IBPA consistently receives questions on How to Become a Baby Planner and we thought it would be wise to write a post about the most important tips on how to get started! Here are the key items we think you need to think about before becoming a Baby Planner or Maternity Concierge:
- Have you researched your local market and know if you have a good target market to secure clients in? You are looking for people who can afford your services and have the disposable income to pay you.
- Do you have a passion and related background in helping new parents specifically in dealing with pregnancy, birthing and parenting situations?
- Are you business savvy?
- Do you have a good head for marketing and sales?
- Do you have $1,000 -$3,000 to spend in your initial start-up costs (this budget would be for the essentials like your website, logo, marketing collateral, business registration etc.)?
- Do you have at least 15-20 hours a week to devote to launching a business?
The most popular question we get asked is “do I need to be certified”? Our answer to this question is no. IBPA does not recognize any baby planning certification programs currently and frankly believes our niche still needs to mature in order to gain strong credibility. However, if you decide to get certified by any organization we advise that you do your research into who is the certifying body (ex. is it industry recognized) and what value are you gaining for that investment. We advise that before you invest any amount of money into a baby planning business you should determine if you have a local market to sell to first. Afterall, if you don’t have a market you won’t have clients to sell to and who’ll eventually purchase your services. We’ve seen many baby planning businesses fail within the first year because they do not do their market research. Once you do your market research and find that you have a viable market we suggest you spend your money wisely on items such as:
- a great website with strong SEO (strong site engine optimization can help people find your site easily on the internet through key search words)
- a professional looking logo and graphics
- marketing collateral
- marketing tools such as Constant Contact
- business start-up advice from a baby planning/maternity concierge expert, business attorney, business accountant
- become a Child Passenger Seat Technician through SafeKids Worldwide
- look at joining organizations like the International Association for Child Safety and brush up on your child safety background
- experience as a lactation consultant, doula, midwife, nurse, child birth educator, counseling, background in early childhood education or baby product retail are all excellent skills to have on your resume
We also believe spending more than $3,000 on your start-up budget is really unnecessary unless you’re looking at building a major website, database and marketing machine with all of the bells and whistles.
If you have any questions related to How to Become a Baby Planner please email us at info@internationalbabyplanners.com or call #503-297-5326. We’re happy to help you if we can!
Good luck if you’re launching your baby planning business and please consider joining IBPA once you’ve started your business.
by Shannon Harlow, Hello World Baby Planning & Maternity Concierge
WOW, what a couple of days! Stormie and I embarked upon the annual, not open to the public, ABC Expo which is the world’s largest expo of Baby/Child/Mom gear. It is amazing and even with 4 days we could barely scratch the surface of all the amazing stuff here!
I can’t even tell you how many times each day that I said the words, “that is fantastic!” There is a myriad of smart people designing and engineering baby products that are not just extremely attractive to look at but are truly insightfully designed. It amazes me still all that we were able to see, touch, push, pull, fold, play with, put on, carry and then some. Brilliant.
Since strollers are probably my first love, of baby gear, I’ll start with one of my all time favorite lines, UPPAbaby. UPPA is a longstanding brand known for sleek design that is exceedingly user friendly combined with adorable colors, UVA protection and eco-friendly fabric. UPPA’s crowning achievement, the Vista, is so popular amongst moms that it has been become the standard for chic strollers. The Vista’s long list of features makes this stroller an ideal investment for the mobile family. The G-Luxe and the G-Lite both fall under the umbrella category while still very much living up to the UPPA superiority. So…what’s in between the super posh and their classy umbrellas? UPPA has answered that question with the soon to be released Cruz. The Cruz acts very much like the Vista with the one button telescopic handle-height adjustment, reversible seat, one handed seat adjustment, lustrous frame, car seat adaptor availability, sizable canopy shade and storage basket. What’s the diff? The wheels for starters are not the large rubber wheels seen on the Vista but are replaced by smaller “umbrella-like” wheels which feature the same rubber over EVA foam material. And, like all UPPAbaby strollers there are shock and suspension in the wheels so the ride in the CRUZ is very smooth. It is more compact at over 21 inches wide. The Cruz does not have a bassinet nor does it have the option of adding a second seat. However, at a price of around $460, I think most parents will be delighted to see this addition to the UPPA baby family.
IBPA, the Premier Organization for Professional Baby Planners Successfully Establishes a New Industry to Help Empower New and Expectant Parents
IBPA is pleased to announce another successful year as the first trade association for the baby planning and maternity concierge industry. We are proud to represent all of our professional baby planners globally and we continue to help our industry gain exposure as well as credibility. Our press release shares major highlights of our organization’s accomplishments over the years and is excited to continue to help grow the industry!
Read our press release here: For Immediate Release, The International Baby Planner Association Celebrates Another Successful Year…
For a list of all of our baby planners: Premier Baby Planner & Maternity Concierge Members
What uniquely qualifies you to be a baby planning expert?
I am a mom of two children – a daughter, age 2 ½ and a son age 15 months –and is well-versed in all things baby, toddler and beyond. From an early age, I’ve always loved babies and children and took advantage of that early on and earned some extra money as a teenager babysitting. I was also a nanny to a family for 10 years for their two girls. Aside from my own experiences, I am very organized and have an eye for detail and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks when planning for baby.
What qualities should an ideal baby planner have?
I think there are many qualities an ideal planner should have – however the most important to me are listening and understanding. Anyone can tell you theories, thoughts and ideas on parenting. It is important to have a planner who will listen to the expectant parents and truly hear what it is they need and then take that information and combine it with understanding. The understanding comes from taking the knowledge as a baby planner and translating that to serve the clients best.
What are your specialties as a baby planner?
I enjoy helping new and expecting parents by using a realistic and sensible approach. I also feel that many times with all the information out there, new parents have a difficult time deciphering what you need versus all the “wants” out there – or what a specific store, brand or web site says. I feel one specialty I offer is helping parents determine exactly what they need (or don’t need!) to truly fit their lifestyle for baby’s arrival.
Tell us a little bit about your background.
I started my career in Marketing, PR and Communications. Five years into my career, an unexpected change occurred which left me at a crossroads. After researching some options, I came across a career in baby planning and had found this to be my true calling. From reading numerous books, publications and more, I have educated myself on all things pregnancy and baby through postpartum and toddler years. When combined with my experiences over the past three years, I have become a go-to for expecting parents.
What is your biggest piece of advice for a new parent?
I’m always in agreement with many other planners and experts who advise new parents not to listen to the advice that is offered and not asked for. I believe that each parenting experience is different and should be their own and understand that what works for the Joneses may not necessarily work for someone else. In the same line of thinking, do not take what you read in books or on the Internet to be the end-all be-all. I recommend that parents read and listen to whichever sources of information they want and take bits and pieces from each place to form their own ideas of parenting and raising their baby.
What is the nicest thing a client has ever said about your business?
I have clients tell me all the time that they don’t know what they would do without my assistance or a product I recommended was the best idea. One of the nicest things anyone has ever said was in a letter of recommendation from Kelly:
“I have a 3 year old son and am pregnant with my second child, due in April. I have found Carly to be essential to me through these past few months. Aside from her having experience with pregnancy, product knowledge and general know-how of all things related to baby and pregnancy, she also has two young children of her own. Her common sense approach and realistic advice is refreshing and has truly made a difference to me. I find her to be trustworthy, honest and truly caring. I hear from her to check in with me to make sure my appointments are going well and to see if I have any concerns – even if I do not contact her myself.”
How do you stay current on trends in the baby and child industry?
I keep up on current trends through social media, blogs, pregnancy and many parenting publications and journals. As a member of the International Baby Planners Association, I have the ability to connect with others in the industry. I often receive updates from product manufacturers to stay connected to what’s new and exciting and ensure I am aware of all product recalls.
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