Business Ideas for Clarenville Folks

Published in The Packet.

I went to visit some friends and their divine new baby boy at G.B. Cross Memorial Hospital this weekend. Only a year ago, I was leaving the same hospital with my own little one. It got me thinking about how difficult parenting can be when you are new to a community without family or friends to keep you informed of the resources available.

There are, of course, some wonderful organisations in Clarenville that support new parents. The Neighbourhood of Friends Family Resource Center, provides play activities for kids 0-6 years of age Monday through Thursday, and is actually hosting a meet and greet for new parents and families in Clarenville on February 27^th between 6-8 pm.

There is also Eastern Health’s Breast Feeding Support Group. It provides nursing support for new moms, as well as a much needed social outlet for chatting and venting. 

Still, over the course of the year I’ve been on the look out for specific services that would make my day-to-day life with a baby easier and safer. This has caused me to consider what businesses I wish would come to our little town.

So if you are an enterprising citizen looking to makes some extra cash off of the influx of newcomers to this community with infants­—Trust me! There are a lot of us! — here are some ideas:

A Baby-sitter’s Club

I am a child of the 80’s, so The Babysitter’s Club book series, by Ann M. Martin was to me one of the coolest ideas ever as a kid.  Now that I’m a parent, the idea of calling one phone number to get access to multiple babysitters seems even more genius. Newcomers to Clarenville have no relatives or friends to rely on if an emergency arises and they need a sitter. If any local teenagers want to earn some cash for college, prom, or a trip to the mall, banding together would be a great idea. I know five moms, off the top of my head, in desperate need of a night out without the kids.

A Grocery Delivery Service

This would be especially useful for moms at home with multiple children and a newborn.  It would be lovely if one of the grocery stores in town took orders by phone or over the Internet, and then delivered the groceries to our homes on certain days. Many parents would pay a premium on their groceries to avoid long lines while trying to wrangle a busy toddler and soothe a crying baby.

Infant CPR and Heimlich Maneuver Classes

Babies put everything in their mouths. Even the most careful parent with the most childproofed home, will experience that terrible moment when they think their child is choking. Certification courses in Infant CPR would bring such peace of mind to many parents. Right now, parents who want that knowledge have to go to St. John’s to take the course.

Infant Swim Classes

According to the Lifesaving Society’s 2011 National Drowning Report, drowning is the second leading cause of children’s deaths. The Wave Hotel and Fitness Centre does offer swim classes for older children, but not for babies and toddlers. While babies obviously can’t learn the breaststroke, they can learn to float on their backs. They can also learn to blow bubbles under water, which keeps them from swallowing water if they fall in.  Babies can develop these skills around three months of age, but it is hard to do so during loud family swim hours in a crowded, cold pool. I’m certain an hour set aside at the pool for baby “Swimboree” classes would be very successful with parents in this community.

Doggie Daycare

When I first heard of this concept, I immediately rolled my eyes and considered it a Yuppy luxury. But new parents have less time to get their dogs the exercise and socialization they need. When a dog is bored, isolated, or attention-deprived, it becomes destructive. Shredded up bath mats and chewed up base boards are the last thing you want to deal with when you are a sleep-deprived new parent. A Doggie Daycare can alleviate some of these stresses, while benefitting your dog’s physical and mental health.

Obviously, parents in this community have been doing just fine without any of these services. But why not do what we can to make their lives easier? Especially if by doing so, a tidy profit can be made.