New App ‘The Bump’ Promises To Be Every Parent’s Village In A Digital Age

Many consider parenting a sacred calling, requiring careful attention and dedication. Yet, there is no manual.

Every child is different, varying in size, health, intelligence, skills, and temperament. In today’s rapidly advancing technological and intellectual age, accessing information is as simple as unlocking a phone and using the right app.

The Bump is a mobile-first parenting resource that helps parents at any stage of their journey by providing answers to questions they may not even realize they should ask. BLACK ENTERPRISE sat down with Jen Hayes Lee, head of Marketing and Content, to discuss the platform’s offerings. Hayes Lee goes in-depth about The Bump’s Future Of Parenting Report, which explores the evolving caregiving landscape.

According to Hayes Lee, the mission of The Bump is “to encourage this generation and the next generation of parents to be themselves and find their best parenting style as they embrace imperfection.”

Can you give our audience a brief overview of The Bump? 

The Bump is a mobile-first digital platform that helps support new and expecting parents navigate the whole parenthood journey.

How would somebody who doesn’t know what questions to ask as a new parent navigate such an expansive platform?

The Bump factors in the user stage or the life stage that people are in. If you or your partner is expecting, there’s a prenatal stage. We also have our postnatal section. You can self-select the user stage you are in and you can start there. 

The Bump’s Parenting Report states that modern parenting is changing, and it breaks these changes into categories. Let’s start with “Empowered Parenting.” 

Empowered parenting is really at the heart of the, The Bump’s brand DNA. It’s really about finding your own style. Embracing the fact that every day can look different and you  are going to evolve as you take on the role of a parent.

We want parents to lean into some of the more humorous and comedic aspects of raising young kids and to really encourage them to prioritize balance.

With inflation, living costs, and consumer goods rising. How does a parent prioritize balance while working?

Balance is one of those words that’s a bit debatable.  It’s not about 50 percent work and 50 percent family. Balance is really about honing in on the things that were important to you before you had kids and then finding a way to integrate those aspects into your life now that you are growing your family.

Mini-adulting is a category that stresses self-sufficiency. How has the teaching of self-sufficiency skills for children shifted? 

Highlighting self-sufficiency is wanting your kids to be more independent and to really come into who they are. There is a parenting style called Montessori parenting, which is an interesting topic that we talk about on The Bump. It’s centered around creating an environment where your child can sort of blossom and bloom by doing things for themselves.

Maybe that’s not having a closet that’s out of reach but at toddler height so they can pick out their own clothes or having a bookshelf, or they can access the books.

That sort of self-sufficiency can be expressed through that parenting style.

Older generations were taught recycle, reduce, reuse. How has the concept of a “Green Household  changed? How does The Bump help its consumers get into that mindset?

We’re encouraging new parents to take baby steps.There are companies that can help you recycle and  compost.

The Bump helps to expose parents to different opportunities and options for how to create a household that is more sustainable. Companies like Melissa and Doug that are all about providing really high quality wooden toys. Or introducing the shared rental economy as a part of the parenting ecosystem. Companies like The Loop, that allow for for renting a baby gear.

That’s sort of a new way to approach giving something first, second, third or fourth life  so that we’re not over-consuming.

Hayes Lee is working to make The Bump a thorough and expansive platform that serves parents throughout their journey. You can download The Bump on Google Play and the App Store.

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