Baby Made Blog

The Innovation Tchibo Pitchfest 2015 held in Sydney earlier this year was undoubtedly one of the most exciting, yet scariest product showcase events in Baby Made’s history to date. It was really exciting to be pitching our Award-Winning ‘Baby Inkless Print Kit’ product to a judging panel of international and national marketing specialists in order for them to select the Top 3 best creative innovation products on the Australian market today; and so scary for all the same reasons! Drum roll …. and the judges include Christoph Honnefelder, Director of Products at Tchibo; Bastian Grafe, Tchibo Director of Creative Sourcing & Co-operation; Sally de Swart, Group Director Retail at Reed Exhibitions; Australian design expert Tara Dennis and Nancy Georges of Magnolia Solutions and Miss Fix-it fame. Yep, some major big guns! What began with sixteen finalists, who had all exhibited at the 2015 Sydney Reed Gift Fair, resulted in an initial round-robin style of five minute pitches where judges delved into the background of each company, the concept, and marketing prospective for each nominated product. At the conclusion of the initial round, the sixteen finalists were reduced by half to a Top 8, and we made it! Now keep in mind, we had no idea what to do or what was expected from the get-go. We didn’t know what the judges were looking for, and to be quite honest, how to impress or to effectively convey what we knew was a best selling baby keepsake product in the Australian market to an international buyer on the scale of Tchibo. We might be a market leader, but a leading public speaker… perhaps not. Another round of pitching underway and we make it into the Top 3 winners – so proud, so excited (so relieved) and just so absolutely exhilarated, that those in the know saw we see about our Baby Inkless Print Kit – the ultimate in simple to use, permanent, inkless free, paint and easiest way to record baby’s hand and footprint keepsake mementos forever. We are truly grateful to Tchibo, Reed Exhibitions, Tara Dennis & Nancy Georges in particular for allowing us their time and the opportunity to share our Baby Inkless Print Kit as well as our passion for striving to continually stay at the forefront of the Australian and worldwide keepsake market. We can’t wait to launch our latest elaboration of our everlasting keepsake product line. Stay tuned, the range at Baby Made will continue to grow and just keep getting better!

  Baby Made is very excited to have two products nominated for this year’s My Childs Excellence Awards. These awards recognise the best in baby, child and parenting products. The acknowledgment is not just a recognition of the quality and popularity of the products but also gives us great pleasure in the knowledge that families are using these products to create Keepsakes of their little ones that they will cherish for years to come. Both Products nominated are unique modern baby keepsakes. Our All About Me baby book is like no other baby book, it was designed to cater to every type of family configuration , traditional, same sex, single sex or blended family and is written from the child’s point of view. Our Baby Imprint kit is the perfect way to create an impression of your baby’s little hands or feet .There is no plaster or clay so there is no baking or mixing, it uses soft air drying foam that is easy to use and mess free. If you have used these products, we would love your support by voting for the Baby Imprint kit and All about Me Baby Book https://forms.gle/jAbB9StA36n36jCF8    

What is Polydactyly ? Polydactyly is a congenital condition where a baby is born with an extra finger on their hand or an extra toe on their feet. Instead of 5 fingers/toes, baby with polydactyly may have 6 or more.  It is more common than you think and the condition often runs in families. Treatment for polydactyly will depend on the individual case but it may involve surgery to remove the extra finger/toe. Here at Baby Made we have created quite a few 3D casts of the baby / toddler with polydactyly prior to them having their elected surgery. Parents come to us to help them preserve a tangible memory of their child’s unique extra finger or toe in a 3d sculpture before it is surgically removed. It allows them to create a lasting keepsake of their child’s early years and a reminder of their journey.

  You might not know this but our current business ‘Baby Made’ first began in 2002 as ‘Belly Art’ – where we began by creating plaster belly casts of pregnant women’s bellies - and in 2015 our business grew and expanded. We developed a wider range of baby keepsake products and our name changed to Baby Made . Throughout this time we have had a number of varied requests for casts, including women wanting to get a plaster cast of their breasts and torso before they have a mastectomy. This can be a very emotionally challenging time for these women, but by actively addressing the diagnosis in a meaningful way these women take charge of the experience and empower themselves to move forward with strength and resilience. This month I received a call from a lady who wanted to organize to have her friend’s breasts cast before she had her mastectomy. She and a friend of hers wanted to come to our studio with a platter of food and soft drinks and make the casting more of a light, fun experience. The two friends also wanted to do their own breast cast to show support and to try and make the experience less daunting and to take the focus off the friend who was going to be having the mastectomy. They chatted away while each one had the cast done and laughed about the size and shape of the casts and where they would display them. I felt very grateful that I could be a part of creating the casts and share in this experience with these wonderful women. A reminder of the power of friendship and support women have and give each other. They plan to get together and paint designs on the casts or maybe even do another one after the reconstructive surgery. If you would like more information on any of our casting options please call us on 03 95094060 or e-mail us directly at info@babymade.com.au

I don’t know about you but if you’re anything like me, dinner meals are always indecisive. I know some friends who have a routine set in place when it comes to their weekly dinners. You know, spaghetti bolognese on Monday night, taco Tuesday night and so on. However, I’ve never really done that. I like to change it up and try different things if I can (more like, if I can be bothered). Another popular method is using companies like, Marley Spoon & Hello Fresh. I’ve heard how easy it is, it’s all delivered to you and you prepare and cook the meal yourself. It takes the stress out of deciding what to cook for dinner and going to the market to buy all the ingredients. Sometimes I wish I had my own personal chef. Can you imagine eating restaurant-quality food every night?! If I was to ever win the lottery that would be my dream. So, back to reality, what do I cook tonight? Lately, I’ve been making bowls. Well, it’s my take of the poke bowls. The kids love them. I change it up by using different meats and veggies. It’s been my go-to and it covers all the five food groups. The best thing is I make enough so there’s left overs and using the remaining meat or veggies in a pasta dish for another night. What will you be eating for dinner tonight?   Check out this recipe. https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/mexican-chicken-rice-bowl/qph1udte

What is your number? Mine is 10. 10 hours of labour with my firstborn. I will never forget it. The anxiety, the excitement, the fear, the unknown. It didn’t matter how much research and planning when into it, I had no real idea what I was getting myself into. I remember thinking with each contraction as they were getting closer (apart from the excruciating pain) was how am I actually going to do this? It took 10 hours from the time my first contraction started to when my daughter came into the world. Together with the support of my husband and Mum I was able to get through the birth with the good ol’ method of gas. That tube became my best friend I was never letting go of. What also got me through was squeezing the life out of my husband and Mum’s hands as they were taking turns when things were getting intense. Over the years I’ve had many a conversation with other Mums of their birthing experience and the length of their labour. So many different stories but the one common theme with all of them is that they wouldn’t change it for anything. Being a Mum is the ultimate gift. Those 10 hours led to a moment in time that will forever be in my heart, my mind and my soul.

There are so many different thoughts and traditions behind when is the right time to put up your Christmas tree. Most department stores and shopping centres are filled with Christmas bling from October. Tradition states that the tree should go up at the beginning of the Advent calendar which is four Sundays before Christmas Day. Other traditions believe that the tree should go up 12 days before Christmas. In the past it was tradition to put up the tree on Christmas Eve as it was known as bad luck to do it earlier. I have made my own tradition and put our tree up mid-November, usually after my son’s birthday so that we can enjoy the Christmas spirit for a bit longer. All things that go up must come down, so when is the right time for the tree to be packed up? Once again there are different opinions on this too. Some will take it down straight away on Boxing Day. Some will wait until the 1st of January. However, tradition states it should be done 12 days after Christmas. Fake or real? That is the next big question when it comes time to choosing your Christmas tree. Some people love to have a real tree. They enjoy the pine scent that it brings in the home. Others, like myself prefer a nice old-fashioned fake tree. Wherever your traditions lie, Christmas is a special (and stressful) time of year. One tradition I always like to keep at Christmas time is to eat, drink and be merry.

Exciting News …. After 13 years, we’re growing up! We're changing our name to better reflect who we are and what we do, but everything else remains exactly the same. Belly Art began back in 2002 when two great friends, Nicole and Ilana, who both were pregnant, decided to create belly casts of their expanding bellies. They created individual designs for their belly casts and all these years later they still cherish having a lasting memento of that precious time in their lives. Soon pregnant friends were asking for their bellies to be cast and asked Ilana, a formally trained fine artist to create personalised designs for them. Then friends of friends asked, and friends of friends of friends also wanted it done, the demand just kept growing and before long, Belly Art the business was born. As time went on, the girls saw gaping holes in the market for quality baby keepsakes, everything seemed so old-fashioned and boring, there was nothing modern and fun for contemporary and stylish Australian parents. So they set off to create a range of 100 per cent baby safe keepsake products and today, they are the market leaders for their innovation and delivery of award-winning, quality DIY Baby Keepsake Kits and the miraculous Inkless Print Gift Range and extensive baby keepsake merchandise. So, you see the name Belly Art was perfect when the business began creating belly casts, but today we feel it’s time to change just our brand name to more accurately reflect the products and services we provide, after all… the most treasured keepsakes are ‘Baby Made’.  

The 'Innovation Tchibo Pitchfest 2015' held in Sydney earlier this year was undoubtedly one of the most exciting and yet scariest product showcase events in Baby Made's history to date. It was so exciting to be pitching our Award-Winning 'Baby Inkless Print Kit' to a judging panel of international and national marketing specialists in order to select the Top 3 best creative innovation products on the Australian market today, from a pool of outstanding and all equally worthy small businesses; and so scary for all the same reasons. What began with twenty selected finalists, all of which had exhibited at the 2015 Sydney Reed Gift Fair resulted in an initial round-robin style of five minute pitches, where the judging panel delved into the background of each company, their product concept as well as marketing prospective for each of the nominated products. At the conclusion of the initial round, the sixteen finalists were reduced by half to the Top 8 and Baby Made made it through! Now keep in mind we had no idea what the judges were looking for, and to be quite honest, how we would effectively convey what we know is a bestselling baby keepsake product on the Australian market to an international buyer on the scale of Tchibo. We might be a market leader in baby keepsakes, but a leader on the public speaking arena ... well, possibly not. Saddled up to do our best in the final round of pitching, and each round having been a little more intense than the last, but, we made it and were celebrated as a Top 3 Winner - so proud, so excited (and so relieved the pitching was over) and just absolutely ecstatic that those in the know understood the merits of our Baby Inkless Print Kit - the ultimate in easy to use, ink free and permanent way to capture those most precious baby keepsakes mementos to love and cherish forever. Baby Made is extremely grateful to the exceptional judging panel which included Tchibo, Reed Exhibitions, Tara Dennis and Nancy Georges for allowing us their time and for the opportunity to share the Baby Inkless Print Kit and for recognising our passion to make it to the forefront of the Australian and worldwide keepsake market. We also congratulate all 20 worthy finalists!

Baby Made Director Nicole Shulman was excited to be featured as 'Mama of the Month' in the Bayside issue of MamaMag and share the birth of Baby Made the business while juggling an emerging business with a budding family. Read the article featured in MamaMag: Mamamag Mama of the Month.

There's nothing quite as cute as tiny little hands and feet - apart from those chubby little thighs! - and finding a unique way to create a lasting memory of those teensy fingers and toes just got easier with our gorgeous new Baby Imprint Kits! These fantastic baby keepsake gifts are so easy to use ... in just 3 simple steps you have an instant impression of every little wrinkle and detail of your baby's hands or feet which, once air dried, can then be displayed using the easel provided to cherish forever.  One of the best things about these kits is the fact the foam material can be re-used over and over again ... if you're not happy with your first go you simply roll out the clay again and go for take 2... or 3... or 4... always handy if some-one is having an uncooperative day! Your little one won't be little forever but at least you'll have those cute hand and feet impressions to remind you of just how gorgeous those pudgy little fingers and toes once were!

Those tiny hands and feet grow so big so quickly (and manage to find new ways to create mess and destruction you could never have imagined!!) that it's easy to forget just how small and innocent (and clean!!) they once were.  Our Hand and Feet Casting Kits and Services are a wonderful way to create gorgeous sculptures to give you lasting proof of just how tiny those fingers and toes used to be! These little hands and feet look just gorgeous framed and hung on the wall or kept in the keepsake box provided with our DIY Kits but there are SO many creative ways to display these ... we've seen them used as bookends, sitting up proudly on office desks, snuggling up to teddy bears on nursery shelves and tip toeing across mantlepieces and windowsills. You can have some real fun coming up with new and clever ways to display your unique keepsakes (after you've had the fun of creating them!) ... the only limit is your imagination and we love seeing those gorgeous hands and feet popping up in unexpected places so feel free to show them off by sending them to us at info@babymade.com.au ... you might just see your creations on our Facebook page!

Those tiny little hands and feet don’t stay that tiny for long and what better way to remember how little they once were than by creating perfect prints to keep forever?! It is so easy to capture perfect hand and foot prints using Baby Made’s Baby Inkless Print Kit that we are seeing lots of clever mums creating their own unique records of this precious time.  There’s no end to the gorgeous things you can do with your little one’s prints … from ‘thank you’ cards and 1st birthday invitations to having them applied to our extensive range of unique Print Gifts or framing them to treasure forever! The opportunities are endless but if you need any inspiration to get started on creating your own special memory have a look at what some of our happy customers have come up with...

When you’re pregnant and your belly feels like its growing bigger every day – and keeping you awake every night! – you can’t believe it will one day stop entering the room before you do… or that you will miss it!! There are so many different ways to record this special time – photographs, measurements on a wall - but a beautiful way of ensuring you don’t forget how gorgeous your pregnant belly was is to have a casting made. The entire reason Baby Made was born was to allow mums to celebrate their pregnant bellies … many have come into our Studio and we have helped them capture and preserve the precious time of pregnancy.  Another unique way for expectant mums to remember this magical time in life is to create and decorate their beautiful bumps with our Pregnancy Belly Casting Kits … the perfect way to record those bumps and a really fun Baby Shower activity! There are so many different ways to decorate them … photo collages, get all your friends to add a message or drawing (kind of like an arm or leg cast!), have them professionally painted or let your kids loose with their artbox!  An we have seen them displayed in some pretty unique ways… from beautiful wall art in the nursery to funky fruit bowls and garden planters! belly casts are such fun thing to do and have to keep forever… and you’ll have the joy of that pregnant belly without the heartburn!

When you’re pregnant and your belly feels like its growing bigger every day – and keeping you awake every night! – you can’t believe it will one day stop entering the room before you do… or that you will miss it!! There are so many different ways to record this special time – photographs, measurements on a wall - but a beautiful way of ensuring you don’t forget how gorgeous your pregnant belly was is to have a casting made. The entire reason Baby Made was born was to allow mums to celebrate their pregnant bellies … many have come into our Studio and we have helped them capture and preserve the precious time of pregnancy.  Another unique way for expectant mums to remember this magical time in life is to create and decorate their beautiful bumps with our Pregnancy Belly Casting Kits … the perfect way to record those bumps and a really fun Baby Shower activity! There are so many different ways to decorate them … photo collages, get all your friends to add a message or drawing (kind of like an arm or leg cast!), have them professionally painted or let your kids loose with their artbox!  An we have seen them displayed in some pretty unique ways… from beautiful wall art in the nursery to funky fruit bowls and garden planters! belly casts are such fun thing to do and have to keep forever… and you’ll have the joy of that pregnant belly without the heartburn!