Like it or not, clutter is a fact of life, especially in cramped Gotham apartments. Closet space? Fugheddaboudit! Don’t you wish you could somehow push your walls out to make more room?
Every new parent knows or quickly learns: when your little tyke comes home, you can say bye-bye to your living room, ’cause baby stuff is taking over! Strollers are crammed into closets or parked by the front door, and storage containers live under beds, filled with outgrown newborn garb that you’re holding onto for the next one, or just can’t get rid of.
How much does a tiny human being really need?
In the old days new parents made do with a bassinet, a crib, and a playpen. But times have changed; we have adopted a more-is-better mindset in our “disposable” society.
Brooklyn mom-preneur Judy Bornebusch and her hubby Jan found out about baby clutter the hard way when they brought their adorable daughter, Charlotte (now almost 3), home from the hospital. Before long their small Downtown Brooklyn flat looked like a Babies R Us!
“Baby stuff was everywhere; it takes over your apartment,” Bornebusch said. “There’s no place to store anything for your next baby, so you end up just selling it for pennies or giving it away.”
So she decided to do something about it, and in 2015 launched her new business venture, Baby Grow Gear Sharing. The Brooklyn-based company provides a valuable service to local families, offering a monthly subscription service to rent baby gear and carriers that are quickly outgrown, instead of purchasing them. Brooklyn parents will have the opportunity to swap their new or gently used gear in exchange for a free Baby Grow Gear Sharing membership.
Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.
Bornebusch left a corporate career in management consulting to do something that was bit more personal. She had her daughter at age 38 and wanted to combine her love of entrepreneurship with her newfound love of mommyhood. And so the Baby Grow Gear Sharing concept was born. When you check out the website, you’ll find a curated assortment of top-of the-line gear and a variety of great carriers suited for different body types.
Did you know that on average, parents own up to 10 baby items that are only used for three months or less?
“After you have a baby, you see how quickly each stage passes, and that the baby has her own opinions — and hates the same swing your BFF swore by,” Bornebusch quipped.
“It’s been great to see how our customers apply gear sharing to their own lives in unique ways — from testing out multiple carriers to find the best fit, to supplying baby items for out-of-town guests,” she said. “One customer became a member because of her nanny share — the nanny uses a Nuna Leaf to rock one baby as she tends to the other, and uses it for naps so the parents don’t have to lug a travel crib back and forth.”
Bornebusch saw an opportunity to repurpose the abundance of barely used gear in Brooklyn to expand Baby Grow’s rental offering, and bring families together to share and reduce waste. Her mission? Embracing minimalism and protecting the environment.
“You are going through so many diapers, wipes, bottles and washing everything constantly; it’s hard not to think of the toll on the environment. There is so much waste,” she said.
She knew from personal experience that buying and selling via neighborhood parent groups and Craigslist was time-consuming and the condition of the items varied greatly. In contrast,
Baby Grow accepts easy donation submissions online, and inspects and cleans all items to the highest standards to ensure safety before accepting into inventory.
Best of all, items are picked up and delivered as part of the membership package, so you don’t have to leave your home.
A Baby Grow membership will save families time, money, re-sale hassles, and precious storage space. A basic membership, which gives you the use of one product at a time, will run $29 per month, and $79 means you can use three items at a time as a premium member.
That’s a big drop from the more than $1,240 parents typically spend on gear alone during a baby’s first year.
What you can share
All Baby Grow gear is listed online, includes instructional tips and videos, and can be reserved if out of stock — new items are added weekly. The service features top items in today’s market, including:
• Baby carriers from Ergo, Beco, Stokke and more.
• Bounceroo & Rockaroo by 4moms.
• Portable cribs by Nuna & Baby Bjorn.
• Walkers, ExerSaucers and Jumperoos.
• Large toys.
• High chairs.
• Strollers, car seats, and more coming soon!
Find a complete listing at babyg
Now, Judy, Jan, and Charlotte enjoy more living space in a Boerum Hill brownstone, but remain committed to a less-is-more lifestyle.
“I’m happy to be at a place where I can be involved in the community and use my new business in a socially responsible way,” Bornebusch said. “I volunteer and donate to Covenant House, an organization that helps women and children. All our gear that gets ‘aged’ out of our stock will be donated to Little Essentials, and other local charitable organizations.”
A bit of convenience in the first year of a new parent’s life is worth so much!
Tammy Scileppi is a Queens-based freelance writer and journalist, parent, and regular contributor to New York Parenting. Interviewing hundreds of New York City’s movers and shakers has been an amazing adventure for her. Scileppi’s work has appeared in a variety of media outlets. She has also written book cover copy for Simon and Schuster.
