Lottie's Baby Boutique

Lottie’s is a beautiful online shop with a gorgeous range of pregnancy, mum and baby related products; where everything available has been created by mum-owned businesses, five of which are based in Edinburgh; so when you shop with Lottie’s, you are supporting other families, small businesses and, of course, mums.

Lottie’s owner, Amber, has a background in the Early Years and a BA in Childhood Studies. Having seen the diversity of how families are made up and spoken to hundreds of mums, Amber has witnessed both the highs and lows of parenthood, and knows how hard it can be to juggle everything. But she has also seen how adaptable and creative mums are, and believes that more should be done to acknowledge the amazing small businesses and products that many mums produce.

Through Lottie’s, Amber wants to build a platform to make it easier for families to find these products and businesses and to support other mums.

Lottie’s also run weekly meets-ups at Black Ivy in Bruntsfield, monthly meet-ups for young mums at Edinburgh Arts Centre, and other mum and childfriendly activities. These meet-ups are beneficial to building positive communities, giving mums the space and opportunity to get out of the house, to meet other mums and to enjoy a warm coffee in a relaxed environment.

The weekly mum-meet at Black Ivy is great because they have a “ping-pong” table that older children (or mums) can play on and, when the weather is nice, you can sit outside. Meet-ups are open to mums with children of all ages or, if you prefer, you can come along alone.

92% of mums feel lonely. This statistic really hit home."

Amber tells us, ‘I recently read that up to 92% of mums feel lonely. This statistic really hit home, and made me want to do something about it. I quite often feel lonely myself as my partner works away and sometimes I can go days without speaking to another adult. I get so caught up in family life and working, and before I know it, I’m four days into a “Paw Patrol” binge, covered in baby sick and the house is a mess despite cleaning it everyday! Often when speaking to other mums, many talk about losing their identity. I feel the meetups allow women talk about anything they want for an hour or two. Mostly it is still mum-chat but mum-chat on our terms!’

Amber has just finished maternity leave with her second child, and loves spending time with her family. She also loves doing her own thing and is extremely passionate about supporting other mums, especially young mums, to find their identity. •

To find out more about Lottie’s Baby Boutique or the regular meet-ups go to www.lottiesbabyboutique.co.uk