At Twelve Months of Sunshine, they believe in nurturing mums, babies and the planet. They have carefully curated the perfect subscription boxes to accompany mums through baby’s first twelve months, with each box containing practical, useful, sustainable items, sourced ethically from Australia, along with invaluable developmental milestone information. Each month, you’ll discover delightful surprises for your little one and something special just for you, ensuring that your journey into motherhood is filled with love, support and eco-consciousness. Here, founder Nicole Sweetman talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind Twelve Months of Sunshine, and her business journey so far.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
We wanted to amalgamate our shared passion for supporting new mothers and supporting local artisan Australian-owned businesses. We do this by providing links and information, together with beautiful, useful and sustainable products for the first twelve months of baby’s life. We believe that we are the only gift box company in Australia that does this.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
We already knew about local artisans producing beautiful products so we approached them to see if they would be interested in showcasing their items in our gift boxes – happily it was a resounding yes! We then canvassed psychologists and support groups to see what was available for new mums in all States and Territories in Australia.
Speaking from experience, we believe that there is a lot of emphasis on the pre-natal period for new mums but not a great deal on the post-natal. We wanted to address this information gap.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Finding Danielle Ramsay at The Offbeet Designer was our biggest breakthrough! Danielle was instrumental in bringing to life our brand and helping us develop a brand strategy and identity.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
We have learned to understand and recognise that you sometimes cannot do it all and cannot give 100%. There are days when we need to prioritise full-time careers over family and Twelve Months and vice versa. Being kind to yourself and accepting that you cannot do it all is actually very liberating.
