Category: Real Talk

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How our products help

Learn how our products help people and the planet

When I created bebe milestones, I thought a lot about its impact on our world. I wanted to make people feel good and help them celebrate special moments. Additionally, I wanted my products to foster connection among parents and normalize all parts of parenting: the good, bad and ugly!

As a nice-to have “luxury” gift item and not a necessity, I also needed them to be kid-safe, environmentally conscience, and help those in need. 

Luckily I found a printing partner who also prioritizes these same things and helped me produce beautiful products that ticked all these boxes. 

MCRL Group operates with the highest standards in safety, particularly with children’s products. They are a trusted supplier for books and toys for Disney and Walmart, and have rigorous safety standards in place. 

They also believe in producing products with the least environmental impact possible, and accomplish this through their Trees for the Future partnership and commitment to planting 10,000 trees annually. 

Read more about Trees for the Future –  an incredible organization committed to training communities on sustainable land use to grow vibrant economies, thriving food systems and a healthier planet. 

Additionally, I wanted to help families in our own communities with issues such as food scarcity, unaffordable housing, domestic violence and mental health support. That’s why I’ve committed a portion of each sale of my “Real Firsts” milestone cards to helping children and parents in need. So thank you, for helping me help others! 

SHOP REAL FIRSTS

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How my own ‘milestone’ journey unfolded

In 2015 I decided to start a family on my own. Over the course of three years, I took many difficult steps to make this happen, ultimately choosing donor conception and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). To say this experience was “life-changing”, is a sheer understatement. It was so many things: more arduous than I ever imagined, and insanely hard to balance, but also immensely rewarding.

Starting a family in this non-traditional way means I have to work extra hard, not only as a single parent and sole provider but as a role model, educator, and example for my son. I had delayed my dream of having children to my 40s, writing a book, and starting a business. I wasn’t sure if I would ever accomplish all three, it seemed so unattainable working full-time and juggling life at home.

Then in 2021, I found myself suddenly unemployed. I had been working in corporate communications for nearly 20 years, and all of a sudden amid a global pandemic, the universe signaled it was time for a change.

Realizing that my son is always observing how we live life, I wanted to teach him the invaluable lesson of how to live it fully – meaning, now was the time for me to show him how we bring our dreams to life.

My first book, Mimi, the Solo Magician Mom, and Cameron – A Donor Conception Story, was born soon after and in early 2022 appeared on virtual bookshelves around the world. I’m super excited that this project, that’s near and dear to my heart, will be a resource for parents raising donor-conceived children and will help others start conversations about non-traditional families, like ours.

In 2022, I reached another personal milestone when I opened up shop with my first product “Real Firsts” inspired by my early days of parenting. To cope and cut through the isolation I would often post adorable photos on social media for family and friends who lived far away. Most often using a “warts and all” approach. I soon found that sharing the not-so-glamourous parts of parenthood helped me connect more with other parents and also eased the burden of perfection (a completely unachievable parenting myth).

Soon after I created a complimentary second product “My Age” milestones that will be in stock in mid-October. They are beautiful Woodland-themed milestone age markers and keepsakes – and the perfect gift for new parents.

What does the future hold? Well, I am a communicator at heart and it’s time to get back to the career that I’ve built while running my ‘side hustles’. I’m fortunate to have had this opportunity to follow these dreams and hope there are many more milestones to come.

I’m hoping these products that I created bring you and your loved ones joy! Please check them out at melissamacdonaldauthor.com and bebemilestones.ca.

Melissa


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Slicing prices over here…

Friends, it’s been a minute…

As a new entrepreneur, I had big plans. I came up with an idea for a cool product, I designed it, found someone to manufacture and then launched it. And guess what?

Not much happened. Turns out there’s this thing called hustle that you need to sell products. Who knew?

Also other things like business sense and mentorship.

Well, folks that is all in hand now! I have found a mentor, social media advertising expert and was fortunate enough to connect with big-wigs in the product world to help, so plans are well underway (at my own turtle’s pace) to expand my store and start selling products.

Here are some things you may notice in the coming weeks:

1. Additional inventory in my online store!

Cute baby and toddler hair accessories suitable for birthday, first communion or flower girl wear.

2. The addition of a second set of milestone cards that document baby’s age – aptly called “My AGE” they feature watercolour woodland creatures to make you smile extra big for the camera.

3. A huge price slash on “Real Firsts” funny milestone card deck of $10 per deck – we want this to be affordable and be accessible to more people – so add to cart, please people!

Please check back and show us some love when you have the chance. As always, we are fortunate to have you follow our journey! 🙂

Melissa

xoxo



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Baby’s first moments: What’s a photo album?

photos on wall

People are taking more baby photos than ever before, but they’re not printing them out and putting them in albums to document baby’s first moments. 

Here’s why: Big, bulky photo albums can be expensive and take up a lot of space, and for those who are into minimalist lifestyles or don’t have much living space, that doesn’t seem to fly.

If you have developed your photos over the past 20 years, are they running around loose, spilling out of your desk drawers? Join the digital age by exploring these alternatives:

Photo books are a great alternative to photo albums and mean no more stragglers. Simply select photos from your computer or phone and start creating personalized books by uploading them online. Shutterfly, Costco, and VistaPrint, are a few places to create professional-looking photo albums for new baby.   

Photo frames can also be a great way to display your photos. Your friends and family are even able to upload digital photos to add to your collection. Check out Nixplay or Aura Frames. All you need is a power source and some wifi and you and your loved ones can be on an endless loop in your living room.

Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Snapchat make it easy to share your photos with friends and family. Don’t forget to use hashtags to index public photos such as #bebemilestones – and if you need some help organizing your thoughts or content, check out Real Firsts – our edgy new photo-sharing product for the modern parent.

Printed photos tend to fade, rip, or get misplaced over time. Consider scanning your relics and organizing them into a digital collection. Apple and Google are always coming up with ways to help you better organize your digital photos, sorted by month, year, place and even using facial recognition. Although promising to be always free, last year Google started charging for Cloud Storage, but it still remains a relatively inexpensive option. However, you may want to check out this article before signing on.

Welcome to the digital age, new parents!

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Join us Saturday, June 11 at the Hamilton Book Crawl!

books in black wooden book shelf

Our newest product “Real Firsts” will be featured at the Hamilton Book Crawl at the Concession Street Festival in Hamilton Ontario.

I’ll be joining a dozen or so Hamilton authors who will be showcasing their work. You can also check out my new book about family diversity – “Mimi, the Solo Magician Mom, and Cameron“.

Where: Concession Street, Hamilton, Ontario

When: 10 am to 2 pm

Why: Meet and Greet local authors, join in on some community fun and support local businesses!

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Real Firsts just launched on Amazon.ca!

flight sky earth space

AMAZON.CA LAUNCH PROMO

Amazon is one of the leading search engines. As a new product just starting out, organic traffic is very important during the first 2 weeks of launch. Securing reviews is also essential to product success.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

  • Purchase your own “Real Firsts” to give as a gift from  Amazon.ca. Get this one-time, hugely discounted rate and save the tax until June 22. 
    • FIND AND SEEK to help my organic search! Go to Amazon.ca and type in “funny baby milestones” to select (first-page result) or type in baby milestone cards (61st ish result) 🙂  Look for our product photos posted here. 
  • Share this post (or a similar Facecbook post) on Facebook, IG, Twitter to help spread the word about this new product and Amazon promotion. 

OTHER WAYS TO HELP

  • Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest 
  • Talk it up in public and promote local talent! 🙂

Thank you for your support!

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Real Firsts is #realtalk

happy girls travelers with backpacks using mobile

REAL FIRSTS by bebe milestones 👶🏽🤰 

This HILARIOUS collection of what baby’s first year actually looks like is sure to be this year’s top gift in 2022 for new parents.

👍 Each set of these funny baby milestones contains 30 durable, vibrant, matte photo cards developed with kid-safe, soy-based ink to help you capture, overshare and connect with others. Your child’s baby photos will be the hit of the family – and your social media feed.

🎁 The unisex design and premium quality make it perfect for baby shower gifts, pregnancy gifts or gender reveal gifts for new parents.

🆒Use these photo props as a start to get creative, putting your own unique spin on baby’s first moments. No need to spend extra on baby’s first-year memory books, use them to create or add to a digital album on your computer or smartphone. 

🤱 Post your pics to social media #bebemilestones, email them to loved ones and start connecting throughout the unpredictably chaotic (but totally relatable) journey we call parenthood.

🚼 There’s plenty of space to record all the details on the back, making them a great keepsake and addition to any baby book or memory box. 

🍁Founded by a Canadian mom who pledges a portion of each sale to helping children in need. 

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The Birth (of Real Firsts)

colorful metallic balloons

Hey, everyone. I’m Melissa, the creator and founder of Real Firsts by bebe milestones.

I created a set of 30 fun, photosharing cards as a tool to help new parents navigate through the often isolating first year of parenthood as we embrace all the nitty-gritty moments in baby’s first-year. 

During my own maternity leave as a single parent, I discovered a huge support system online, especially when I posted photos of my son on social media with a ‘warts and all’ approach. 

These real first moments really hit home with others as I found support in unlikely places – social media! Others began sharing similar stories, and I got requests to post more photos and updates. It made me feel more connected to friends and family who lived far away as they began to share too, and I was able to connect with them in more authentic ways – parent to parent, friend to friend.  

In doing this, I discovered that others were longing for genuine connection too. And other parents needed to hear that there’s no such thing as “perfect parenting” because sh$it happens! #realtalk

When the global pandemic hit and we all stayed away from people by social distancing, connection became more important than ever. Social media continued to provide a way for me to lift up others and myself – at the very least I hope some of my content made others smile. As a bonus, I was also able to curate a digital photo album of my child’s first moments (because there’s no time to scrapbook over here!). 

Fast forward to last year when I found myself suddenly unemployed. This allowed me the opportunity to create something to help others share, connect and experience this same magic. I also had a goal of giving back to the community by helping children in need. “Real Firsts” was soon born. 

Every purchase of “Real Firsts” will help children in our community in need as a portion of proceeds will be donated to registered charities. 

I’m pleased to announce that it’s on sale now on Amazon.ca and bebemilestones.ca and will soon move into marketing in the USA and beyond. 

Thank you to all those who inspired this product and helped make my first and subsequent years with my son so special!