New Canadian Company Addresses The Need for Inclusive Parenting Products

CALGARY, Alberta - Nov. 29, 2023 - PRLog -- Through the years, companies across all sectors have embraced inclusivity and diverse representation in their products, advertisements and hiring practices. The world of baby products is no exception.

Today, we see baby and children's books covering increasingly diverse topics, offering parents a range of choices when it comes to teaching and talking about different experiences their child may face. We are also seeing a shift towards neutral colours, and away from traditionally gendered clothing, toys and accessories for babies and children. But, when it comes to products designed for the parents of babies and children, inclusivity and diversity often take a backseat to tradition and the status quo.

As NICU nurses, Kim Csek and Carlee Aschenbrenner have witnessed the impact of this firsthand. "A lot of products for babies and parents, especially baby books, are designed with a certain demographic in mind," says Kim, co-founder of Lettie & Co. "In the NICU, we meet all kinds of parents and see the way being underrepresented in parenting products contributes to shame and embarrassment for families who are already struggling."

Baby books that tell a unique story and celebrate parenthood

Today, we know that families take on many different structures based on sexual orientation, gender identity, health, cultural values and many other socioeconomic factors. However, the majority of products for parents on the market reflect a very traditional view of parenthood. This is especially true of baby books, which Kim and Carlee say are one of the biggest opportunities for families to tell their story authentically.

Aiming to change this, Kim and Carlee created Lettie & Co. baby books, which encompass the experience of all different families through the use of inclusive language, flexible journaling prompts and customized journal packs for parents who underwent IVF or whose baby spent time in the NICU.

"Before we created Lettie & Co., we noticed that existing baby books were designed for a mom and dad parent model and were based on the assumption that their experience of pregnancy and birth was 'normal,'" says Lettie & Co. co-founder Carlee. "Same-sex parents, parents with NICU babies, adoptive parents, single parents and anyone else who doesn't fit that mould would basically have to just leave spaces or pages blank when completing their journal entries."

Even something as simple as a page outlining different milestones a baby "should" meet at certain ages can cause parents to feel shame or uncertainty if their little one doesn't achieve the milestone "on time" or at all.

"We wanted to design a baby book that made space for every family to tell their story without focusing on what they're supposedly 'missing' according to traditional ideas about parenthood", says Kim.

Order yours today (https://lettieandco.com/)