The Edit: Motherhood: Realities, Innovations & Alternatives
The latest roundup of our favorite female-founded products, all centered around this month's theme: motherhood. PLUS: Exclusive discounts for The Helm community.
The Brown Crayon Project Complete Care Gift Set
This six product collection of hair and skin cleansing moisturizers, conditioners and oil is designed as a complete healthy hair & skin care system to provide parents and caregivers with quality, natural, chemical-free solutions for babies, toddlers and children of color. Founder: Selma Idris
$85
Pondichérie Neha Petite Dress
Beloved kaftan line Pondichérie is now making children's clothes like this sweet beach cover-up dress for your little one. The dress is hand-woven (on a loom no less) and made in New York. Founder: Devon Fisher.
$65
Totesavvy Diaper Bag
11-pocket organizer with a patented book-like design. ToteSavvy® original size includes an insulated bottle pocket, key clasp, and washable changing mat (20" x 25"). Easily organize any tote or transform it into a functional baby bag. Founder: Lauren Kutting
$72
Simone Le Blanc Mom & Baby Gift Crate
An exquisite wooden crate filled with a beautifully curated selection of gifts for a new mother and baby. The boxed items thematically revolved around the notion of 'stolen moments of relaxation.' Founder: Simone Le Blanc
$150
Willow
Wearable Breast Pump
A serious breast feeding game changer: this pump sits covertly within your bra and lets you move freely and live your life—no cords or dangling bottles to hold you down. Not to mention the pump comes with an iOS app that provides information on your pumping session. Founder: Naomi Kelman
Willow, $480
FertileGirl Superfood Nutrition Bar
Nutrition bars made from superfood ingredients—including maca, goji, and flaxseed—that provide a source of calcium, vitamin A, iron, and plant-based protein. A great 'on the go' bar with nutrients that support conception. Founder: Alli Kasirer
$45/box
Tenoverten Summer Trio
An elegant trio of pregnancy-safe, cruelty-free, and vegan nail polishes designed to mimic the shades of summer. Perfect for a mom-to-be who, maybe can no longer see her toes, but still wants to know they're looking good. Co-founders: Nadine Abramcyk and Adair Ilyinsky
$45
Lingua Franca x goop Motherlover Sweater
This cheeky cashmere pullover pairs well with just about everything. The hand-stitched “motherlover” adds a bit of playful whimsy to every outfit. Founders: Gwyneth Paltrow; Rachelle MacPherson
$400
Cossabella Never Say Never Nursing Bra
Cosabella's Never Say Never Sweetie bra, their best-selling bra, has been updated with easy clip-on/clip-off straps made for nursing. The bralette-silhouette and soft floral lace gives it a demure, sexy vibe—so you'll want to wear it long after nursing. Founder: Valeria Campello
$79.50
Beachwood Baby Adjustable Seaside Sling
An adjustable nautical striped sling perfect for carrying your child as they grow from a precious baby to mischievous toddler. Get 15% off your first purchase with discount code THEHELMVIP. Founder: Ljuba Lassala
$97
Fleur du Mal Long Smoking Robe
When you quickly throw on a robe, make it this sultry one, whose design mirrors classic smoking jackets. Founder: Jennifer Zuccarini
$495
Maisonette X Minnow Rashguard and Ruffle Combo
Maisonette’s signature doodle print makes for a colorful, sprightly bathing suit and comes in options for both boys and girls ages 1-10. Founders: Morgan Smith (Minnow), Sylvana Ward Durrett, and Luisana Mendoza de Roccia.
$82
The Honest Co Magic Balm
A beloved all-purpose beauty balm that can be used just about everywhere. It highlights cheekbones, makes lips supple, touches up cuticles, and even soothes a chapped red nose. Perfect for the busy mom. Founder: Jessica Alba
$12.99
Earth Mama Organic Booby Tubes
These gel-free breast packs alleviate breastfeeding discomfort. Made from organic cotton and filled with flax seed, they can provide warm, moist heat as well as cooling comfort to abate the sensitivity of nursing. Founder: Melinda Olson
$19.99
White + Warren Cashmere Slippers
Elevate the serene moments of morning with these cozy chic, 100% cashmere, microfiber soled slippers. Founder: Susan White Morrissey
$145
WMN Sitz Bath
A herb-infused salt soak to support vaginal healing postpartum. The soak is a blend of sea salt, lady’s mantle, calendula flowers, burdock root, plantain leaf, yarrow flower, violet leaf, and lemon balm. Founder: Paula Mallis
$20
Hannah Bergen Baby Kit
The best way to capture,cherish and collect everything from your baby's first steps to their first day of pre-school. Founder: Hannah Bergen
$120
HATCH Belly Mask
A playful stretch mark mimimizing mask facial for your pregnant and post-partum stomach. But more than anything else, it's a fun excuse to take some time for yourself. Founder: Ariane Goldman
$12
Hampton Staycation at The Maidstone Hotel
Sometimes the greatest gift for a mother is a bit of solace. This recently renovated hotel features an updated, whimsical take on traditional Americana aesthetics combined with Scandinavian design (the founder is Swedish). The hotel's decor is seriously stunning—wait till you see photos of the bathrooms—it will be the most relaxing bath and blissful night of sleep you've had in a long while. Founder: Jenny Baker
From $600/night
ALC Alexa Dress
This dress, from trendy brand, A.L.C., may not be a maternity dress, but thanks to an empire waist, it fits like one. It's flattering to pregnant and non-pregnant bodies alike, and will be a staple in your wardrobe for years to come. Also a big fan: Julia Stiles; she wore it for her pregnancy announcement. Great minds, right? Founder: Andrea Lieberman
$725
Maya Brenner 14K Gold 4 Letter Necklace
Delicate 14K gold necklace customizable to include up to four initials of your beloved, as well as charms, numbers, and birthstones. A beautiful—yet subtle—way to carry your loved ones with you always. Founder: Maya Brenner.
$420
Tootsa MacGinty Fox Jacquard Knit
Tootsa MacGinty makes beautifully designed unisex children's apparel. We're particularly fond of this playful fox sweater. It's cashmere, itch-free, and completely machine washable. Founder: Kate Pietrasik
$57
UMA Pure Energy Wellness Oil
UMA's Pure Energy Wellness Oil is a concoction of Mother Nature's most powerful natural energy sources. A blend of rosemary, peppermint, jasmine, basil, and ginger, the oil makes you feel naturally energized, and works well as a caffeine alternative. Founder: Shrankhla Holecek
$85
Little Feminist Book Club Subscription
A monthly subscription box of books and activities for your favorite little feminist, curated around a monthly theme featuring a strong female character and/or people of color. Founder: Brittany Murlas
$21/month
Madri Collection Crossover Top
A simple, impeccably tailored crop top that allows mothers to breastfeed with ease. This shirt, like all the pieces from Madri Collection, was made from superior textiles to ensure it would feel good against the skin of both mother and child. Founders: Ashley Melone and Danielle Walish
$98
The Honey Pot Herbal Pads
These winged postpartum sanitary pads employ absorbent technology to wipe any worry of leakage from your mind. They're infused with rose, lavender, aloe, and mint essential oils to reduce odor, discomfort, dryness, and cramping—all while keeping you refreshingly cool. Founder: Bea Feliu-Espada
$7.99
Motherlove Nipple Cream
Ameliorate an uncomfortable side-effect of nursing with Motherlove's nipple cream. The all-natural, safe for ingestion, herbal salve soothes cracked nipples and relieves the discomfort associated with them. Founder: Kathryn Higgins
$10.95
Teat and Cosset Anita Striped Sweater
This beautifully made, classic striped sweater is elevated by a simple fashion-forward flourish: subtle bell sleeves. Here at The Helm we're smitten. And we're not the only ones, there isn't a single negative review for this item—every single one is five stars! Founder: Peggy Economou.
$168
Majka Lactation Powder
This ‘by mothers for mothers‘ business makes a nutritionist-created protein powder designed to increase milk production and provide optimal nutrition for both mother and child. Founders: Lorena Garcia & Majo Mansur.
$65
Peanut App
Dubbed the "tinder for moms", Peanut is the ultimate app for mothers, making it easier to connect with other moms near you. Founder: Michelle Kennedy
free
HATCH Belly Tattoos
Adorable belly tattoos, perfect for capturing the highlights and countdowns of your pregnancy, complete with month by month temporary tattoos. Founder: Ariane Goldman
$18
Wise Mother Magazine
A beautiful biannual publication of creative content contributed by mothers and mothers-to-be, with the aim of empowering the millennial mom. Founder: Auzeen Mendoza
$19.99
Selfish, Shallow, & Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids
Sixteen literary luminaries on the controversial subject of being childless by choice, in this critically acclaimed, bestselling anthology. Author: Meghan Daum
$18
An Excellent Choice: Panic and Joy on my Solo Path to Motherhood
From the author of She Left Me The Gun, an explosive and hilarious memoir about the exceptional and life-changing decision to conceive a child on one’s own via assisted reproduction. Author: Emma Brockes
$27
How Mamas Love Their Babies
Illustrating the myriad ways that mothers provide for their children―piloting airplanes, washing floors, or dancing at a strip club―this book is the first to depict a sex-worker parent. It provides an expanded notion of working mothers and challenges the idea that only some jobs result in good parenting. We’re reminded that, while every mama’s work looks different, every mama works to make their baby’s world better. Author: Juniper Fitzgerald Illustrator: Elise Peterson
$12
Mother and Child
This stunning art book by photographer—and former assistant to Anna Wintour—Claiborne Swanson Frank features portraits and interviews with more than 50 of the world’s most stylish women. In an effort to explore what modern motherhood means in the 21st century, she profiled subjects including Carolina Herrera, Lauren Santo Domingo, and Patti Hansen, among others. Author: Claiborne Swanson Frank
$85
Things That Helped: On Postpartum Depression
Jessica Friedmann navigates her recovery from postpartum depression in a wide-ranging collection of personal essays. Author: Jessica Friedmann
$16
Motherhood
From the author of How Should a Person Be? (“one of the most talked-about books of the year”―Time Magazine) and the New York Times Bestseller Women in Clothes comes a daring novel about whether to have children. Author: Sheila Heti
$27
And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready
When Meaghan O'Connell got accidentally pregnant in her twenties and decided to keep the baby, she realized that the book she needed -- a brutally honest, agenda-free reckoning with the emotional and existential impact of motherhood -- didn't exist. So she decided to write it herself.
$26
Conceivability
Part memoir, part guide, this personal and deeply informative account of one woman’s gripping journey through the global fertility industry in search of the solution to her own “unexplained infertility” exposes eye-opening information about the medical, financial, legal, scientific, emotional and ethical issues at stake. Author: Elizabeth Katkin
$26
The Rebel Mama’s Handbook for (Cool) Moms
If you're a mom (or mom-to-be) who wants to raise decent human
$26
Hatch Baby Grow
A 'smart' changing pad that pairs with your smartphone or tablet to track your baby's diaper changes, weight gain, and feeding amounts. Plus, it's built with a soft foam to ensure comfort and ease of cleaning. Founder: Ann Crady Weiss
$129
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