Mothers Of Invention

Mothers wear many hats, including that of problem solver. These women responded to the chores and nagging concerns of motherhood with entrepreneurial zeal, turning their troubles into cottage industries. Their inventions are now sold in stores and online.

--By Elizabeth Sampson

THE SNACK TRAP Tired of cleaning up crushed munchies, Christine Moss patented the Snack Trap, a tough snack repository that contains the inevitable mess

ALL BY MYSELF VIDEO SERIES These videos, produced by three moms, teach kids self-motivation, partly through cartoons. One of the mothers came up with the idea when her toddler dressed himself for the first time

THE TP SAVER Tamara Monosoff's TP Saver fits over a toilet-paper roll to stop tots from indulging in a favorite pastime: unspooling the whole roll

THE CLEAN SHOPPER Dismayed by dirty shopping-cart seats, Missy Cohen-Fyffe invented a comfy fabric cover to protect babies from germs