ROCKFORD, Mich. — Jason Hornor knew parenthood would bring stress, but what he didn't expect was a lack of the products he needed. He and his wife have an active lifestyle, and when their son Porter was born four years ago, they vowed to remain moving.
The one thing that slowed them down was diaper changes, more specifically the lack of public changing stations.
"You're in a restaurant that doesn’t have a changing table, you're hiking, your biking," he explained.
He was sent into action after a mishap in a cafe bathroom when Porter was just six months old.
"I was in a restaurant having a coffee, our car was a mile away. I take him to the bathroom, and this bathroom is as small as a café. I can touch all four walls... I basically tried to change him on the toilet seat and his head's rolling one way, and his hands are getting into stuff...It was terrible, just terrible," he recalled.
Hornor said he looked all over for portable changing products but couldn't find anything that met his needs. That's when the software developer decided to create a device himself.
The Toot & Tote Table has been three years in the making, and in July it finally received its patent. The portable changing table can be found on Amazon for $50.
"It may not be for everybody, but there are people who I think it could really help," Hornor said.
Fully extended, the table lays around 2 feet by 18 inches and can hold up to 100 pounds. For carrying purposes, it collapses to 4 inches long and wide to fit inside a portable pouch.
The table can be used seated or standing and has met all required safety elements via third-party testing.
"I can go wherever I want to go, and I can handle whatever is thrown at us, and it's just liberating," Hornor said.
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