enough.”
Our constant communication with actual parents also helps us know exactly what they need and inspires us to get to work on the next product.
Step 2: Prototyping
Once the idea for a new pillow or product has come together and a design is in place, the Boppy product team sets to work sewing a prototype of the piece in Boppy’s internal sample creation room.
The team usually makes multiple versions, then shares them with other Boppy moms or other Colorado moms they invite into the office. “We ask, does it fit? Does it do what you expect it to?” says Haley.
Once we’re satisfied with our prototype, we take it out in the world to test it out! The new product might end up in the hands of a lactation expert, a pediatrician, or moms at a Mommy-And-Me class. The goal is to get as much input from users and professionals as possible, so we can tweak or refine the product as needed.
Then we balance out the feedback and look for the “happy medium” that fits most moms.
Step 3: Getting Tested in the Labs
Once the product has been well vetted, we send the finished product and its separate components off for rigorous testing by independent, third-party laboratories accredited by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
These industry-leaders in safety verify our compliance with the applicable federal and state safety requirements, as well as relevant industry standards. Our team collaborates with independent testing experts and safety professionals to ensure the highest level of quality and safety.
“Our quality and compliance team has had a hand in writing the CPSC standards for nursing pillows,” says Haley. “So we’ve been very involved in making sure we’re meeting safety standards!” And while we're always compliant with safety standards, we also make sure the product is usable and comfortable.
Once the labs sign off, and we triple check that we’re ready to move forward with a large manufacturing run, we start the ball rolling on production.
Step 4: Beginning Production
When we’re happy with the finished product, we hand off designs to our manufacturing partners to prepare the raw materials. Then our Arkansas-based fulfillment team packs each pillow with fluffy fiber filling, making sure they’re just the right firmness and weight, seals them up, puts them in their individual packaging and ships them off to our retailers.
That’s the last step before they land in the hands of parents everywhere who need helpful solutions designed with the health and safety of you and your baby in mind!
