The Coolest Under-the-Radar Baby & Kids' Gear We Spotted at the ABC Kids Expo

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Every year, a ton of baby and kids’ brands converge for a huge convention called the ABC Kids’ Expo. It’s a huge, multi-day event where companies showcase their star products and introduce the industry to their up-and-coming offerings — the next big thing. So as you can imagine, there are lots of big-name brands at the expo. And we love the big brands! They’re obviously good; they wouldn’t have made it to “household name” status if they made crappy products. But you know what we also love? Supporting small businesses, and discovering cool things that may not be on the average consumer’s radar — yet.

I was privileged to attend this year’s ABC Kids’ Expo, and saw a ton of stuff that nearly made my head spin. However, beyond flashy top-dollar displays and recognizable names, I was looking for passion: companies that believe in their products, that work hard to bring families like yours and mine the best of the best. And to be honest, I saw no greater passion than the folks at the small business booths. They’re the ones who don’t yet have the high level of visibility and marketing clout that their bigger competitors enjoy. They’re the ones who are pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into a dream, the ones who are doing the work of entire teams by themselves in order to design and manufacture and ship and get the word out.

In the coming days, we’ll be sharing a lot of cool things that I saw at the ABC Kids’ Expo — but I wanted to begin with my favorite: the small businesses that stood out from the crowd.