Do It All Mamas (& Papas): Meet the mom and pop team behind Little Keeper Sleeper

The Steinberg family

In today's Do It All Mamas (& Papas) the spotlight is on Mike & Kris Steinberg, parents to four: Haley (age 7) and the triplets - Austin, Alexa & Kaitlyn (age 5), and the founders/owners of Little Keeper Sleeper.

Examiner: Tell me something unique/interesting about yourself.

Kris: We met each other when we were sixteen years old and dated each other for ten years before getting married, so we are high school sweethearts!   Many people are intrigued that we have triplets.  In fact, it's because of them that we were inspired to create this product.  Our company name, Miraquad, represents the miracle of our four children.

Examiner: What is your business all about? 

Mike: The Little Keeper Sleeper is a specialty sleeper that puts a stop to unwanted removal of sleepers and diapers.  So when you go to get your toddler in the morning or from his nap, you won't find him with his sleeper and diaper on the floor and/or a mess in the crib.  Instead, you'll find your little one with his sleeper and diaper securely on and no mess to clean!  

Our product is different than any other on the market because of three key elements:  the zipper goes along the back of the garment, the neck does not stretch and there is a unique snap closure system that prevents the zipper from going down.  Without this combination, we found that kids could stretch the necks and wiggle out of the garment or get to the zipper and pull it down.  That won't happen with our design.  It's made with 100% soft cotton and is neutral in color.  In addition to a quality product, we feel that our customers deserve exceptional service.  We enjoy talking with our customers and receiving feedback from them.  

Photo by: Maggie Phillips of Maggie Phillips Photography

Readers can use the voucher code lks10sp to receive 10% off at checkout when they place an order through our website: littlekeepersleeper.com.

Examiner: What is your favorite product that you make or sell and why do you like or recommend it?

Kris: At this time, the Little Keeper Sleeper is our only product.  We hope to expand in the near future with a line of Little Keeper Sleepers that have short sleeves and we also have a few more ideas in mind.  We highly recommend this product because it truly helps parents make this phase of toddlerhood manageable and stress free.  It not only helps parents of toddlers, but also those with special needs like Autism or Down Syndrome.  We also recommend this product because we have had wonderful success - even the greatest little Houdini's have not been able to remove this sleepwear.

Examiner: Why did you start your business?

Mike: We started our business for a couple of reasons.  First, when the triplets were just about 2 years old, they went through the phase of taking off their sleepers and diapers at nap time and in the morning. After the second day of it, we were on the search to find a product to stop the behavior!  We could not find anything that we felt was safe, comfortable, and that would work well.  So we set out to create such a product.  This leads to the second reason for creating our product.  After talking with many parents about this, we discovered just how many toddlers go through this phase, which is quite natural according to our pediatrician, and we truly wanted to help other parents who were going through this same frustrating time with their kids. 

Examiner: What secret do you have to share with other parents about "having it all" with your family and business?

Kris:  Our business is important to us, but we always put family as our first priority.  We make sure that we spend enough time with the kids during the day and do most of our work at night after they go to bed. Knowing that we want to provide the best for our children is our number one motivator to make this business a success.  Having our own business means that we can make our hours work around our family's schedule so they never feel that their time is compromised.  Sometimes this is tough to do, but it's important.

Examiner: What is the number one piece of advice you have for other parents?

Mike: As parents, other than telling and showing your kids that you love them everyday, be consistent.  This lets them clearly know what's acceptable, what's not, and that there are consequences (both positive and negative) for their actions. 

Examiner: What is your (and your kids) favorite family activity?

Kris: We like to go bike riding together, play games, have movie night, play with our fabulous dog,  and read stories every night before bedtime.

Examiner: Anything else you want to add?

Kris:  If you have a dream of starting a business - don't give up.  From the time we came up with the concept of the Little Keeper Sleeper to the time it hit the marketplace, it was nearly three years.  It was tough to put a lot of time into it when we had four little ones at home with us.  So be persistent, but take your time and do things correctly.  People may try to deter you, but if you feel its right, go for it!