Where did the idea for this product come from? We were inspired by loved ones. One night, some dear friends described a problem they were having with their twin toddler boys: while they were changing the diaper for one of the boys for bedtime, the other twin would have some fun and turn off the lights. The challenge: create a protective light switch cover to stop the “on-off” switch battle. The result: the HomeStar Safety™ Switch Guard.
Although the inspiration for this product is a fun story, we realized that this could also be a serious problem if the switch controls an appliance, a ceiling or whole house fan, a garbage disposal, or a gas fireplace controlled by a switch (see our personal story below). We uncovered a safety concern for families, so we were driven to create a solution. The real challenge was to invent a protective light switch cover that is actually effective with toddlers without being a nuisance for their parents to use – we believe we’ve accomplished that with our switch guards. With its patented design, they are difficult for small children to open but easily opened by an adult.
Check out our original HomeStar Safety™ Switch Guard video. In it, you’ll also see the twin boys who inspired our new product!
A Personal Story
Before we were able to install an early prototype of our switch guard in his home, one of our co-founders discovered his 19-month old son had climbed a chair to flip on their fireplace switch and turned on their gas fireplace. The little fellow was blowing on the fire like a birthday cake candle! After we finally installed a HomeStar Safety™ Switch Guard on the fireplace switch, it effectively prevented his son from playing with it. Mom captured him testing our innovative switch cover on her phone! Click the cute picture our little product tester to see the video!
