Dive Brief:
- Walmart on Wednesday announced a collaboration with Tot Squad, a business that helps parents connect with service providers.
- Experts include sleep consultants, breastfeeding coaches and lactation support, diet and nutrition experts, and car seat technicians, according to a company announcement.
- Walmart shoppers will now be able to add Tot Squad services to their online carts and baby registries.
Dive Insight:
Tot Squad was launched after founder Jennifer Saxton realized how difficult it was to find vetted providers of pre- and post-natal services.
She launched her company in 2020 as a way to help people quickly narrow in on trusted service providers that also align with their schedules and budgets.
"I want to normalize parents asking for support and help. They shouldn't have to spend their precious waking moments finding a provider," Saxton said in a statement.
Now Walmart shoppers can go to the retailer's website and choose from a variety of services, including introducing solids to infants, adult sleep support, managing morning sickness and bottle feeding support, with most services priced at $50.
Making maternity services widely available may become increasingly important as maternity wards have been permanently closing across the United States during the pandemic, according to multiple reports.
Walmart has been advancing wellness and health offerings over the past few years, most notably with its Walmart Health concept, which aims to make services more affordable and accessible. Through that venture, the company has partnered with health providers to deliver urgent care, labs, X-rays, diagnostics, counseling, dental, optical and hearing services.
The retailer also sells health insurance policies to customers and this February announced that it will offer healthcare lab testing services through an expanded partnership with Quest Diagnostics.
