The Inspiration Behind Baby University

Hi!

I’m Kayli, wife to an incredible husband, mom to a sweet, energetic two-year-old boy, dog mom to two crazy pups, former preschool teacher, and founder of Baby University.

I’ve worn a lot of hats, but the journey into motherhood and ultimately to Baby University has been my most exciting adventure yet.

In 2023, when our son was just eight months old, my husband and I packed up our lives and moved across the world to Denver. We left behind friends, family, and everything familiar in search of a community that better fit our lifestyle. It was exciting and a little terrifying.

While we ended up surrounded by an amazing group of friends, there was one problem.

No one else had kids.

Suddenly, I found myself in this strange in-between space surrounded by wonderful people who didn’t quite understand the realities of sleepless nights, diaper blowouts, or the logistics of planning your entire day around nap time. It was isolating in a way I hadn’t expected.

In hopes of finding a new mom friend (or, honestly, just some adult conversation with someone who gets it), I started taking my son to baby classes around town. I thought these classes might be the magical solution to feeling less alone, but it turned out they weren’t quite what I had hoped.

Sure, I met some awesome moms here and there, but I quickly realized how tricky it was to actually make meaningful connections.

Naps were always in the way. Either the class was during a nap, or we’d have to race home afterward to avoid a car-seat snooze that would throw off the whole day. And when we did have time to hang out, there weren’t many welcoming spaces in the area for a bunch of moms and babies to just relax and connect.

Even during the classes themselves, something always felt a little off. They were often too short, ending just as the babies started to engage. Many weren’t age-appropriate, leaving my son bored or overwhelmed. And from a teacher’s perspective, I was always surprised with how little the classes actually supported the children’s development.

As a mom in the classes, I felt like an afterthought. There was no real opportunity to connect with other parents, which was the main reason I signed up in the first place! I could go for 10 weeks with the same group of moms and never even introduce myself to half of them.

Then one day, while wandering the Children’s Museum, I met two best friends who told me they met on the app, Peanut. (If you haven’t heard of it, Peanut is basically Tinder for moms. Swipe right for a playdate!) It sounded brilliant, so I gave it a shot.

And you know what? It was a great concept! I connected with moms from all over, joined group chats, and even started to build a little virtual community. But after matching with someone, the leap from online friends to real friends was always a bit awkward. And where do you actually meet? Museums were too hectic, restaurants were overwhelming with babies in tow, and winters in Denver are no joke, so the park was out of the question. So reality kicked in, and the texting died down and I found myself back at square one.

And what about dads? Peanut is just for moms, so my husband felt a little left out of the parenting connection game.