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Nasiba Adilova Shares Must-Have Products Every New Mom Should Know About

Insider tips from a mom who’s been there and done that.
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By Stephanie Grassullo, Contributing Writer
Published March 18, 2019
nasiba adilova with her kids, mom boss who started the tot
Image: Kristen Dee Photography

The Bump presents #MomBoss, a series dedicated to showing off all-star moms. We catch up with mompreneurs behind products we love, influencers who get real about motherhood and SAHMs who can multitask in their sleep.

In theory, choosing items for your baby registry should be fun. But when it comes down to the nitty gritty and you have to select the safest, best-in-class products for your newborn, it’s a daunting task. Nasiba Adilova knows this all too well. When the mom was gearing up for her first child, she spent hours researching and comparing products in the baby space. The end result was countless lists with only the most-trusted baby gear items making the final cut.

That’s when she had her “a-ha” moment. The Tot was born from her desire to share her picks with other moms in her shoes. The online resource offers trusted advice with curated, safe, non-toxic and stylish products. Learn more about Adilova and the ins and outs of The Tot from our chat below.

Tell us about The Tot.

When I became pregnant with my first child, I struggled to find a single resource that focused on clean, safe, non-toxic products. As any expecting mama knows, there are so many choices out there for parents and babies that becoming a parent can be very overwhelming. So I set out to educate myself about baby products and started making a list of the best products I could find. After much research and self-education, we set out to create The Tot as a resource for trusted advice with editorial articles from a network of experts and a place to shop safe, non-toxic products for babies and moms with a sense of style.

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What are the top five must-have baby products?

It’s hard to narrow it down, but my absolute top five recommendations would be:

Image: Nasiba Adilova

What’s a constant bestseller on The Tot?

The DockATot Deluxe for sure. It’s an incredible product that mamas swear by. It’s a safe and non-toxic baby dock that babies can lounge and play in. It’s so easy to move with you from room to room and it’s excellent for families who travel a lot.

Is there a most popular brand?

This is a hard one. We have so many popular brands for different reasons and needs, but Eco-Kids is one of our most popular brands. They sell non-toxic arts and craft supplies, dough, crayons and fingerprints made from organic fruit and plant extracts. Our Levi’s Personalized Mama & Me jackets are also super popular and constantly sell out.

What was it like launching a startup while also learning the ropes of being a mom?

Hard, but also really fun! In many ways The Tot has been one of my babies, and like children, it takes a village to raise a business. At The Tot, I have had an incredible team of people from day one who I can rely on to help make my vision a reality. In both parenting and business, I value being able to get advice from people who have been there, done it, lived it and learned from it, but I also truly love taking risks and trusting my gut when it comes to making the big decisions.

How does parenting change when you go from one kid to two?

Having a second newborn isn’t as scary as the first time you come home with a tiny human. You know the cries and you’re more conditioned to act on little sleep. Your first child inevitably develops independence because your attention is back on feeding and diaper changes. There’s a tinge of guilt that you aren’t giving as much to your first anymore, but the love is certainly twice as much.

Image: Kristen Dee Photography

How has your third pregnancy been different from your first?

My third pregnancy has been one filled with gratitude. I am so thankful that my body has the strength and power to create lives that make mine worth living. I am so aware of the miracle happening inside of me that I try to be gentle on myself and allow myself to (try to!) sleep when I need sleep, eat when I want to eat and indulge when I need to feel nurtured.

Name a product you wouldn’t have been able to make it through your first year of parenting without.

As a working mom and someone who travels frequently, I 100 percent would not have made it through my first year with either of my children if I didn’t have my Medela Pump In Style Tote. This breast pump system makes expressing comfortable, discreet and efficient. I love knowing that just because I have to be away from my children doesn’t mean I don’t get to give them breast milk.

Any parenting hacks?

My favorite hack: Co-parenting. I love getting together with my friends at The Tot playhouse and letting the kids run wild, do crafts or read books while we vent, overshare, laugh and bond over the ups and downs of motherhood.

How has The Tot evolved since it first launched? Anything exciting in the works?

We have come such a long way. Our team has grown immensely. We’ve had pop-ups around the country and overseas, and we’ve partnered with incredible local and international brands. We’re looking forward to bringing The Tot to even more people this year and establishing more local connections and communities.

Published March 2019

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