Baby-carrier business keeps mom close to her children

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What started as an easy elective class at Oostburg High School turned into a home-based business for Lisa Johnson.

That sewing class gave the Lawrence mother of three young daughters the skills to create baby carriers at home that she sells from her Web site: www.carriersbylisa.com.

In a 2005 study, the U.S. Census Bureau reported an estimated 5.6 million stay-at-home moms. That is a 22 percent increase from 1994.

And, like Johnson, many of those women choose to create home businesses — whether from scratch or by selling well-known products from home such as Avon or Pampered Chef — so they can earn some money on the side while running a home and raising their children.

"I work at home. My girls are my first priority," Johnson said. "That comes second."

Johnson didn't have an interest in sewing from the start.

"Everybody took home ec because it was an easy class," she said.

Still, she didn't anticipate using those skills as a way to make money.

"It's not something I ever thought I'd be into when I got older," she said.

Yet, it came easy to her.

"I'm glad it did because now it's working out for me."

Johnson said she works on her business when her children are asleep or her husband, Adam, keeps an eye on Kennedy, 3; Lauren, 2; and Brooklyn, 1.

"Being able to do something at home and work around them is probably the most wonderful thing in the world," she said.

Johnson said she has only been in business for a short time.

"We're getting a lot of hits to the Web site," she said, "and a lot of them are local."

Johnson said it takes three to four hours to sew the Asian-inspired carriers that can support a child up to 40 pounds.

The carriers can be custom made in case a mother wants a specific color or pattern of material.

"They can decide what they like the best, and I'll make it for them."

All straps are triple-stitched twice on the inside and once on the outside, and the bottom is triple-stitched twice.

"It takes a lot of thread to make one of those," she said.

She tests them out on her oldest daughter, who is currently about 35 pounds.

"You can pull and pull and pull. It's not going to move. They're in there tight," she said.

As a young mother, Johnson knows firsthand the importance of parents bonding with their children.

"Babies thrive on being so close," she said. "It makes them feel secure when they are held so close."

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