Wilton Store A Natural

Morning Sentinel:

Walk into Blessed Baby Boutique and enter the world of natural parenting. It is the place to go to learn about cloth diapering, “baby wearing,” breast feeding and environmentally friendly baby products made in Maine.

The store at 346 Main St., run and operated by a cooperative of young mothers, sells products made and designed by mothers for mothers — and fathers. It is also a place for visiting moms to meet, browse through a lending library, quietly nurse a baby or change a diaper.

The growth of the business and the energy of the members has inspired them to take Blessed Baby up a notch. They plan to start a Mothers Center; an informational meeting is scheduled Sept. 18 at 6 p.m.

Founder Heidi MacIsaac said the idea of opening a store that sold the products she wanted to use for her children started last spring. She began searching online for the new generation of cloth diapers. Unlike the clunky ones from a generation ago, these are easy to use and earth-friendly. She said in the process, she discovered a new world.

“I found an entire community of women dedicated to natural parenting who all work from home,” MacIsaac said.

Through word of mouth, she got in touch with area mothers making products at home but were stymied in how to develop their small businesses. The idea of the co-op was born.

She said there are different levels of membership and a percentage of each sale goes back into the business. The more time a mother can work at the store, the lower the percentage.