Little Starts: Innovative New Gift Idea Helping Parents with the Cost of Living

DERBY, England, Nov. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As the cost of living soars and big brands share more muted Christmas adverts, one Mum is making waves in the gifting sector and helping combat three significant issues facing the UK this season.

Katie Lavis is the founder of The Little Starts Gift Card. This mum of two had a little idea that is making a big impression. She is encouraging loved ones to help their friends and family by gifting experiences at classes like swimming, music, dance, signing and sensory instead of things. Not only does this help families combat the cost-of-living crisis, but it helps support child development and well-being as well as addressing environmental issues.

The Little Starts Gift Card is the leading gift card for baby, toddler and preschool classes, which helps parents and their little ones get out of the house, have fun, make memories, increase development and boost mental health.

With inflation rising above 10% and the most significant interest rate hike in a decade, families are facing difficult choices about what they spend their hard-earned money on. Even big brands like John Lewis, Tesco and Aldi have shifted their approach to focus more on value and spreading kindness this year.  Increasingly, parents must decide which activities, if any, they can afford for their children to do. And yet, data shows how essential classes and activities are for children and particularly new parents.

On top of this, many families find themselves surrounded by unwanted or out-grown toys at this time of year, especially plastic toys. The Little Starts Gift Card is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional gifting.

It is a brand-new initiative that lets card recipients choose from over 5000 classes nationwide every week. The classes cover everything from swimming to singing and dancing to doodling. Participating classes from well-known brands accepting Little Starts Gift Cards include Baby Sensory, Rhythm Time, Bloom, Diddi Dance, Little Learners and BilinguaSing.

Founder and mum Katie Lavis said, "When I had my first baby, Olly, getting out to classes was the thing that had the most positive impact on our lives. It helped us get out of the house, have fun, make memories, build a support network and, most importantly, develop him. When I couldn't find a way to gift these experiences to friends and family, I decided to create it myself."

She adds, "Many parents are already worried about the impact the pandemic has had on their children's development by not being able to get out and access activities as they usually would. It's heartbreaking that they now have to make difficult choices about what they can and can't do again. Gifting classes with a Little Starts Gift Card helps with the cost of attending classes – it's so important for child development and parents' well-being, plus it's far more impactful than another plastic toy that will be destined for the back of the cupboard!'

For more information, visit www.littlestartsgiftcards.com
Or contact katie@littlestartsgiftcards.com

Little Starts Gift Cards are available from £10 - £200 as an e-card or printed gift card on 100% recyclable paperboard.

Sources:

Cost of Living & Inflation: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9428/ 
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/03/bank-england-warn-uk-economy-longest-recession-100-year-raise-rate-three-percent 
Importance of classes and post-natal depression https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2021/may/new-mothers-twice-likely-have-post-natal-depression-lockdown

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuGAJ9XY87I