Family Entrepreneurs Turn Kids' Head Injuries Into Business Opportunity

Long Island couple Megan and Mike Ross say their kids' recurring head injuries sparked the idea for their family-run company, GooseEgged, founded in 2018. The couple, who have three young children, was sitting in their New York home one afternoon when they heard a crash in the kitchen. Their son came running in, having hit his head on the cabinet. 

The concerned parents grabbed a bag of frozen peas to try to heal their son's swollen head, but struggled to keep it pressed against his injury for more than a minute at a time. 

"That's when I looked at my husband and said, 'you have to go on the computer and see if there's something that we can find that is hands free, so I can hug him and he can keep playing, but he can keep it on,'" Megan Ross told CBSN. "Because this obviously has to be a problem that every parent has and for it not to be out there is just crazy." 

Unable to find exactly what they were looking for, the couple designed their own ice pack for children and founded GooseEgged, named after the giant bumps kids get on their foreheads. The ice packs are adjustable, and of course kid-friendly, so children will actually want to wear them while they play. They feature different creatures, such as a shark, dog and unicorn.  

The spouses spent most of one year researching and developing the product, sketching out designs and searching for the right materials to create a prototype. Megan Ross said perfecting the strap and size of the ice pack alone were long processes. 

The couple also struggled to source the plush material that lines the inside of the packs, enabling them to deliver a cool but not burning cold sensation on children's heads.

The whole Ross family is involved in the business: Their children double as models for the product, and give their parents advice on new designs. The GooseEgged ice packs are sold at GooseEgged.com, Amazon.com and Buy Buy Baby. They retail for about $15. 

Megan Ross sees an even bigger business opportunity -- and a more universal application for GooseEgged. She hopes hospitals will one day stock them in their pediatric units. 

"We think it just brings smiles to children's faces," Megan said.