With the dire need for clean and sustainable living, it is but natural that the baby care segment cannot be ignored. After all, parents would want nothing but the best for their little ones.
Rishu Gandhi, Founder and Head Brand Strategist is one such entrepreneur whose passion and keen insights into consumer behaviour drove her to come up with her company, Mother Sparsh. The brand focuses on eco-friendly, biodegradable, alcohol-free and paraben-free baby products for mother and baby hygiene. Here, the dynamic lady lets us in her journey, the need for eco-friendly products and also helpful baby care tips.
What sparked the idea for Mother Sparsh? How did you merge that with your knowledge and expertise?
With so many prominent brands already in the baby care market, mothers were always exchanging notes on the requirement of better products for their babies. After completing my engineering degree, I joined Infosys as a Java developer. But my passion to become a women entrepreneur, especially my keen interest in researching and learning about consumer behaviour with respect to new products and innovations inspired me to research and build a brand “Mother Sparsh” in a way to help moms with best of products for babies.
We would love to know the journey of how you got there, do share the same.
I always wanted to do something in the baby care segment and when I shared my thoughts with my husband, he was elated and supported my decision. I realised that the baby care market in India needed freshness in terms of products and marketing. Mothers are always looking for safe and organic products for their little one’s health and well-being.
Where there any struggles along the way? If so, how did you overcome them?
Being a woman entrepreneur in India is not easy. But remember, bigger things do not come easy ever, the challenges I faced at the beginning was access to adequate funding, limited scope of mobility, inadequate practical experience as well as balancing business and family life. I overcome all of it with the help of my family support, confidence, getting exposed to the right set of experiences to nurture and my will power.
Mother Sparsh’s products are skin-friendly and Ayurvedic in nature, what are the stringent processes that you follow while getting the products made?
Mother Sparsh is trying to contribute to the green cause by providing products which are eco-friendly and biodegradable in nature. This includes two variants of our best-selling products, 98% and 99% water-based wipes which are not just better for babies but also gentle on Mother Earth. We ensure that along with being gentle on the skin, our products are environment-friendly too. They are made of zero polyester, renewable natural plant-based fabric, purified water, 100% biodegradable, natural plant extracts and certifiably compostable materials.
Being in this field, what tips would you give to the newbie moms out there?
I am yet to experience motherhood. But given my exposure in family and our customer base, being a new mom is a mixed feeling of pure love and concern for the newborn baby, I would suggest them to always use eco-friendly or ayurvedic products for the babies as their system is very sensitive. They have maximum chances of getting infected or get irritated by chemical-based products so, strictly avoid DEET based baby care products that may lead to severe skin infections. Apart from that, maintaining personal hygiene and a good diet is a must for mothers.
For most, the arrival of the newborn is both joyful and overwhelming, are there any pearls of wisdom that you could give to ease in the transition?
Google is the answer for all queries, but one should not ignore “Dadi maa ke nushke”. I would only recommend Ayurveda or homeopathy for kids if there is any issue with the baby. Rest, being a responsible parent, one should not shy away from providing the best within their capacity.
Is there anything in particular one needs to keep in mind while buying baby products?
One needs to keep in mind that if we want the well-being of our newborn, it is high time that we go with products that are eco-friendly as well as environmentally friendly. We know it very well how chemical-free products are extremely important if we want to protect our baby’s sensitive skin. The newborn babies have a skin type which is highly sensitive and susceptible to any allergy on a much faster pace than children of any other age group. If one goes for a harmful chemical product, the kids are more likely to catch an allergy or itchiness. Parents should read the content for ingredients mentioned on any baby care product, hence, will help in avoiding the chemical-based ones.
What as per you are the 5 must-have baby products every newbie mom needs in her bag and why?
A new mom should have below mentioned 5 products
- Eco-friendly wipes
- Natural Insect Repellent
- Baby Carrier
- Biodegradable and Eco- friendly Diapering Products
- For coming monsoon, dusting powder
Are there any baby care hacks that you would like to share with us?
- Right before the diaper change, slide a wet wipe under the belly button. This will help the baby to not to pee as soon as they get in contact with air as fresh air.
- If you are living in a duplex or a multi-story apartment then ensure that baby care kits are available on both the floors to avoid running up and down.
- The wipes packets when empty can be used to throw away used diapers.
0 comments on “Founder of Mother Sparsh on baby care tips and the need for eco-friendly wipes”