Photos Courtesy Of Stewart Gold
Parents and caregivers can attest to the fact that changing a wriggly baby’s diaper is no easy feat. Stewart Gold wanted to be an involved father, so when he and his wife Tiffany welcomed their first son, Max, he assumed the role of Chief Diaper Changing Officer.
In 2019, the Boca Raton family temporarily relocated to England. Gold, a lawyer in the health care field, became a stay-at-home dad and Tiffany got a work visa. During the COVID-19 lockdown, they befriended neighbor Mark Hamilton, who shared the prototype of a hands-free invention created to distract his baby during diaper changes by dangling a sock or toy from a hanger.
Gold and Hamilton became business partners and developed the Dingle Dangle Baby, a headband that attaches to a removable, flexible rod. On the other end, a stuffed octopus or turtle can be attached so it bobs and rattles to provide sensory stimulation (and the perfect distraction) for your tot during diaper-changing time. It can be converted into a rattle and mobile for a crib or stroller.
Upon returning to Boca Raton, Gold applied to pitch his product on “Shark Tank.” After several rounds of casting, he flew to California in August 2023 to tape, and his episode aired this January.
“I was a big fan of the show,” the 41-year-old says. “My older son, who is 8 now, has always been into how things work, and he loves ‘Shark Tank.’ Besides it [being] an opportunity to present my business to millions of people, my son thought I was the coolest human being of all time.”
One by one, all five sharks — Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Daymond John and Sprinkles Cupcakes founder Candace Nelson — bowed out. Before exiting, Gold courageously made a last-ditch effort to land a deal. O’Leary took the bait and negotiated $75,000 for 20% of the company and a $1 per unit royalty up to $300,000, which Gold is using toward marketing.
“I felt like the door was still a little bit ajar,” he says. “I think Mr. Wonderful appreciated [my] perseverance. When they sign up to work with you, they are working with a business partner, and you don’t want somebody to quit at the first no. In any sales-related business, you’re going to run into no’s and if you’re going to accept every no at face value, you’re not going to get very far.”
