The brands on this list all have one thing in common. They were created by moms who saw a need, believed there had to be a better solution, and built companies that are now helping families around the world. From educational toys and skincare to travel essentials and healthy foods, these are brands worth discovering if they’re not already on your radar.

Here are ten mom-founded companies we think deserve a closer look.

1. Lovevery

If you’re looking for toys that do more than simply keep little ones busy, Lovevery is a brand you’ll want to explore. Co-founder Jessica Rolph was inspired to create the company after researching early childhood brain development and wanting to give parents confidence that they were choosing the right toys for each stage. Lovevery’s beautifully designed Play Kits are created by child development experts and match your child’s age and milestones, making learning feel fun and natural. Their collection also includes books, play gyms, and developmental resources that grow with your child. It’s one of those brands that makes playtime feel purposeful without sacrificing fun.

lovevery.com

2. Tubby Todd Bath Co.

Sensitive skin is something many parents know all too well, which is exactly why Tubby Todd Bath Co. has earned such a loyal following. Founder Andrea Faulkner Williams launched the company after searching for gentle, effective skincare products her own family could trust. Today, the brand is known for clean, nourishing ingredients and family-friendly formulas that are safe for babies, kids, and adults alike. Their All Over Ointment has become a customer favorite for everything from dry patches to irritated skin, and it’s easy to see why so many families keep it stocked at home. If gentle skincare is a priority, Tubby Todd is well worth adding to your routine.

tubbytodd.com

3. KiwiCo

Few things are more rewarding than watching a child build, create, and discover something new. Engineer and mom Sandra Oh Lin founded KiwiCo after realizing how difficult it was for busy parents to find engaging, hands-on learning activities without spending hours planning them. Today, the company offers age-based STEAM crates filled with projects that encourage creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving through play. From toddlers to teens, every box arrives packed with everything kids need to start building and exploring right away. It’s a fun way to encourage screen-free learning while creating meaningful family moments together.

kiwico.com

4. Once Upon a Farm

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated, especially when nutritious options are convenient enough for busy families. Mom Cassandra Curtis founded Once Upon a Farm after wanting fresher, more wholesome food choices for her daughter, and the company has continued to grow with a mission of making better nutrition accessible for children. The brand offers organic, cold-pressed pouches, refrigerated snacks, smoothies, and meals made with thoughtfully sourced ingredients. Their products are designed for babies, toddlers, and even older kids, making them a great addition to lunchboxes or busy afternoons on the go. It’s a brand that proves healthy choices can also be delicious.

onceuponafarmorganics.com

5. Lugabug

Traveling with young children isn’t always easy, but Lugabug was created to make airport adventures a little less stressful. Mom Jennie and her husband came up with the idea after turning a rolling suitcase into a makeshift seat for their young daughter while rushing through the airport. That clever solution eventually became the Lugabug, a compact travel seat that securely attaches to your carry-on luggage, giving tired little travelers a comfortable place to ride. It’s lightweight, simple to use, and perfect for families who travel often or have little ones who tire easily during long walks through terminals. If family vacations are on your calendar, this is one travel accessory you’ll be glad you discovered.

lugabug.com

6. The House of Noa

Creating a beautiful home doesn’t have to mean sacrificing practicality, especially when little ones are part of the picture. Mom Bethany Crystal founded The House of Noa after searching for stylish home products that could also stand up to the everyday messes of family life. Today, the brand is best known for its beautifully designed washable play mats that blend seamlessly into your home’s décor instead of looking like traditional baby gear. The collection has expanded to include rugs, runners, and other thoughtfully designed pieces that make family-friendly living feel effortlessly stylish. It’s proof that you really can have a home that’s both kid-friendly and beautifully designed.

thehouseofnoa.com

7. ezpz

Mealtime can be one of the most memorable parts of parenting, but it can also be one of the messiest. Mom and speech-language pathologist Lindsey Laurain created ezpz after experiencing the daily frustration of plates and bowls constantly ending up on the floor. Her solution was a line of silicone suction plates, bowls, cups, and feeding tools that help make self-feeding easier for little ones while minimizing the cleanup parents know all too well. The products are thoughtfully designed to support developmental milestones and encourage independence from the very beginning. Whether you’re starting solids or navigating toddler meals, ezpz has become a trusted favorite for families everywhere.

ezpzfun.com

8. Freshly Picked

What started with one pair of handcrafted baby moccasins has grown into one of the most recognizable brands in children’s fashion. Founder Susan Petersen launched Freshly Picked from her kitchen as a way to help support her family, and her dedication to quality quickly earned the attention of parents across the country. Today, the brand offers stylish footwear, diaper bags, and accessories that combine fashion with everyday function. Their bestselling diaper bags are especially popular with moms who want something practical without giving up great style. It’s a brand that continues to prove family essentials can be both beautiful and functional.

freshlypicked.com

9. Monica + Andy

Finding soft, high-quality clothing for babies shouldn’t have to be complicated. Monica Royer founded Monica + Andy after becoming a mom herself and struggling to find premium newborn essentials she felt completely confident bringing home to her own baby. The brand focuses on organic fabrics, timeless designs, and everyday essentials that are made to last through countless cuddles, naps, and milestones. From newborn layette sets to pajamas and blankets, every collection is thoughtfully designed with comfort in mind. It’s an excellent choice for new parents, baby shower gifts, or anyone who appreciates beautifully made children’s clothing.

monicaandandy.com

10. GoWhee

Planning family vacations often means spending hours searching for activities that everyone will actually enjoy. Mom Maud Maciak created GoWhee to simplify that process by giving families one place to discover kid-friendly attractions, restaurants, parks, accommodations, and experiences around the world. The platform is built specifically for parents and is filled with recommendations from other families who have been there themselves. Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or an international adventure, it helps remove some of the guesswork from traveling with children. It’s an incredibly useful resource for parents who love making memories without the stress of endless research.

gowhee.com

Supporting Moms, One Purchase at a Time

Every purchase tells a story, and choosing to support mom-founded businesses is one meaningful way to celebrate the creativity, resilience, and determination of women who have transformed everyday parenting challenges into products and services that make family life better. Whether you’re looking for educational toys, healthier snacks, stylish home décor, baby essentials, or smarter ways to travel, these brands offer thoughtful solutions created by moms who truly understand the journey. We hope you’ve discovered a few new favorites to explore and support because when moms lift each other up, everyone benefits.

The post 10 Mom-Founded Brands Worth Adding to Your Radar appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Making homemade baby food is something wonderful you can do for your kids. It allows you to know exactly what goes into every meal and more importantly, what doesn’t. Even if a jar says “preservative-free” or “all natural,” that still means the once healthy whole fruits and veggies have been super-heated and processed beyond recognition, removing tons of nutritional value and flavor. If it was simply a nutritional benefit to make baby food at home, that would be enough of a reason, but it is also a huge financial benefit! In the beginning, you may think a $1 jar of store baby food bananas is way cheaper than getting set up with steamers, blenders and a month supply of organic food, but that’s not the case. Places like Pish Posh Baby and others have all of the products you need to get set up at amazing prices. It’ll only take you a month or two to save the money you would have been spending on store bought foods, especially if you planned to buy organic baby food. Here are a few saving tips to turn you into a baby food pro. Soon your friends will want to know all of your secrets:

– Plan ahead—buy seasonal items in bulk to prep and freeze. Organic strawberries get very pricey certain times of the year—stock up when they are on sale. Experiment with local, fresh fruits and veggies. You’ll be surprised to see all the foods your baby is willing to try, and love!

– Ice trays, aluminum foil, and freezer bags—these are some of the cheapest things in your grocery store and they will save you a fortune. Spoon your delicious purees into the ice tray, cover tightly with foil and freeze for a couple hours. Once solid, pop the cubes into a labeled and dated freezer bag and you can take out one or two at a time. Fruits and veggies will keep 4-6 months when frozen this way. Just remember to press as much air out of the bag as you can to preserve the flavor.

– Bananas and avocados—some of the most expensive baby foods to buy organically and the easiest to make. You can get three 2 ounce servings from one banana. Please note, these don’t freeze well so just mash and serve.

– Picky eater? No problem!—Just put baby spinach in all of your purees. Baby won’t notice the flavor and they’re getting tons of vitamins and minerals.

– Start out with one-ingredient purees—bananas, apples, carrots and sweet potatoes are safe beginners. Talk to your pediatrician about possible allergens and how to introduce one new food at a time. As baby gets older, get creative. For instance, try apples, zucchini and spinach all pureed together.

It may seem like a lot of information and effort at first, but it won’t take you long to decide you’ll never buy jarred baby food again.

Happy Cooking!

Julie McCaffrey

About Julie McCaffrey

Parenting expert Julie McCaffrey is a proud mommy to 3 kids and owns BabyNav Baby Planners where she offers personalized consultation to new and expecting parents along with functioning as the Chief Brand Officer at PishPoshBaby.com—the high-quality baby store that supplies the facts and advice, along with the right choice, to parents who are completely lost in the whirlwind of baby gear. She loves to help moms and dads navigate everything from baby gear, preparing for multiples, getting back to work and getting the whole family on a routine.

The post Homemade Baby Food Made Easy appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Let’s face it, kids are expensive. Most of us factored in college fees shortly after the positive pregnancy test, but add on the more immediate costs of things like diapers, wipes, clothes and daycare and your piggy bank gets lighter by the second. Now add the luxuries you splurge on to make your child even healthier (eco-friendly toys and organic baby foods, for instance) and good ol’ piggy barely makes a sound when you shake him. If you’re like us, this may leave you wondering if going green is actually worth it.

As moms we strive to do the best for our children, including making nourishing homemade food. Sometimes, though, the thought of steaming and pureeing preservative-free meals at the end of the day is just too overwhelming to contemplate. So we raise our hands to the grocery store gods in hopes that they’ll deliver us healthy, ready made foods to nourish our cherished cherubs. And deliver they do. From whole grain rice cereal to organic harvest squash, there’s a wide selection of natural products to help alleviate our guilt over not cooking. These days, all that stands between us and a healthy meal for our babies is the mere turn of a lid, rip of a carton or pop of a top. And the added bonus of helping save the world with these products (less pesticide use means more energy saved) makes them even more attractive to parents who want to protect not only their children’s health but also the vitality of the world they will inherit from us. Are organic baby foods worth their hefty price tags?

This is where things get a bit grey. In terms of the benefits of choosing greener food options, it’s hard to know whether to believe the hype. There is little scientific evidence to prove that eating organic is considerably better for our children than munching on cheaper, non-organic foods. But it’s hard for many of us to believe that feeding our kids fertilizer-free veggies is a bad thing. Dr. Massimo Marcone, Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science at theUniversityofGuelphinCanadahas analyzed the nutritional properties of organic baby foods versus other brands. “Some of the organic baby foods were found to be higher in certain minerals,” he explained, “but it was not anything that would be significantly important for the average baby.” That said, he doesn’t suggest avoiding organic foods either. Confused yet?

Maybe this will help. In order to be labeled as organic, foods must be produced on a certified farm that follows strict government-approved farming practices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture bans the use of conventional pesticides and fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients for the treatment of plants as well as the use of antibiotics and growth hormones for animals. This doesn’t ensure that consumers will receive more nutrients from their organically-grown foods, but it does promise you foods that are free from unwanted manmade chemicals. Now the choice is up to you. In the end, feeding your children well comes down to practicing common sense. Whether you choose organic foods or not, it’s important to offer your baby a variety of healthy choices, including grains, fruits, vegetables and lean meats as part of a well-balanced diet. Talk to your doctor about when and how to introduce new foods to your infant and enjoy this new phase of their lives.

Still undecided or unwilling to commit to buying solely organic foods?  Go slowly and start small. Here are a few of the most important foods to choose organic.

Root Vegetables

(carrots, beets, potatoes, turnips, parsnips) Ground crops such as carrots and beets can be high in nitrates, says Marcone. High levels of this chemical can cause a potentially fatal condition called Blue Baby Syndrome in which an infant’s blood is unable to carry oxygen to cells and other tissues in the body.

Apples

Pesticides often cling to the skin of apples and even when washed and peeled, these fruits can still have levels of organophosphates, which have been linked to respiratory problems.

Spinach

Like root vegetables, spinach, too is grown in the soil and can therefore contain higher levels of nitrates.

Dairy

Hormones used to treat dairy cows can filter through to the milk we drink. Some studies have shown a link between consuming these hormones and a possible increased risk of breast cancer. The findings, however, are inconclusive at this time and the FDA believe they are unlikely to create any food safety concerns in humans.

Poultry and beef

Early studies on hormone-treated chicken and beef have drawn a link between premature puberty in girls and their consumption of these foods. Again, more research is needed, so there’s no definite answer on this one, but it definitely doesn’t hurt to choose organic in this case, especially since early puberty can result in an increased risk of breast cancer.

Article by: Shandley McMurray

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