Pregnant with my first child, I daydreamed about how fun and memorable it would be to shop for baby gear. Determined to make thoughtful decisions, my husband and I studied the popular “Everything You’ll Need for Baby” lists and purchased a book that swore to make baby prepping stress-free. Saturdays were designated for scouring stores for one specific item at a time: one Saturday for furniture, another for cribs, car seats and so on. By the time we got to “Stroller Saturday,” we were overwhelmed.
Staring at a whopping 36 stroller options, my husband mumbled, “You’ve got to be kidding me,” and at seven months pregnant, I finally admitted I’d rather be watching a movie and eating popcorn and Junior Mints.
We wish we’d known then about Molly Pross, founder of Bump Bestie.
Pross created Bump Bestie, a modern baby-planning, gear-consulting and maternity concierge service, to make the transition to parenthood less time consuming and confusing for expecting families. A former marketer, and mother to 2-year-old Britt, Pross says she was inspired by her own exhausting baby-prep process and felt that expecting families deserved better.
“Bump Bestie redefines baby prep for the modern family,” she says. “By taking a holistic, convenient, no-fuss approach to navigating the ever-changing baby product market, Bump Bestie services clients with education, mindful product curation and personalized resources.”
Bump Bestie clients choose from a variety of bundled service plans based on their individual needs and how much assistance they might like with their prepping. Most plans come with a lifestyle survey, a baby gear assessment consultation and a customized baby gear list. Families that have some idea of what they need and only require a little help might try the “Be My Bestie” plan, while super-busy parents might opt for the “Bestie with Benefits” plan. Depending on the selected plan, Bump Bestie can conduct product research for you, help you build and create a baby registry or connect you to Pross’s expansive list of service providers, including doulas and lactation consultants.
Pross likens herself to a wedding planner or a physical trainer, coming alongside parents as a partner. “Bump Bestie’s services don’t eliminate parental involvement; rather, we offer families an insightful and educated assistant in their process,” she says.
In other words, had my husband and I worked with Bump Bestie before “Stroller Saturday,” we might have confidently walked into the store armed with accurate information and narrowed choices in mind, and I might have gotten my movie, popcorn and chocolate mints after all. Visit bumpbestie.com for more information.
