Consumer Editor Emma McKinney meets the Midland mums who turned their potty training woes into a product hitting shop and supermarket shelves across the UK.
POTTY training can be a stressful time for many parents.
And Midland mum Judith Hough felt first-hand the emotional and physical tolls of the developmental milestone when her son Harry was being potty trained four years ago.
At the time, little did she realise that the issues she was facing with the toddler, who is now seven, would be the start of a business venture that would see her developing a toilet training product that would end up on the shelves of more than 600 shops and supermarkets across the country.
Judith, aged 39, who grew up in Solihull and now lives in Alcester, Warwickshire, explains: “Back in 2007, my son was having accidents and I sought medical advice on how to cope. I was told to continue with just pants and take my son out of nappies, but it simply wasn’t working and Harry was having more accidents and he was getting stressed, as was I with all the washing loads it generated.
“I felt there must be a more obvious solution, so I had the idea for disposable toilet training pads that fit in a child’s own pants, I felt there was a real need and a gap in the market.”
Judith joined forces with friend and fellow Midland mum Diane Titterton to set to work on creating the pads, they called Dry Like Me.
Former marketing consultant Diane, 38, who has daughters Heather, 10, and Grace, eight, explains: “I had taken a career break to have my children and after my youngest started school I was keen to get back to work and was determined to follow my dream of owning my own business. One day I met up with Jude who told me about her idea to develop the children’s pants liner and I was immediately hooked.
“I can still vividly remember standing in her kitchen and I could almost feel the earth shift as my direction in life was suddenly shifted and mapped out.”
The couple did not take the business venture lightly. They carried out independent research, asking 201 mums to try product samples for a week on children aged between 18 months and seven years old, who were all experiencing problems with potty training.
They were thrilled when the results showed the pads had reduced the number of accidents children had by up to 43 per cent within the week.
The pair quickly patented the product and found a manufacturer to produce it. Before long they had their first order, supplying to 110 stores owned by Morrisons.
Their product, which costs £3.49 for a pack of 18, is now also available at ASDA, Sainsbury’s and Wilkinson’s and they hope to quadruple sales this year.
During the product’s development, the pair also worked closely with the children’s charity ERIC – Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence. ERIC spokeswoman Jenny Perez says: “We took a keen interest in the development of the product and genuinely believe it will be a relief for many parents experiencing problems.’’