Inspirational Mom Jonelle Krier of Assessables

You know when you come across a product and think “why didn’t I think of that” or “why didn’t someone think of this sooner?”  is what I thought when I saw the Assessables Umbilical Bodysuit that Registered Nurse Jonelle Krier invented.  Her company is a 2012 HuggiesMom Inspired Grant and she tells us more about why she created this important piece of clothing every mother should be given at the hospital to take home with them.  I love her story as it shows that she saw a need for a product that parents could use for their newborn and took the steps to make it happen. 

Tell us how you came up with the idea for the Assessables Umbilical Bodysuit.

 All new parents are concerned about cord care. When discharged from the hospital they are instructed to air dry their newborn’s umbilical cord. Yet newborn clothing completely covers, even restricts, the area. As an obstetrical nurse I found it frustrating, even embarrassing, to tell parents they needed to do something without offering a method in which to do it.

Air exposure has been proven to be the safest, most effective method to assure drying of the cord as it heals and detaches. Use of chemicals around the cord is strongly discouraged. While diaper companies like Huggies® responded to this new standard by providing an umbilical cord cut out, the garment industry did not leaving parents to be inventive.

I realized there was a great need for an updated newborn garment that allows the cord to be exposed and assessed during the healing process while keeping baby covered and warm. Thus the idea for Assessables® was born – an umbilical bodysuit meeting the needs of today’s newborn!

What have been some of the challenges of juggling motherhood and running a business?  What are steps you take to create a balanced home life?

While surfing the web one day, I stumbled across the Huggies MomInspired Grant program and thought, wow this might be a great fit for my product! Assessables® is not only inspired by me, a mom, grandmother and nurse, but also by all of the new moms out there who want to do the best for their baby.

Any news you want to share with dandelion moms?

 What started out as a simple white bodysuit has now turned into something bigger! We are expanding our product line to colors and more sizes. In a few weeks we will launch an “Assessables® Take-me-home” outfit that will include the bodysuit with matching pants. The grant money from Huggies® is allowing us to develop even more innovative newborn products – something for which I am extremely thankful!

Thank you Jonelle for creating such a great product for parents to use on their newborns!  I sure wish I had one of these bodysuits when my daughter was a newborn!

Jonelle Krier, RN

www.assessables.com