A NEW mum who started a baby business during maternity leave has told how she has quit her day job and turned her hobby into a whopping six figure company – with a celebrity clientele and her product stocked in Selfridges.
Jen Fuller, from Suffolk, didn’t want to stick her baby in front of the telly or a tablet for hours on end, but was struggling to find things to keep her daughter Etta engaged.
So she invested just under £2000 and invented a line of baby products that she wanted to be both useful and sensory, to give busy mums like herself a moment of calm.
And she started with a baby item every new mum turns too – the simple muslin cloth.
Speaking to Fabulous , Etta Loves founder Jen said: “Sat on my sofa with a heap of mucky muslins by my side, I realised that 4-week old little Etta was staring at my top. It was the first thing I’d noticed her actively trying to focus on and unsurprisingly it was a simple black and white pattern.
“After a month of trying to rotate black and white clothing (which got both difficult and boring) this got me thinking; why aren't the most seen items by babies designed to stimulate them and capture their attention?
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“And why wouldn’t you use medical knowledge of babies' visual development to make them the best that they could be at doing this? And while you’re at it they should be stylish.”
Jen explained that contrary to belief, babies can see more than just black and white.
It led her to researching babies’ vision and eye tracking, noting that they enjoy looking for patterns made up of blue and red, and black and white.
They are intrigued by contrast and shapes, which is why they love to see faces.
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Using her acquired knowledge Jen made sure her baby lifestyle brand of products all featured precise patterns, scales and colours to support babies’ visual and cognitive development.
And in time for Valentine’s day, the successful mum launched a heart muslin print designed by the brands 'heartists' – a group of four- and five-year-olds who started their life in NICU.
What was at first built out of desperation, Jen has realised being an entrepreneur was a better fit while being a mum.
She said: “I struggled to find the flexibility and support to return to my pre-child career.
“I developed the brand around a toddler, a baby and until recently a full-time job as a Managing Partner in a media Agency.
“There’s no such thing as work/life balance: there’s just life. I see myself as a nap-time and night-time entrepreneur!”
Jen has partnered with consultant orthoptists, designers, and The Sussex Baby Lab, who are experts in visual perception and cognition in babies.
She added: “Etta Loves was created to turn everyday essentials into sensory sensations by using the science of what babies can and can’t see to create clever and stunning patterns.
“The amazing result is that babies are mesmerised and supported in their visual and cognitive development whilst parents benefit from a priceless moment of calm.”
Jen explained that at the heart of Etta Loves lies the truth that “even amidst the chaos of parenthood, moments of peace and calm can be found.”
She noted that their “stylish, organic baby essentials are backed with scientific sensory magic.”
The entrepreneur continued: “That's why we're honoured to be a favourite choice among celebrities, who have a wide range of options when it comes to baby products.’’
Celeb fans now include fellow parents and influencers like The Body Coach star Joe Wicks, model Vogue Williams, and ex reality star Lucy Mecklenburgh.
Something to be even more proud of though is that Jen has been able to gift 2000 muslin squares to neonatal intensive care units across the country.
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The bonding squares support connection, by having one kept against a parent’s skin, and the other in the baby’s incubator, and then they are swapped regularly.
The scent transference between the parent and child has been proven to be beneficial for developing a bond even when separated, enabling extremely poorly babies to connect with the smell of their parents and be comforted by it.
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