Unilove Grow with Me and FeedMe High Chair Review with Stin Kuo

Katie Ferraro (0s):

Are you about to start solid foods but you don't know where to start? Or maybe you started with some purees and now you want to make a switch? The best place To get started learning about starting solid foods safely is my one hour online video workshop called Baby-Led Weaning For Beginners. I just rerecorded this free training and it's packed with videos and visuals on how to safely prep baby-led weaning foods, what it looks like for the first few days, how to reduce Choking risk, and what to do if your baby has an allergic reaction to food. Everybody on this free training gets a copy of my original 100 First Foods list, so you'll never run out of ideas about what to feed your baby. Next, you can get signed up for this video workshop at babyledweaning.co.

Katie Ferraro (42s):

If you have one hour to dedicate to learning about baby-led weaning, come take this free online video training and grab your copy of that original 100 FIRST FOODS list. While you're there, again, head to babyledweaning.co to get signed up and I hope to see you there. Let's say you're interested in baby-led weaning, but your baby goes to daycare. What if I work and my baby goes to daycare? What does that look like? Or what if they tell me that they're not gonna do baby-led weaning at daycare? Well, you are daycare childcare providers. They are allies with you in starting solid foods. They're not your adversary. But I also get that it can be hard to have the conversation with daycare where you're like, so, okay, we're not gonna be force feeding our baby pureed food by spoon here.

Katie Ferraro (1m 26s):

If you want the exact scripts of what to say and how to talk to your daycare respectfully and in an informed way about baby-led weaning, I have a free feeding guide called How to Be a Baby-Led Weaning Advocate at Daycare. This free feeding guide is packed with practical and actionable tips about what to do and what to say when it comes to helping get your daycare provider on board with baby-led weaning. So you can be like the mom who wrote to me that her daycare said her baby is the best eater in the infant room. You can download How to Be a Baby-Led Weaning Advocate at daycare and all of my other free feeding guides. They're all on my website, babyledweaning.co/resources.

Stin Kuo (2m 8s):

We take a close look at how parent and kids use high chair in their daily lives. Our chairs are designed to be one hand adjustment, easy for parent, no complicated acrobatic required. At the end of the day, it's about creating product that truly fit into family lives, not disruptive. Plus, we always like to throw in a touch of elegance so parents don't feel like their dining room has been embedded by clunky baby furniture.

Katie Ferraro (2m 39s):

Hey there, I'm Katie Ferraro, registered dietitian, college nutrition professor and mom of seven specializing in baby-led weaning here on the Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro podcast. I help you strip out all of the noise and nonsense about feeding, giving you the confidence and knowledge you need to give your baby a safe start to Solid Foods using baby-led weaning.

Uni Love (3m 5s):

Earlier this year I went to the ABC Kids trade show in Las Vegas. I was looking to see if there was anything new or what was new in the high chair space and at the show there's a lot of fancy baby brands you already know of them. Most of them make expensive strollers and then like as an afterthought, they try to make a high chair and that high chair frankly is usually a crappy design that doesn't have an adjustable footrest or seat height. And it's gonna turn out to be way too big for your baby early on and then they're gonna quickly outgrow it. So the first boot that I happened upon at this show was the Taiwanese brand UniLove, and they had this whole bank of colorful portable high chairs with a really unique design. And I, I love different colored baby stuff because when my quadruplets were born we kind of just like defaulted to color coding them so they had the same color car seat and highchair just to kind of keep everything straight. So to this day I love brands that just don't default to like black, white and gray options. And so the Unlove portable high chairs, they were really eye catching in all their colors. So the co-founder of the Brandin, he was in the booth, we struck up a conversation and he started showing me the really unique feature of the Unilove Feed Me Go portable booster. So this is unique because it has an adjustable seat height that you turn with a knob. So this booster has an alloy steel frame. It's much sturdier than the portable height chairs that you're used to seeing in the United States, but I love that you could elevate the seat height to four different levels as your baby grows. 'cause that will keep their feet resting either flat on the floor if you're using it as a floor seat or flat on the seat of the adult chair or the bar stool if you're attaching it there. So existing US portable height chairs usually have at most two different height levels. So this, you know, Taiwanese design with four different levels, that was really fluid, it was really unique. So Stan explained that he and his brother, they co-founded this brand Unlove and he's my guest today on the podcast. Stan's going to explain the meaning behind the name of the brand, which is really interesting and didn't come to me at first, but I really like it. And he also showed me at that show their standard high chair, it's called The Grow With Me. And that was unlike a lot of other high chairs that you see in the United States. This has a very minimalist design, has both an adjustable footrest and a seat height as well as adjustable seat depth. So the brand sent me both the highchair to try out. I've been using them with babies in a number of different parent coaching sessions over the past few months and I'm, I'm really impressed Soin is unique in that he's a super hands-on co-founder of as I found out since working with them now for a couple of months, he's gonna be talking today about what it's like to bring high chairs into the US market and what their brand has struggled with and then what their successes have been. I am an affiliate for UniLove highchair 'cause I think they are an incredibly good value for a safe seat. If you want to check out either the UniLove Grow with me, their full-size highchair or their Feed Me Go portable booster, I will put the current discount code offer that I have for you in the episode description. But I just love to learn from and hear from the people behind the brands of products that I believe in and that I use on a regular basis. So with no further ado, I want to introduce you Stin Kuo from UniLove who's here to introduce you to the Unilove Grow with me and feed Me Highchair.

Stin Kuo (6m 12s):

Thank you Kathy for inviting me. I'm pretty excited.

Katie Ferraro (6m 15s):

Alright, So Unilove is, I really think it's a unique brand name. It's got a heartfelt story behind us. Can you tell us a little bit about how you and your brother came up with the name and then you know, what sort of values does that represent for your brand?

Stin Kuo (6m 28s):

So Unilove is combining of two words unique and love and the inspiration behind the brand came from a personal moment. The birth of my niece, when my brother held his first born for the very first time, he knew immediately that he would do anything for her. That love is unique but also universal. It's doesn't matter the race, age, or gender. Every parenting has the same unilove.

Katie Ferraro (6m 56s):

So what inspired you and your brother to start Unilove back in 2012? And then how has the brand evolved since then?

Stin Kuo (7m 3s):

So when my brother's daughter was born, our whole family was overjoyed and excited. We went all out like buying everything we thought my niece my need. But we quickly realized that how fast a baby can grow and how many products become useless after just a few months. That's why Unilove's mission is to simplify the daily parenting journey by creating multifunctional product that can be used for a longer period.

Katie Ferraro (7m 31s):

I remember you told me you had an industrial designer who contributes to the development of your products and we're gonna talk specifically about highchair today, but just tell us a little bit about the design process and then there's already a lot of highchairs on the market. So why did you guys decide to enter into the highchair market with your brand Unilove?

Stin Kuo (7m 49s):

So our design process starts with a very fancy research method. I like to tell people watching, but in a totally professional way. We take a close look at how parent and kids use high chair in their daily lives and it's all about observing those small real life moment and finding the little pinpoint people might not even notice themselves. For example, have you ever tried cleaning spaghetti sauce out of the impossible to reach space of the high chair? So that's why our industrial designer works hard to make everything simple to wipe down and as smooth as possible.

Stin Kuo (8m 30s):

And another things we notice is that Paris often struggle to adjust high chair with one hand because the other hand is usually like holding a squirming baby or you know, a slice of pizza. They haven't had time to eat yet. So our chairs are designed to be one hand adjustment, easy for parent, no complicated acrobatic required, and at the end of the day it's about creating product that truly fit into family lives, not disrupted. Plus we always like to throw in a touch of elegance so parents don't feel like their dining room has been embedded by clunky baby furniture because hey you can have kids and stuff, right?

Katie Ferraro (9m 14s):

Exactly. But you usually are gonna have to go digging around for that spaghetti sauce to clean it. And I know I've used your highchair pretty frequently as of late and they are quite easy to clean. So I appreciate that on behalf of all the parents. Now when you're designing a highchair, your industrial designer and your team, you guys have to balance safety and functionality and style. So how did the approach to those priorities when you're designing your high chairs, the Grow with Me, which is your everyday high chair that you might use in your kitchen and then the Feed Me Highchair, which is your portable high chairs, how did you get the safety, the functionality of the style to fit together? Because there's a lot of highchair that are ugly and very safe, there's high chairs that are beautiful and unsafe.

Katie Ferraro (9m 55s):

There's some that take up your whole kitchen, you know, how do you hit that balance?

Stin Kuo (10m 0s):

It's something we carefully consider with every product we design at Unilove. We see safety, functionality and style as equally important pillars. None can be compromised.

Katie Ferraro (10m 13s):

Stan, let's dive into the Grow with Me Highchair. What features make your highchair unique compared to the other ones that are on the market? And then how does it really adapt as the baby grows?

Stin Kuo (10m 22s):

We wanted to create something that doesn't just meet functional needs but also feel like part of the home. It's an indoor piece designed to blend beautifully with modern interior. The state lines thoughtful material and adjustable feature in short is as practical as it established it grow with the child, adapting from taller to bigger teeth or even a thought, making it a long-term part of the family space without feeling like a temporary baby item. And in short, whether it is a piece for on the go adventure like the Feed Me or a home stable, like the Grow with, we prioritize safety usability and design to feed seamlessly into family lives.

Katie Ferraro (11m 9s):

Stan, let's talk about the Feed Me Go portable high chair. I think this is a standout product. It definitely caught my eye the first time I saw it very different from the portable high chair that we have in the United States. Can you explain how the Feed Me Go portable high chair is designed to meet the needs of on-the-go parents and their babies

Stin Kuo (11m 26s):

Is designed as an outdoor portable option for family and let go. Safety is non-negotiable here. So we build it with a steady low steel base structure to ensure incredibly steady functionality comes in the form of its full level height of adjustment. So it adapts as your child growth or wherever you are dining, whether it's a picnic bench or a restaurant table. And when it comes to portability is both compact, making it easy to carry or store in the car for parent is a game changer, practical, reliable, and ready to keep up with an active lifestyle.

Katie Ferraro (12m 7s):

Hey, we're gonna take a quick break, but I'll be right back.

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Katie Ferraro (13m 56s):

Stan, I met you at the ABC Kids Show in Las Vegas in the earlier part of 2024. And I love that you were there with all of the highchair that were different colors and it was very kinda eye catching and I definitely noticed that with your portable high chair it did have that alloy steel base and that's really unique, like a lot of portable high chairs that are, you know, very popular in the United States. They are made out of plastic and canvas and that's it. And you might get a year or two out of them, but I could tell that years were really kind of designed for the long term but then priced affordably as well. So I, I think there's definitely a need for that, especially in the US market. I know you entered the US market in 2019 after focusing on Asia. Could you talk a little bit about the challenges that you encountered when you were making this transition and then did you have to change your products for the US market based on, you know, safety or preference or aesthetic?

Stin Kuo (14m 46s):

So one of the first challenge we faced was cultural difference. For example, our undergo lightweight stroller sells really well in most Asia countries. However, the difference in lifestyle between countries may be much harder to promote the product the same way we did in the past. So that's why when designing product for diverse market, we focus on understanding local parenting culture and lifestyle. We invest in research like surveys and focus group to learn what parents in each region value most. And encore we aim to create versatile high quality product that parents around the world love while customizing features to fit each region specific need.

Stin Kuo (15m 32s):

This approach has helped us successfully come down with different market. So tion material is, is the same in worldwide but in the US market so far, our milk tea, our vegan leather sells the most compares to to other colors.

Katie Ferraro (15m 48s):

So you have your products launching at Target and Walmart. How do you see Unilove growing its presence in the US And like what kind of feedback have you gotten from parents and then you know, ultimately what's your goal for these highchairs in the United States market?

Stin Kuo (16m 1s):

Launching Unilove product at Target and Walmart in 2024 is a significant milestone for us and we see it as a major step in expanding our presence in the us. This partnership allows us to connect with more American family and make our product easily accessible to parents nationwide. And our focus moving forward is to continue building brand and recognition by highlighting our commitment to creating a multifunctional high quality product that simplify parenting journey. We also plan to engage more with parent through social media, parenting community and in store event to build trust and gather direct feedback.

Katie Ferraro (16m 46s):

And I can tell you honestly, as I know, we've been working with you as an affiliate now for a number of months and whenever we post anything about the Feed me booster, especially the knob design that adjusts the seat height, I think it's like a mind blowing feature for a portable height chair. Like that content really takes off and that resonates with parents because they're starting to hear the message about the importance of proper high chair positioning and you don't always eat in the high chair that you have in your house or a lot of families with small spaces or they're at grandma's house, they're using the portable high chair for everyday use. And I love how you can attach that to your adult bar stool. I know we were doing some YouTube videos and highchair reviews yesterday and it's just so easy to get that booster onto a chair, onto a bar stool if you need it so that that baby can be joining you at the table.

Katie Ferraro (17m 33s):

I was noticing the portable booster has a three point harness and then your standard grow with me has a five point harness. Is there any possibility in the future you would consider a five point harness for the portable? Just 'cause I know that's something that is important yet not required in the United States, but more and more parents are asking about that from a safety standpoint.

Stin Kuo (17m 52s):

Yes. If this is something like market, the our, our audience really wants, we definitely can have our design team to come out with some solution. This is doable.

Katie Ferraro (18m 3s):

Stan, what's next for Unilove? Do you have new products in the pipeline or innovations, any upgrades to the high chairs coming that you can share about

Stin Kuo (18m 11s):

So we are constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of family and we are excited about what's coming next. So two key innovation are currently in the pipeline. The first is an accessories for our Grow with me high chair, which includes two exciting addition, a learning tower attachment, and a baby lounge accessory. The Learning Tower attachment is designed for color who love being parts of the action, it transform their high chair into a safe, stable platform at counter height. So little one can join their parents in meal prep or other activities and encourage independence, family interaction and hands on learning.

Stin Kuo (18m 54s):

And as regard for the baby lounge accessory, on the other hand, extend the usability of our high chair for newborn, allows parents to place their youngest comfortably and securely at Temple Height, making it easier to keep an eye on them during mealtime or family gallery.

Katie Ferraro (19m 12s):

I love that. I love both of those. I think the transition to the learning tower is so smart. I've seen parents who want to have a learning tower where they don't want this huge clunky, extra piece of equipment. You take the high chair, turn it into the learning tower. Now a lot of families are still using their highchairs for their toddlers. And I'm curious, can you go from the learning tower back to the toddler chair or highchair pretty easily or does it require tools? What's that transition gonna be like?

Stin Kuo (19m 38s):

It will be like two, three convertible. You have you, we are gonna simply remove the back rest of the highchair and then attach our learning tower accessory set. So you can set it up in like one minute without any tool accessory, without any tool required.

Katie Ferraro (19m 56s):

I think the no tools thing is Keith, especially for families. I love that you had the design thought to, you know, you're holding a baby and you're trying to get the tray on or you're trying to get the harness undone. And I know with your chairs you guys have really put that thought into there because you know, parents are busy and they, you don't oftentimes think about that stuff when you're choosing a highchair. So I appreciate you coming on and explaining it. And also thank you for, you know, bringing these products to the United States. 'cause it's really cool to see the features that we don't always get in high chairs here. And I think you're really kind of forcing American brands to up their game too, because for a lot of times, you know, for a long time there's been a lot of really crappy cheap high chairs that have just been the standard. The same is true with strollers. Like 10 years ago you couldn't get a stroller with, you know, European or Asian design in the US and then once they started appearing, I think a rising tide raises all ships.

Katie Ferraro (20m 43s):

Like a lot of the baby products have really leveled up and in highchair it's really about functionality and safety. Like there's not bells and whistles on there that you don't need. Like there's no, you know, you can't recline your highchair, you shouldn't recline a baby in a highchair, right? That opens up their airway and increases the risk of choking. But there was a trend there where these European highchair were on the US market and oh well you can recline it. It's like that actually makes the highchair more dangerous. But here you come with a highchair, with an adjustable footrest, adjustable seat height and seat depth, a portable chair where you can adjust the height. Like these are important for helping the babies get their feet resting flat on a solid foot plate, which we know stabilizes their core and promotes a safe swallow and it's making other highchair brands start to pay attention to. So I know it's a lot of work, you and your brother, I mean, it blows my mind that you're like how much you're doing.

Katie Ferraro (21m 29s):

And I know having been able to work directly with you, you're doing a lot. So thank you for all that you've done and for bringing these products to the US and I know that they're helping a lot of families and will continue to do so in the future.

Stin Kuo (21m 40s):

Thank you and I'm glad you like it. Thank you for that.

Katie Ferraro (21m 43s):

Well, I hope you enjoyed that interview, with Stin Kuo from Unlove, he was teaching about the Grow with me and the Feed Me Highchairs. I have some offers for you if you're interested in checking those out at a discounted rate. You can see them in the description below this episode or they'll be on the show notes, which you can find at blwpodcast.com/489.

Airwave Media (22m 1s):

A special thank you to our partners at AirWave Media. If you like podcasts that feature food and science and using your brain, check out some of the podcasts from AirWave. We're online at blwpodcast.com. Thanks so much for listening and I'll see you next time.