Yak About It > Yak Nation > September 22, 2009

September 22, 2009

OnTray easily attaches to the handlebar of the shopping cart, facing the child in the seat part of the cart, allowing you to place their favorite snack in it. OnTray encourages your child’s independence and frees up your hands to shop more efficiently. In this economy, we can all stand to shop a little more cost-effectively! It’s hip, BPA free, made in the USA!

A few of years ago, I was at the grocery store with all three of my boys. Jack and Luke were "driving" the shopping cart that looks like a truck. Ty, not even a year yet, was up front in the child seat part of the cart. I was handing him one snack at a time from a container that I carried with me everywhere I went. I was trying to shop, contain my "little truck drivers", browse through my coupons, keep Ty happy and get all of the items on my list. Needless to say, I came home with a bunch of junk that Jack and Luke threw in the cart and was completely frazzled. I swore never to go shopping with the kids again! That day, while the children were napping, I did some research on the web and found there wasn't a product available that would free up adult hands to shop and keep little hands busy. OnTray was born. It was born out of neces

Attn: Laura Hamrick

Laura Hamrick, who holds a degree in Early Childhood Development and mother of 3, invented the award-winning OnTray in 2006. As President of 42Kids, the parent company for OnTray, Laura runs the business from Ohio which has experienced national media exposure on numerous television and radio programs as well as print and online news. In addition to being selected for inclusion in the 2008 Oscar® Nominee Gift Bags, OnTray has received numerous awards including the New Parents Guide Seal of Approval, was selected as one of The Top 10 Most Innovative 2007 by StartupNation and is currently awaiting patent approval. A natural leader, Laura is also the founder of WNGCO (Women’s Networking Group of Central Ohio).

I almost quit about half way through the invention process. I had received a prototype that was not right and it cost me a few hundred dollars and I said to my husband “that’s it, I quit!” Well unbeknown to me, he left in my SUV (with vanity ONTRAY plates) and headed to our local grocery store. He “borrowed” a shopping cart, threw it in the back of the car and brought it home. Once he was home he came in to find me and show me the cart. He thought that if my “muse” was in front of me I could then create the perfect version of OnTray. I laughed so hard, but you know what? He was right. I couldn’t give up. How funny that a cart was all I needed!