A QUALIFIED primary school teacher and new mum from Coventry has launched pampering sessions for babies, supported by the Chamber of Commerce.
My Baby Spa was set up earlier this year by Danielle Gibbs, who is offering Covid-secure spa sessions for parents and babies in Coventry and Leamington Spa now restrictions are easing.
Aimed at babies aged 0 to 12 months, there are mini spa baths, baby nail files and teeny-tiny Egyptian cotton robes.
Danielle said: “I had my baby at the start of lockdown last year and while I was on my maternity, I knew I was going to be made redundant so started thinking about this idea of a baby spa.
“I wanted to make the baby spa a really relaxing space for parents and babies, as I appreciate and experienced myself that being a parent with a baby can be very tiring and can cause anxieties, so I wanted to create ‘an oasis of calm’ for mothers, fathers, grandparents and carers to bring their baby.
“I’ve had a lot of interest so far, with some sessions already fully booked. I was due to launch in January but then lockdown came into force and meant sessions had to be postponed.”
Danielle has five years’ experience as a Key Stage 1 Primary school teacher and was recently voted ‘Best New Business in Warwickshire’ by readers of the Little Ankle Biters parenting website.
She was able to start the venture with the help of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
Danielle said: “I had the idea of My Baby Spa, but I didn’t have the correct knowledge or the confidence to even know where to start.
“I started looking at the Government website for help and it pointed me in the direction of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
“During lockdown and throughout my maternity I signed on for courses from the Chamber and I did all of them including business planning, social media, marketing and more.
“The courses and the valuable one-to-one support from Hardeep Sandhu, my mentor gave me the confidence to progress my ideas and I couldn’t have done all of this without the Chamber.”
Hardeep Sandhu, from Coventry and Warwickshire’s Chamber of Commerce, said: “Danielle is a real success story by making the most of the time that she had and accessing everything she could from the Chamber and it has been a privilege to see Danielle’s confidence grow.
“It is a shame that the lockdown has meant that her first sessions have had to be postponed, but we know she’s in a great position and has already received some fantastic feedback from attendees.
“We look forward to seeing Danielle and her business progress and grow as she gains more and more clients and experience.”
Danielle hosts My Baby Spa sessions in Leamington Spa on Tuesdays at 11am and 12.45pm; and in Coventry on Sundays at 11am and 12.45pm. For further information go to My Baby Spa.
The Chamber has a range of support for start-up businesses here.
