In-home TLC for new parents

Hand-in-hand with the joy of being a new parent comes exhaustion and the feeling of being overwhelmed, as anyone with children can undoubtedly attest. For entrepreneurs, of course, it’s a ripe opportunity, and joining the ranks of those we’ve already covered comes Baby Angel of New Zealand. Auckland-based Baby Angel was launched in 2007 by Rebecca Cass, a nurse with paediatric, neonatal and obstetric experience and also a mother herself. Targeting new parents who get sent home within days or even hours of delivery, Cass set out to create a service that provides all the extra care and support missing from those important first weeks at home. Baby Angel now offers a range of services including fresh food delivery, household help and in-home baby-care instruction. Everything from sweets to full meals and “pantry fillers” are available for delivery to new parents’ door—dinner with dessert for a family of four or five, for example, is priced at NZD 80—while a variety of housework packages offer cleaning assistance, such as a week of help for two hours a day priced at NZD 495. Baby-care education, meanwhile—including a class just for Dads—is priced starting at NZD 360. So helpful have Baby Angel’s offerings proved, in fact, that consumers have begun ordering them for other people in need of extra care as well, such as the ill and bereaved, the company says. The Lesson? No end in sight to the opportunities for comforting, nurturing and pampering services! (Related: In-hospital spa services for new moms — Concierge service for busy moms.) Spotted by: Margie Beattie