31 AAPI-Founded Pregnancy and Kids Brands to Shop Now and Always

You may know her as the star of Pretty Little Liars but Shay Mitchell—who is of Scottish, Irish and Filipino descent—is also a mom of two and founder of luxury luggage brand BÉIS. Alongside chic suitcases and travel accessories, the brand also creates diaper bags, toddler backpacks and mini roller cases for the smallest member of your family.

Mom and entrepreneur Lucy Chalmeton moved to LA with her family after living in New York, Paris, Shanghai and Beijing for many years. After the birth of her daughter, Chalmeton noticed a gap in the market for stylish and functional nursing clothes for moms that like to keep active. And so, Sweat and Milk was born. The brand offers sporty nursing and pumping bras as well as activewear with easy breastfeeding access.

Founded in 2019 by Ajay Mehta, Birthdate Co is the number one astrology gift brand. For Mehta, spiritual wellness started with the Kundli, a traditional horoscope book often given to children in India that offers a roadmap to their future. This deep-rooted history informed his connection to astrology and numerology and led to the creation of the Birthdate Book, a made-to-order hardcover book that illustrates your unique astrological birth chart. This mystical lineup also includes personalized candles and jewelry inspired by the stars on the day you were born.

A mom of four, ex-Google exec, and MacArthur Genius Award-winner who inspired the first STEM Barbie, Yoky Matsuoka, knows how hard it is to juggle career and family. To help busy parents get it all done so they can spend more time with their families, Yoky created The Yohana Membership, the first-ever concierge service that matches families with a team of specialists (backed by AI) to tackle your household to-do list. In a world where there seems to be an endless mountain of parenting duties, Yohana boasts a track record of saving parents up to 10 hours a week.

Modi Toys is founded by brother-sister duo Avani and Viral Modi. When Viral found out he was about to become a dad he wanted to get his daughter a gift upon her arrival—something she would be able to enjoy as a newborn and after. The pair came up with the idea of plush toys that are both cuddly and teach about Indian heritage. Along with the plush toys, the brand also offers kids’ books and mantras, all of which help little ones celebrate Indian culture.

Anika Martirez’s Filipino lifestyle brand is made by women, for women. She launched the brand in 2016 with a clothing line of timeless, versatile pieces. At its core the brand aims to empower women, encourage support for Filipino craftsmanship and spread positivity. Plus, the brand places an emphasis on “slow fashion,” meaning they keep quantities limited, build high-quality pieces and produce as little waste as possible during the production process.

Canadian company Loulou Lollipop was founded by twin sisters Eleanor and Angel. The brand gained popularity in 2015 after the successful launch of its original silicone Donut and Ice Cream teethers. Now, with stores across North America, the brand offers their hit silicone teethers, as well as bibs, swaddles, apparel and more. Added bonus—Of every LouLou Lollipop purchase 1 percent of the proceeds is donated to a nonprofit of your choice.

Helen Lo was looking for a bag that would keep up with her frequent travels without exacerbating her back issues. The options she found were either too heavy, too frumpy, tech-y or overpriced. So, she, along with her two sons, set out to create her own line of bags. Lo & Sons offers functional, stylish, high-quality bags that make staying organized on the go a breeze.

When founder Sweta Doshi couldn’t find adequate skincare options for her daughter’s eczema, she turned to organic coconut oil—a natural remedy that’s a strong part of her Indian heritage—to soothe her little one’s skin. With a line of clean, nourishing products, as well as adorable packaging, Bubbsi makes skincare healthy, easy and fun for the whole family.

Sarah Paiji Yoo embarked on a journey to use less single-use plastic after becoming a mom. Wanting to do her part to help the environment (and its people), Yoo, together with Syed Naqvi, co-founded Blueland to help make it easier and more affordable for people to be more environmentally friendly. The brand is B. Corp certified, meaning it’s met the highest standards of social and environmental performance and transparency, and offers sustainable soaps, laundry detergents, sprays, bottles and more.

Hsiang-Yu Chen started her business with one goal: To create something that could continuously generate profit to support charitable organizations, specifically ones for childhood cancer research. The brand offers adorable blankets for babies and adults alike. As of December 2021, Honey Lemonade has donated $14,000 to various organizations supporting childhood cancer research.

Getting your kiddos to floss can be an all-out war sometimes. To make it easier to foster good dental habits young, sisters Cat and Chrystle Cu have created a whole suite of kid-friendly flossing products, from the Cocofloss Happiness Set to fun Confetti Cake floss and a refillable plastic flosser for toddlers. Born and raised in the Philippines, Cat and Chrystle came to the US in the ’70s as young adults and started CocoFloss to bring a soothing, ultra-cleansing, eco-friendly floss into the dental space. Chrystle, a dentist in California, also works with Philos Health, a nonprofit that provides medical and dental care to the island’s underserved, rural communities in the Philippines.

Gielene Dela Cruz Wagas launched Shop Dela Gold in 2018. Her love for gold began after she inherited her first gold necklace from her parents. Her brand is inspired by her Filipino heritage, and all the pieces are unique and handmade in L.A.

Co-founder Jennifer Tsay wanted to make it easier to link quality photographers with people looking to book photoshoots. She launched Shoott in the summer of 2018 in New York City, which has now expanded nationwide and boasts a team of photographers that have worked with brands like Forbes, Elle, GQ, The Cut, V Magazine, Buzzfeed and more.

When Lin Chen founded Pink Moon in 2017 she wanted to help brands that were striving to create a better beauty industry. The NYC-based consultancy works solely with female-founded brands that value sustainability, philanthropy and holistic wellness. Her inspiration and mission? To first and foremost encourage genuine self-love and self-care for women. To help with that, their website offers wellness products, including skincare, bath and body products and items for the home.

Amanda Stewart was tired of seeing her son in his favorite “Thomas the Train” shirt day after day. So, she started making shirts they both liked, with designs that incorporated some of his favorite things. What started out as screen-printed tees has grown into Mochi Kids, a brand that offers adorable apparel for babies and toddlers. Since the beginning, Mochi Kids has given back to causes that fight for racial equity, voting rights, women’s health and more.

Raised in India, Kshama partnered with early childhood expert Akhila to found Indigrow, a company dedicated to creating colorful and fun books, decor, festival kits and more designed to inspire play and conversation about identity, diversity and inclusivity. Check out Indigrow’s wide variety of play and learning bundles made for ages 0-6 for the perfect gift for your next baby shower.

The name ‘ilha” comes from founder Michelle Hsu’s parents’ native country of Taiwan. (It was named ‘Ilha Formosa,” meaning “beautiful island,” by Portuguese sailors in the 1500s.) Wanting to honor her heritage, Hsu named her company ILHA Candles. The brand offers handcrafted candles with cotton wicks, natural soy wax and toxin free fragrances.

Elle Wang was looking for well-made maternity business attire while pregnant and working as a UN adviser and strategist. When she realized she had limited options, she created Emilia George, a line of high-end, sustainable and professional maternity clothing. The brand has already garnered quite a name for itself, not only due to its chic style, but also because almost all its fabrics are recycled, eco-friendly and free of harsh chemicals and additives

Pallavi Golla’s family likes to stay active. But during family outings, Golla realized that while she remained dry in her clothing, her son quickly became sweaty and damp in his. When her search for suitable outdoor baby clothes turned up fruitless, she decided to launch her own line. Lark clothing and pajamas are made with the brand’s exclusive Softek bamboo blend that’s both breathable, moisture-wicking and up to UPF 50+ Sun Safe. Plus, the clothes are super soft, tagless, stain-resistant and functionally designed to make both kids and parents happy.

Founded by Jhoanna Belfer, a Filipina-American poet and former hospitality executive, Bel Canto Books is a women and POC-owned independent bookstore in Long Beach, California. The store offers a curated selection of fiction, nonfiction and kids’ books organized around monthly themes that celebrate books by women and people of color. You can order their books through Bookshop.org.

Habbi Habbi offers kids’ books that seek to teach diversity, inclusion, self-confidence, empathy, resilience and more. Plus, the books, broken down by levels of words, phrases, sentences and stories, also help teach kids Chinese, English or Spanish. The company was founded by Hanna Chiou and Anne-Louise Nieto with one simple goal: To help teach kids the values that were important to them. The brand also has a digital reading wand that allows readers to tap on the books to hear words, phrases and sound effects. Just like magic!

Growing up bilingual wasn’t always easy for founder Via Tendon, but looking back, she’s grateful for her experience. She started Metta Play to help teach kids languages, yoga and how to take care of their mental health. The brand offers bilingual cards that include affirmations and yoga poses to help promote learning, empathy and cultural awareness. Metta Play also focuses on increasing representation for the next generation and aims to make sure each child is represented in its products. Plus, the brand donates 10 percent of its profits to kids in need.

Dagne Dover was founded by three women—Melissa Mash, Deepa Gandhi and Jessy Dover—from different backgrounds, but with a common mission: to make lives easier through good design. The brand makes eco-friendly bags that offer lots of pockets to help keep even the busiest person organized and are perfect for parents on the go.

Etsy is an online marketplace for artisans and small businesses all over the globe. In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, Etsy has curated a page that supports the artistry of its Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Florence Nacio, Earth Baby’s founder, has over four decades of experience researching health and beauty formulations. With all her experience, she wanted to fill a gap in the market and create a product line that was committed to using certified organic fruit and vegetable-based ingredients. The goal? To create products that were non-toxic, gentle and effective for baby’s delicate skin. All Earth Baby bath products are pediatrician and dermatologist-approved and recommended, as well as reef-friendly. Good for baby, good for the environment.

Lollaland was founded by parents Hanna and Mark Lim after they noticed a need in the market for effective toddler straw sippy cups. The duo founded the Lollacup, a straw cup that’s easy to use and clean, safe and visually appealing. They pitched their idea on Shark Tank in 2012 and have since grown into an award-winning business that offers several products for babies and toddlers that are innovative, thoughtfully-designed, well-packaged and, most importantly, fun.

Rael was founded in 2017 by three women originally from South Korea, including the company’s CEO Yanghee Paik. The women found a lack of quality feminine care in the United States and set out to create their own line by combining high-quality US materials with innovative Korean manufacturing technology. The result is a line of safe and effective products—including pads, tampons, vulva wipes, heating patches, acne patches and more—that support women through all phases of their cycle.

More Sunday was founded by Danielle Wu in 2017 after she realized she wanted to live a healthier and more fulfilling life. On her quest to become healthier, Wu discovered fabric toxicity and learned some items of clothing are made with synthetic toxins that can harm our body and skin. Wanting to decrease her chemical exposure and find a solution that was both good for her and the environment, she turned to silk. Her goal? To help people feel their best so they’re inspired to do better for themselves, their loved ones and the planet. The brand makes silk robes, pajamas and sleep accessories, as well as offers numerous gifting options.

Co-founders Shubham Issar and Amanat Anand—both originally from New Delhi, India—met at Parsons School of Design, where they were studying how to design for social change. The pair discovered that over 50 percent of infectious diseases that lead to fatalities in kids under 5 can be avoided by hand washing with soap. Wanting to make this activity fun for young kids, the pair founded SoaPen, a hand soap pen that allows kids to draw all over their hands with soap. The best part? Parents can check if their child actually washed their hands by checking for leftover marks. So far, the SoaPen has won the UNICEF ‘Wearables for Good’ Challenge, been listed on Forbes 30 Under 30, appeared on Shark Tank and won a James Dyson Award. Plus, SoaPen helps create awareness for hand washing around the world, and for every purchase made the company donates soap or a percentage of profits to partner organizations working to support children’s health and hygiene.

Deepica Mutyala wanted to create a platform for those under-represented in the beauty industry. She went viral in 2015 for a makeup hack that showed how to cover under-eye circles and officially launched her beauty brand, Live Tinted, in 2018. The brand is driven, above all else, by its goals to be inclusive, kind and thoughtful. Best known for its color corrector, Live Tinted offers a range of makeup products that are versatile, easy to use and, most importantly, celebrate everyone’s individual shades and hues.