By Lisa Marino, Founder & CEO — The Dopple
Anyone who has ever been invited to a baby shower knows what to expect from the gift portion of the day: pacifiers, tiny onesies, and a smattering of toys. Perhaps a few people will go in on a group gift for one of the big ticket items like a crib or stroller.
Predictably, however, the new mom will end up with piles of items that are easy to coo over but easily forgotten once the baby arrives. It is becoming more evident that baby gift registries have largely failed to keep pace with the needs of today’s new parents.
When I had my first child, I was a new graduate who had just lost access to my college-provided health insurance. Then, the dot-com bubble burst in California, and my family faced hard times. We leaned on the State of California, and with the help of state aid, we got through the first year of diapers, food, and other necessities.
This experience gave me insight into the critical importance of community support for new parents, especially new mothers. Disparities in healthcare, childcare access, and income create a greater need for one’s “village” than ever before.
The new need
Today’s new parents are shirking traditional baby shower gifts in favor of registering for what they really want — professional support services and the regular delivery of necessary items. The Dopple Registry has been created to meet this moment and has introduced a new way of registering for parents-to-be and a new way of gifting for friends and family.
Not every mother is beginning parenthood on equal footing with other new parents. The Dopple Registry seeks to level the playing field, allowing parents-to-be to register for the services and items necessary to help, not only in the newborn stage but every stage thereafter. Friends and family can now gift the services of night doulas, lactation consultants, or housekeepers. They can also gift recurring deliveries of items such as diapers or formula, scheduling them to arrive not only right after the child is born but even six months or one year later.
The registry makes it easy for single buyers or group gifters to choose to give a part of a service or delivery gift — such as one night of a doula’s services. It also makes it easy for group gifters to go in together on larger ticket items, such as six months or a year of diaper deliveries.
The Dopple Registry also offers traditional registry items, such as bassinettes and high chairs, as well as a clothing subscription for children.
A mission to create a better baby registry
While my personal challenges with new motherhood and income disparity may be in the past, my work as a board member with Pacific Clinics in California has shown me that the village is still greatly needed. New parents need their community to support their children’s needs not only in the first year of life but also as they grow.
As a mother who has relied on the benevolence of community support, pouring my heart and years of expertise into The Dopple has allowed me to address what I saw as stark disparities in the new parent community. The new approach to baby registries seeks to give parents what they really want while enabling the village to step up and support the new family with highly valued services and necessities.
With The Dopple, our goal is to ensure that every new mother can secure the right services and support to give her family the very best start.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
