If you’re a parent or caregiver of a child under the age of five, you know how difficult it can be to go anywhere in public.
It seems like you have to pack the entire house into one small diaper bag, and you inevitably forget something along the way.
When Jasmin Smith of Anchorage, Alaska became of mom of twins, she began experiencing what every other parent experiences- the frightening task of getting her children to a public place and home in one piece.
During one outing, her infant son had a diaper blowout and she didn’t have enough spare supplies to depend on. Smith got through that disaster by creating a diaper out of underwear and paper towels, but she vowed to do whatever she could to make sure another parent never experienced what she did.
That’s when Smith’s entrepreneurial spirit combined with her newfound experience with motherhood and a genius idea was born. Smith thought it would be great to have vending machines set up in public locations where parents could purchase baby supplies instead of snacks and drinks.
She quickly set about putting her idea into action and created a business plan for what she named, Baby Vend.
Baby Vend has everything a parent could possibly need in an emergency while out in a public place. Diapers, changing pads, sippy cups, pacifiers, lactation pads, and nursing cookies, and spare clothing are just a few items offered in these unique vending machines.
Smith started by placing a Baby Vend vending machine at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, where it’s received a positive welcome.
After seeing how her idea took off, Smith also met with the makers of the hit television show “Shark Tank” for a casting call.
She hopes to bring her baby vending machine idea to the national level so that her business can extend past Alaska and reach parents around the world.
Smith says her goal is to have her vending machines “be anywhere a parent is that travels or has family outings, so parents can get past this, ‘I have to have the perfect diaper bag in order to have a good experience’.”
As a mom of twins, Smith understands all too well the stress of getting young children to a public place and home without experiencing any catastrophes.
Her hope is that her Baby Vend machines will make life a little easier for parents.
