Sarah Amritt: Giving Parents A Peace of Mind

Creating a life-saving product reducing the risk of SIDS in infants for parents by parents.

Today, many parents use bassinets because they are convenient and mobile, but end up quickly returning their bassinets because they can’t see their baby properly at all times. Easy to use and flexibility at its best, the Omie View Bassinet Mirror is designed to give parents peace of mind. The Omie View Bassinet Mirror clips onto the bassinet and allows parents to control the mirror’s angle via remote control. The Omie View Bassinet Mirror provides an added range of view of the inside of the bassinet, without the parent/caregiver needing to get up from the bed or sofa, or even be able to multi task around the house while having clear view of the baby resting. This is not a camera or app that requires loading or anything else–this is real time, real image of your baby at the moment you need it. And the Omie View is as mobile as your bassinet or playpen; take it with you or move it around wherever you take your bassinet; quickly adjust it as needed with the remote control as many times as you need to.

Sarah Amritt, Co-Founder/Inventor of the Omie View Bassinet Mirror, came up with the idea to create one when her second daughter, Alana, was born. She was a very quiet sleeper and Sarah was paranoid that she had either stopped breathing or had her face up against the side of the bassinet because she would slowly shift to the sides of the bassinet when sleeping. After realizing there was nothing like it in the market, Sarah pitched her idea to her husband, Omar Amritt. Omar Amritt, Co-Founder of the Omie View Bassinet Mirror, created the first prototype. Omar has been at the forefront of the mechanics and design of the mirror, working closely with the Omie View Bassinet Mirror manufacturer to ensure the product works effectively. The husband and wife duo are parents to Suri & Alana Amritt, the inspirations for this life-saving product, made to help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in infants. In an interview with Beyond Exclamation, Sarah talked about her journey of becoming founder, Omie View Bassinet Mirror, challenges as well as achievements, and more. Below are the excerpts from the same interview.

What was your goal while growing up? Did you always wanted to be where you are right now?

Growing up, I had two goals for myself—become a ballerina and an engineer.  These goals strongly represent my personality: soft-spoken girly-girl and logical thinker, problem solver.  While I enjoyed dance, I also loved to play with legos, Lincoln logs, and a microscope set.  The first goal quickly faded away after starting college and noticed I didn’t have much time between engineering classes, studying, and working part-time.  Since then, I have become a civil engineer / project manager for a consulting firm, and an entrepreneur / inventor of the Omie View Bassinet Mirror.  I can say that I always envisioned myself being an engineer and a mother at this point of my life.  However, being an inventor and owner of a business was not something that I had planned.  It’s a bonus for me.  My engineering skills of problem solving did greatly help with my invention, as well as my “paranoid mom” traits that came about after becoming a mother of two. 

What are some of the most important achievements, highlights, biggest challenges or roadblocks of your journey as a leader? If possible, kindly help us with statistical insights as an overview of your individual achievements.

My biggest achievement has been to be in my current position with my employer, run my personal business, and be a wife and mother.  While being my biggest achievement, its also my biggest challenge.  It means continuously working on maintaining a healthy work/life balance, making sacrifices in other areas of my life (i.e. no hobbies, haha), and knowing that working during late night hours and early mornings is a must to keep everything moving. 

What were the initial challenges and setbacks that you faced? How has been the journey since the foundation?

One of our initial challenges was being new to the manufacturing, distribution and online sales market. Once I came up with the idea and my husband, Omar Amritt, helped me materialize my idea into a working prototype, I thought that our biggest hurdle had been passed. I was sooooo wrong. Then I thought that we had achieved a lot by obtaining our patent… and then realized that was just the beginning… I can easily say that we felt that way each and every time we jumped a hurdle through manufacturing, importing, and selling. While we celebrate each of our achievements as a family, we know we still have a long way to go. And each step of the way, we learn more about this complex market and how we can improve.

Have you achieved all that you had desired? Tell us about the moment when you realized that your hard work has finally paid-off. What keeps you driven and determined towards work?

Not quite yet. One of our biggest achievements was when we received our first shipment of Omie View Bassinet Mirrors. It was almost surreal to see my invention packaged in the box that I helped design, ready to be shipped to new families to help keep their babies safe. While that was a huge milestone for us, it’s not quite our finish line. We want to continue pushing to have our product available in stores and more seller platforms. 

Two things keep me driven: 1. My daughters. I want to show them that you can achieve all your professional dreams while still being a mother. I want them to be proud of me and to be inspired by my work. 2. The thought that my product can save lives. I know that my product is a great tool for parents to monitor their babies sleeping in a bassinet or crib, and I want to try my hardest to ensure that it is available to as many parents as possible. If you can keep an eye on your baby more, it means that you have that much more opportunity to make sure they are ok in their bassinet/crib and help lower the incidents of SIDS & SUID. 

What seeded the vision of Omie View Bassinet Mirror?

I came up with the idea of a bassinet mirror when my second daughter, Alana, was born. She was a very quiet sleeper and I was paranoid that she had either stopped breathing or had her face up against the side of the bassinet because she would slowly shift to the sides while sleeping. Even though this was my second baby, I never got the chance to experience this heightened worry with my older daughter, Suri, since she cried so much from cholic and would hardly sleep as an infant. She constantly reassured me that she was breathing. My first idea was to order a bassinet mirror online since I just figured they existed, but could not find anything like what I needed. I went on the mommy blogs and found out that this was something that other new moms were talking about, but their solution was simply to duct tape a mirror to the bassinet, which I didn’t think the idea would be too safe or convenient.  A couple of months went by and I finally told my husband, Omar, about the idea and he couldn’t believe that the product didn’t exist either. After he did his own online research, he agreed this was a great opportunity for us to develop this much-needed product. Omar then created our first prototype.

Brief us about the services that Omie View Bassinet Mirror provides and tell us why customers choose you?

Our company is Aluri, Inc., whose sole function is to import, distribute and sell our product, the Omie View Bassinet Mirror. The Omie View Bassinet Mirror is the first and only product of its kind—a remote-controlled mirror made to help parents keep a clear view of their baby while they safely rest in a bassinet/crib. The bassinet mirror clips to the side of most bassinets, cribs, and playards. Customers choose our product because it’s easy to use, works great for daytime and nighttime use, and provides peace of mind knowing you can easily check on your baby while not having to sit up or stand up every time you feel the urge to check on your baby. This is especially helpful for new mothers recovering from childbirth/c-section.

Amidst all your responsibilities and roles at Omie View Bassinet Mirror, how do you manage to balance between professional and personal life?

This is quite difficult and its something a work on continuously. Most of my work involving the Omie View Bassinet Mirror is done either during late night hours (after my daughters go to bed) or during my lunch breaks. 

What would you advise to the young entrepreneurs venturing the startup landscape?

I suggest they reach out to other fellow entrepreneurs, join Facebook groups geared toward that market, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Every day is an opportunity to learn something new, and the more you learn early on, the easier the path will be. And lastly, don’t get discouraged.  The journey will not be easy, and there will be disappointing times. However, its important to always keep your goal in mind and always to get back up when you fall. 

What are your individual and company’s plans going ahead? What does the future hold for you and Omie View Bassinet Mirror?

My plans are to continue growing the company, continue working toward getting our product into stores and continue working on spreading the news of our product. I want our product to be a household name—a baby registry must-have! We also want to push our product to be sold in stores abroad.