Some companies start in garages, some in basements.
BabySmart traces its unique beginnings to … a nursery. Truthfully, to a changing table ... and to one of the most basic (and frequent) of baby-care tasks: changing diapers.

When Diane Zissu’s son Travis was born in 1993, she quickly became frustrated by the dearth of what she considered to be the most basic, logical baby and toddler-care aids (like something to keep her package of baby wipes stationary while she struggled to hold Travis in place, lift the lid and peel off a wipe).

Her solution was simple: She invented what she needed – putting to personal use her professional expertise in commercial interior design, along with her first computer.

It wasn’t such a stretch, moving from the business of design and function for clients to design and function for the nursery. With the aid of her new computer, she researched the most functional and highest-quality materials to create high-style products that were both visually appealing and functional – initially just for her own little ones.

Diane’s First ‘Smart’ Products

By the time she’d become the mom of three babies in as many years (Jared arrived in 1994 and Laina in 1995), Diane had created two changing table necessities: a baby-wipes holder that grips the wipes container, and a diaper holder that holds a stack of 20 diapers – both of which attach to the changing table. No more fumbling for wipes and diapers during the changing process.

One day, hearing Dad declare he would not change a diaper without her baby-wipes holder, Diane suddenly realized she had created something special. She used her computer to play around with possible names for the products, which led to experimenting with ideas for a company name … and BabySmart was born.

BabySmart’s early product launches included the first-ever Baby-Wipes Holder and Diaper Holder, made of flexible plastic. As her kids got a little older, Diane quickly followed up with other “smart” necessities, the BabySmart Potty Mat – a protective, non-skid foam mat that is used in the bathroom during toilet training – and the BabySmart Lap Bib – a 14-inch-long bib with a pocket at the bottom, designed to keep kids clean during meal and snack time.

Fast-Forward to 2007
BabySmart, USA Today

Diane Zissu’s “fourth baby” is now 12 years old, while Travis is 15, Jared, 14, and Laina, 13. As “Mom, CEO and Founder” of BabySmart, USA, Diane continues to apply her “mom” experience and professional design expertise to developing “smart” products that are both functional and fun, in sleek styles and cool colors.

Working more recently in silky-surfaced, high-density foam, she has brought to market a number of her truly original ideas for “smart products with a purpose.” Diane combines simple – almost abstract – designs with the quality and substance that she has always delivered for all of her clients.

Over the years, BabySmart has helped grateful parents with a string of “firsts,” including the first-ever molded foam booster seat, the Original “Cooshie” Booster, now called the Cooshee™ Booster Classic. Moms across the United States rated it the booster of choice in a “Mom-Tested” competition sponsored by Parenting Magazine in 2004. Two years later, the Cooshee Booster earned The National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval.

Kids and Parents Love BabySmart Products

Like the Baby-Wipes Holder and the Diaper Holder, the Cooshie Booster was created in response to a genuine personal need: Diane’s three little kids just would not sit down – and when they finally did, they wouldn’t be still. So she designed a comfortable, “cooshie” booster seat, made of molded foam. Finally, her little ones sat – and stopped wiggling.

When Diane held a yard sale and included 30 additional red foam booster prototypes she’d produced, every one of them disappeared in the first few hours. They were logical products that met a common need, she realized – and other moms recognized that, too.

Based on her personal success with her unique foam booster seat, when Diane introduced the Cooshie Booster to the public, she guaranteed that the Cooshie Booster “will keep your toddler seated longer or your money back.” BabySmart still makes that guarantee today.

Other “smart products with a purpose” have since joined the BabySmart line, including the Cooshee Booster Hybak, Cooshee TubGuards and, most recently, the Cooshee Changer. Kids and parents alike love Diane’s BabySmart creations; in fact, in online reviews, parents consistently award five-star ratings to BabySmart products.