Founders Lorraine Akemann and Annabel Heinemann met through the Redwood City (California) Mothers Club when their children were toddlers. My Busy Kit started from an idea Annabel had while traveling with her three children in Mexico. Her mother-in-law had packed them a clear bag full of interesting gadgets to help keep the children entertained. From the road, Annabel called Lorraine to announce, “I think we’ve got something here – let’s team up!”  With five kids between them, they started finding and testing items that kids found interesting. Their goal was to assemble a kit that would keep kids occupied, making travel a little easier on parents, and a lot of fun for kids.

For the first several months, Lorraine and Annabel sent out tester kits to everybody they knew. The results were very positive! They launched the product at a preschool fair in spring 2007, and two years and 2000 kits later they are still going strong!

Their combined 2008 travel itineraries included Alaska, Vermont, Oregon, Illinois, New York, Mexico and Nicaragua. Both families survived airport security lines, travel delays, and even third-world hospital visits, thanks to the contents packed in their kits.