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A new concierge service for new parents and parents-to-be launches today, marking a growing trend of baby planning businesses that offer a little (or a lot) of extra help to prepare for pregnancy, childbirth and new parenthood.
Founded by mom-entrepreneur Kimberly Shore Levin, a Washington, DC mother of 3 (all under five years old), Nursery Know-It-All offers services such as registry management, nursery preparation, product recommendations, meal planning, childcare and pediatrician referrals, among many others. Nursery Know-It-All also provides recommendations for organic products and tips for making a child’s first years “greener.”
The new baby planning company was founded after Levin noticed a gap in the baby planning market. “I started Nursery Know-It-All to give new and expectant parents the support and confidence they need so that they can concentrate on a more important role – parenting,” says Levin. Similar to a service provided by wedding planners, Nursery Know-It-All helps moms and dads-to-be and new parents get through some of the tedious, time-consuming planning of parenthood.
“With everything online these days, parents spend a lot more time than they’d like just researching ideas, products and things to be aware of.,” says Levin. “But Nursery Know-It-All has already tried these products, sifted through information and spent the countless hours doing this legwork for them.” In fact, Levin estimates she spends 50% of her “free” time a month just researching products, from strollers to organic baby food, and staying on top of the latest trends.
More Working Parents, Less Time to Plan
According to the Employment Policy Foundation's Center for Work and Family Balance, by 2030 only 17 percent of households will use the traditional model of a working dad, stay-at-home mom (compared to 66 percent in 1940 and 25 percent in 2000.)
As the number of working parents continues to grow – there are currently more than 50 million working parents in the workforce and rising – so have the time pressures, housework demands and other struggles associated with juggling work and family obligations.
“With more dual-income households, families being spread out, and our lives getting busier, parents are finding themselves stressed out by the to-do list for parenthood,” say Levin. “A service like Nursery Know-It-All means that busy parents get to spend more quality time with each other enjoying pregnancy, rather than spending countless hours researching and searching for products, services, and childcare.”
Baby Planners: Not Just for Celebs Anymore
But baby concierge services aren’t just for the wealthy. Everyday parents are signing up so they don't have to waste time going to stores to shop around, or if they’re already parents, tote a child around while shopping for the arrival of a new one.
“I couldn’t do without it,” says Britt Fleming, a partner at a Washington DC law firm, who used Nursery Know-It-All for baby planning and registry assistance. “My husband and I found all the new baby things a parent needs to buy so overwhelming. Nursery Know-It-All provided us with helpful advice and guidance and it was an unbelievable time saver. It was a more personalized experience, unlike just reading a book..”
Beth Kichel, a small business owner from Bellmore, NY found Nursery Know-It-All to be helpful as well. “As a first time mom, I spent hours pouring over all of the books that recommend ‘the best’ baby products but once I walked into the store, I was so overwhelmed and confused. Kim took me through everything. She helped me choose products based on what I needed now, and what I’d need six months from now. I’ve since had my second child and again used the services of Nursery Know-It-All to better understand what I need – and don’t need – for two young children.”
Adds Levin, “As a mother of three young children, I know how stressful having a baby can be. Not only are you adapting to your new role of motherhood and the changing family dynamic – whether it’s your first or your fifth child – but the little things like thank-you cards, researching childcare options and buying things like cribs and strollers, can take hours of time to research, and can get really overwhelming.”
Levin describes her members as ranging from professional, busy parents with time constraints to first time parents-to-be with lots of questions to moms on bed rest with limited mobility.
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