Mother’s Day came and went, but the appreciation for all moms should not end there.
And for anyone serious about starting a business, new moms represent a $46B market simply too big to ignore.
As more Millennials (and older Gen Zers) approach this phase of life, we’ll see new products and solutions that adapt to the needs of modern moms.
Source: Google Trends, six-month rolling average
One rising star in the maternity space is Momcozy, famous for its wearable breast pumps. Their $200 all-in-one model, M5, makes $2.6m/month on Amazon alone – not to mention direct sales on the website, and units moved in retailers like Target and Walmart.
Meanwhile, Oula, a modern full-service maternity clinic, raised $28m this year.
There are still plenty of opportunities to give new and expectant moms the support they deserve. Let’s look at a few:
Postpartum Recovery, Unbundled
In China, it’s customary for postpartum moms to go through a month-long sitting period, or “zuoyue zi”, where they receive round-the-clock care in nutrition, lactation, and everything in between.Despite growing interest in the US, this kind of service still has a hefty price tag. Currently, postnatal retreats and recovery centers are more of a luxury – one night could set you back $1k.
Source: Bloomberg
You can unbundle a one-stop-shop into more affordable offers, such as:
🧑🍳 Chef: Prepare personalized, nutritious meals to new moms and their babies. Or, build a hyperlocal meal delivery service for postpartum moms (take inspiration from Chiyo, which recently raised $3m).
🏋️ Trainer: Help new moms find the best workout regime for their needs, whether it’s to lose the baby weight, increase strength, or pelvic floor exercises.
💖 Counselor: Organize mental health retreats and community events to help women cope with postpartum depression (which affects 1 in 7 women during the perinatal period), and adjust to the new identity.
🏡 Family coach: Family plays a big role in supporting new moms, but generational differences could easily stress them out. Run a family coaching camp that helps the dads, partners, and other family members (or close friends) get on the same page, and learn how to help out without being overbearing.
Sleep Training for Babies
Exhausted parents in the 103k-strong r/SleepTrain subreddit are at their wits’ end. Google search interest in “sleep training” is high, and parents are handing over their hard-earned money to high-tech “sleep schools.”
You could go the e-commerce route and provide sleep boxes or sleep aid products for infants. This baby sound machine and night light, for example, brings in ~$1.1m/mo. in revenue on Amazon, per Jungle Scout.
The secondhand market for infant sleeping tech is also huge. Parents are paying up to $1k for a secondhand Snoo Smart Sleeper Bassinet, which ships for $1.7k new.
You could also provide parents with an option to rent expensive sleeping tech for only the few months that they need it.
Career Counseling and Coaching
A lot of decisions go into the lifelong commitment of being a mom, and women need more services that reflect this long-term reality.
Let's start with their careers — over 60% of Millennial and Gen Z moms actively work. You can build a counseling service for women who are considering motherhood but care deeply about their careers.
Build a five-year plan from the moment they start trying for a baby. Help them negotiate maternity leave, better manage their time, and recover productivity after a leave.
Sometimes preferences shift after having a baby, so you can also help them figure out career options that better fit their new realities, like starting an online course for new moms who want to become content creators by documenting their journey.
