Orange County Register

Moms become incredibly inventive when their baby’s blanket falls off the stroller and drags through the dirt.

At least Rina Yano and sister-in-law Tricia Manell did. The two moms created Stroller Suspenders and have started a company, Omma, based in Tustin that is now selling the product worldwide from the company web site.

They also have a large order from the 400-store Baby Depot and Stroller Suspenders should be on the shelves in August, Yano says.

The designer version sold only online costs $18. The Baby Depot Basic Series sells for $9.99. There are six colors.

The patent-pending design doesn’t snap on a baby’s hand or damage blankets, Yano says. They’re manufactured in the United States.

“We originally got the idea three years ago when my sister-in-law had her first baby. Then when my own son was born I discovered there was nothing like what I wanted on the market,” Yano says.

Yano is a practicing attorney so she was able to do all the legal work to start Omma. But Manell does all the day-to-day work.

Omma has become a real family affair. Yano’s dad Eiji Yano, owns A and F Inc., a computer distributor in Tustin, and handles Omma’s warehousing and shipping.

“We just had the designer line, and then Baby Depot approached us about making a more affordable version because of the economy,” Yano says. “Under $10 isn’t too much of a stretch, and I  hear that the baby industry is recession proof, so we’ll see. We do get a lot of orders for the designer line from grandparents.”

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