Baby products have evolved significantly over the past decade, from beds, baths and bottles to a whole new range of things — organic teething biscuits, baby shoes that promote healthy foot development, developmental toys, and many more products. Needs have grown more diverse, and parents are no longer happy with standard products. For example, they don’t just buy a feeding bottle — they want BPA-free anti-colic natural polypropylene bottles.
Nitchaya Ekaraphanich and children.
But even as choice has grown enormously, there are still some gaps in the market and unmet needs. Muse speaks to three mothers whose experiences gave them their business ideas.
Happy breastfeeding
Ploy Mallikamas had always lived a carefree life. As an avid globetrotter, the travel writer found great joy in the freedom of her life.
“Even after I got married, I was free to go anywhere I wanted. I could just decide on a whim and go on a two-week trip,” said the author of many travel books.
The birth of her son Papye changed her life, and she admitted she felt like her wings had been clipped. She embraced motherhood with joy, but realised it came with a lot of limitations, clothes being one of them.
“My husband took a picture of me and my son every day, and when I saw those pictures, I did not like how I was always wearing the same unflattering outfits. It was quite depressing because most clothes that allowed easy breastfeeding were not beautiful,” she said.
One thing her travel experiences taught her is that nothing is impossible. Bored with baggy, unfashionable breastfeeding shirts she owned, she decided to make beautiful ones. That was the beginning of a now successful fashionable breastfeeding and maternity clothes business, My Happy Job.
The name came from what her doctor had said to her — motherhood is the most exhausting job you can have, but also the happiest.
“Since becoming pregnant, I was determined I would never ever look at my child as a burden or a hindrance to my happiness. Sure, there were adjustments to be made, but that doesn’t mean a mother can’t enjoy life. Naming my brand My Happy Job reminds me how lucky I am to be doing this job. My brand reflects this belief,” she said.
She designed breastfeeding clothes that look like other fashionable clothes, using high quality fabric. The openings are discreet yet functional, allowing mothers to easily breastfeed their child without revealing too much.
“I wanted to breastfeed my son for as long as possible, and I wasn’t going to do so in ugly clothes,” she laughed.
My Happy Job began about a year ago, and is already an established success. Most of the sales come from the brand’s Facebook page — Ploy said most mothers are now shopping online and using social media to look for the products they want, since having a baby makes traditional shopping more difficult. Even mothers from other countries have ordered Ploy’s clothes, not bothered by international shipping costs.
“Mothers around the world want convenience, but it doesn’t mean they don’t want to look good,” she said. “The demand is there, and their needs are unmet. Although I’m not in business purely for profit, I can say that it’s got a lot of potential.”
Ploy Mallikamas.
Adding a little sparkle
Ploy Mallikamas.
Nitchaya Ekaraphanich knows the joys of welcoming a new life into the world very well, as she has given birth to three children. The director of sales and marketing for Blue River, a well-known diamond and jewellery business, felt she needed something to mark those memorable moments.
“At the time, Blue River had gifts for almost every occasion in the circle of life, but not for birth. As a mother, I think the birth of a child is something to be celebrated. We wanted to come up with something to meet that need,” she said.
She therefore launched jewellery brand B Narida. The brand produces charms, jewels and accessories using non-toxic material and genuine gemstones.
There are two product lines — 18k gold products meant as keepsakes, and 925 silver sterling items for wearing. B Narida began less than a year ago, and plans to fully launch around Valentine’s Day this year.
“When your friend has a baby, finding the right present is always difficult. Some people buy functional things like clothes and nappies, but these things cannot be kept. In the past, many people would buy gold for a newborn baby, but the price of it today makes it a less popular option. Also, gold has a certain monetary value, so some people feel awkward about buying it as a present. It’s like giving money — it just doesn’t feel right,” she explained.
Baby jewellery is, in her opinion, the perfect solution. It is something valuable and meaningful which can be kept until the child is older, and can even be passed on to the next generation.
“I don’t think it’s an unnecessary luxury — you can’t put a price on a good memory. It’s a beautiful feeling for both the giver and the recipient. The child might not appreciate it when he is a baby, but when he’s old enough to see the meaning behind the present, it surely makes him feel good,” said Nitchaya.
Nitchaya feels that the international market has a lot of room for christening jewellery or baby shower gifts, while the Thai market still needs more time to develop.
“Giving something meaningful can leave a lasting memory on parents and the child. It’s like a bookmark of a special moment that the whole family can look back and smile at. You don’t really get that effect from giving them a pack of diapers,” she said.
Evoli founder Kamolchat Juangroongruangkit.
Tender, loving skincare
There are dozens of baby skincare brands on the market today, but according to Kamolchat Juangroongruangkit, none of them worked for her baby’s delicate skin.
“My son’s skin is very sensitive. Ordinary baby products were too harsh on his skin, while the mild ones often smelt and felt uncomfortable,” said Kamolchat, who launched the clinically-proven irritant-free brand Evoli four months ago.
Being a sensitive-skinned person herself, she knows how bad it feels to use irritating products. With her background in skincare, she decided to make bath cream and lotion for her son.
Her aim was to create a range of products that are gentle and feel pleasant on the skin. From those two products, she expanded the range little by little, and now she has made more than 20.
“Every product that I made came from my own experience as a mother. For example, most diaper creams are sticky. I had tried almost every brand that other mothers said were good, but nothing worked on my son. In the end, I made my own formula. It’s like a thin film that coats the skin and protects it, without irritating his sensitive skin. Today, it’s one of the best-selling products of Evoli,” she said.
Kamolchat feels that skincare products are very important; they don’t just keep the baby clean, but also affect mood.
“If you use products that make your skin feel itchy and uncomfortable, of course you won’t feel happy,” she said. “For babies, little things like that matter the most. I believe that a comfortable child is a happy child. That’s why I pay so much attention to what products I use on my kid’s skin. I believe it affects who he becomes in the future.”
From bath and skincare products, she branched out to other baby products — blankets, foldable travel-friendly bathtubs, and teddy bears. She enjoys inventing new products that make her life as a mother and her son’s childhood more enjoyable.
“They might be little things, but when you’re a mother, anything that puts a smile on your child’s face is worth doing. Anything that makes your life easier is also not bad,” she laughed.
She does not want to claim that her products are hypoallergenic, because she thinks that there are too many allergies in the world to claim that her products will work on everyone.
“I can only say that all Evoli products have been lab-tested. We use only necessary ingredients to eliminate risks — the more things you put in, the higher the chance of someone being allergic to it. It’s also the products I use on my own child, and that proves how confident I am about the quality.”
