Our Story
Hello!
The short version of Our Story
We’re so excited to share our invention with you. We are two moms with young kiddos who have been searching for a way to make flying more relaxing for our children, which means more relaxing for us too.
The Original Fly Tot® cushion is an inflatable bit of magic that allows your little ones to lie flat on a regular economy seat. It also works great on premium economy.
While airplanes have been offering more entertainment options for kids - which we are very grateful for - the comfort of the seats have not improved much, making it difficult for kids to sleep for long periods of time.
So, in 2013 we began dreaming about what we could do to improve the flying experience. Working between our day jobs, we eventually developed what is now the The Original Fly Tot® cushion.
When we first started this journey, our goal and focus was to create something that would make traveling better for all families. We spent a couple of years working on our design - making adjustments and improvements along the way. We traveled numerous flights with our prototypes and discovered that our kids began to sleep much better with our invention, and neighboring passengers were intrigued. We started to feel as if we were onto something... something unique. We decided to go into production in 2014 and here we are today! Our customers often tell us that our original Fly Tot inflatable cushion is the travel essential for toddlers.
Our company mission and mantra as moms and entrepreneurs is to live honestly, sincerely and with deep integrity. We also thrive to empower everyone to dream, think creatively, get messy...while always continuing to be kind to one another. And, when things seem low, we learn to lean on each other - to cry and laugh together because we at Fly Tot® believe the light always shines brightest on the authentic ones, and being true to yourself and each other makes for a better outcome as we go through this journey together.
Happy Traveling, Winnie + Kate
Winnie
I've always loved to travel. Starting from elementary school, my family would take advantage of every school holiday to either take road trips or ride an airplane to visit a farther destination. In high school and college, the only way I was able to make it through all my midterms and exams was by planning trips with friends during our breaks. Once married, my husband and I eagerly traveled around the world and discovered our love for food and wine along the way. Even into my 3rd trimester, I flew to Hong Kong in search for an apartment as we embarked on our next adventure on the other side of the world.
The idea for Fly Tot came after traveling on numerous sleepless flights across the Pacific Ocean with two little ones. While many infants and toddlers can sleep peacefully on long flights, my girls could never sleep more than a couple of hours at a time. And, since the girls wouldn’t always sleep at the same time, I got virtually no rest on these cross-Pacific flights. Thus, along with my husband, a mechanical engineer by training, we designed the original Fly Tot. With the Fly Tot, my girls were able to lie nearly flat in their seats, helping them sleep for over six hours on a flight.
Kate
I want to know you by name and share a good laugh with you is my current motto in life. Why?... because I'm madly enamored with the creativity and kindness of people and hearing their stories. I suppose this is why I'm obsessed with exploring (a.k.a. traveling), which brings all the best things in life together.
I'm a designer, visual communicator, entrepreneur and a mom.
Us
We first met in San Francisco, California through mutual friends and hit it off immediately. We were young, single and kids-less at the time. Those days, we ate at fancy restaurants and wore beautiful high heels. We have been friends for a long time now and share a love for travel, kids, eating and problem-solving. We still love beautiful shoes too. We've never actually lived in the same city, yet have maintained contact, even before social media. We have a deep appreciation for each other, mostly we think, because our core values are similar - it's all about family and living a sincere life.
Now, we're here working together in ways neither of us ever imagined.
We hope you enjoy the Fly Tot inflatable cushion on your next flight! Please share your travel experiences with us by following @flytottravel and check us out on Facebook.
