Tiny Tongs give mothers a break at dinner time

Gig Harbor mom invents new product to help babies eat

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

If you want to know how to feed a child, ask a mother. And the mother of invention is often necessity.

With her third child, Gig Harbor mother Carys Bice decided she’d had enough of seeing the majority of her baby’s food end up somewhere other than its mouth.

So Bice invented “Tiny Tongs,” a utensil designed for young children. The tongs are made from non-toxic polypropylene and TPE over-molding, which allows them to stay in baby’s mouth without a metallic taste.

“I got tired of picking up food from the floor,” Bice said. “I didn’t mind the kids using their hands, but they get a little old for that.”

Bice said toddlers have a tendency to shovel food across their plate with regular adult-type utensils, but the food eventually ends up being pushed off the plate. Children also twist their forks and spoons before they enter their mouths, and the food often gets dumped.

The Tiny Tongs act more like human fingers and can round up more food, Bice said.

Bice’s former occupation as a marriage and family therapist made her question why dinnertime was so stressful with young children.

She decided to look for a solution.

“They don’t get enough food in their mouths,” Bice said. “Then they get frustrated and make a mess. They can hold these (tongs) in their hands the whole time they’re eating, and they get excited about having their own thing.

“I’ve had feedback that even if they’re too young to use them, they still make them feel more independent.”

Bice began to look for ways to help her children feed themselves when she picked up a pair of bamboo tongs at a kitchen store. Although they didn’t have the durability to stand up to toddlers, she said they had the right idea.

Bice’s husband, a product designer, thought his wife might be on to something.

The Tiny Tongs emerged as a sketch in 2007. After they researched patents, developed a Web site and jumped through all the hoops it takes to launch a new product, the tongs became a reality last August.

Bice said one of the surprises was that the tongs attracted a new market: People who suffer from strokes, Parkinson’s disease or those with disabilities found the product helpful at their dinner table.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” she said. “It makes sense. The pinchers make it easier for them to grasp.”

For now, Bice said she aims at making life better for mothers and children.

“You feed a small child three, four, five times a day,” she said. “The easier that is, the better.”

Order Tiny Tongs online

The Web site for the patented tinytongs is www.tinytongs.com.