Like many parents, my husband Josh and I were overwhelmed as new parents and the intense feeling of wanting to do everything in our power to take the best possible care of our baby. A maternal instinct only took me so far and so we looked to outside resources to be the best parents we could be. We took a new parent class that had a short session on caregiving, infant CPR, etc. and it was extremely valuable for us to use that education to build our confidence as new parents. As working parents our daycare also provided valuable tools such as baby sign language to learn how to communicate better with our son. We still longed for a single resource that could provide further education and services to help us along the journey of parenthood.
Then came babyproofing our home. Our child was about to crawl, so, like typical parents, we went to a nearby retail store and bought all the basic baby safety gear, even though the selection was limited and the quality appeared substandard. We went home, got on our hands and knees and looked around for safety hazards. We installed latches on our cabinets, padded sharp corners and did all the babyproofing basics, or so we thought. In no time at all, our son tried to open a cabinet so hard that the latch broke, leaving a metal spring pointing out directly at his eye level. This was a safety precaution?
We took off all the latches and started to research how to do this better as our son was definitely going to get into trouble. (We call him Tanner Trouble Trowbridge or T-Cubed for short!) I spoke with a friend in California who recommended I call a professional babyproofer who could give us a safety assessment and install quality products. I looked online at two different babyproofing directories and neither had one listed for Hawaii. I ended up calling a babyproofer in California to help me purchase quality products, but he did more than that…he gave me tips that showed me a different way to look at our home. It wasn’t just about buying a lot of products, but about making our home a safe place for our child. I received the quality products, but unfortunately many did not fit correctly and those that did work took so much of my husband’s time to install…not to mention many extra holes in our walls! Babyproofing cost us a fortune in products, shipping and our precious time.
Parenting shouldn’t be so difficult. In my need to make it easier for parents to love and protect their children, I left the corporate world to start Baby Guru. I began my training in the services I wanted to provide to new parents, partnered up with other “baby gurus” and turned my passion into a business.
Gwen Trowbridge and her son, Tanner.
Baby Guru, LLC is a mommy-owned and parent-operated business that provides services, education and resources to new parents so they can keep their babies safe, healthy and happy. Baby Guru’s consultants have been trained and/or certified in the following:
Trained for babyproofing services by International Association for Child Safety. www.iafcs.org
For babyproofing installation, a licensed contractor is guaranteed and our services are insured. We are also an authorized dealer and reseller of our safety products.
Certified in Infant/Child/Adult CPR and First Aid by the Hawaii Chapter of the American Red Cross www.hawaiiredcross.org
Certified as an infant massage educator by the International Association of Infant Massage www.iaim.net
Certified as an independent certified instructor in baby sign language by Baby Signs, Inc.www.babysigns.com
Certified to perform and teach car seat installation by SafeKids Child Passenger Safety program. www.usa.safekids.org
Other parenting services are available, such as Baby Chef with Aloha and Mommy’s Personal Shopper. Baby Guru also provides an invaluable list of resources of other “gurus” in various fields to help you enjoy parenthood, whether you’re looking for a doula, an organic baby-clothing store, a keiki photographer or a fitness program to get rid of that stubborn baby weight.
Through Baby Guru’s numerous services and resources, parents can build their confidence, enjoy peace of mind and focus on loving their sweet peas!
