Creating Motherhood is a curated package of stories focused on the intersection of family and creativity and how to live an artful life as a parent.
When you have a child, your needs change, but your personal style doesn’t have to. In Mom Brain, parents with great taste tell us what they're buying—for their kids and for themselves.
Crystal Anderson has the kind of wide-ranging and totally confident taste that most people can only dream of developing someday. Balenciaga clogs with a $150 purse shaped like a friendly toad—why not? The founder of the creative agency A Very Good Job, Anderson has worked on events and marketing projects for brands from Meta to the North Face to Fenty Beauty. She and her partner, Kiesh, have a six-month-old son named Jack Freddy Mae Anderson. Below, she tells Bazaar about her favorite things from this stage of her life, including fuzzy Adidas clogs, a sweet bassinet from a Black-owned company, and the Chopova Lowena onesie she currently has her eye on.
What’s one thing you wear when you want to feel comfortable?
Hands down, vintage Levi’s (at least one size too big), a fresh Hanes white tee, and my favorite loafers from the Row.
What’s one thing you wear when you want to feel powerful?
I’m a Black gay woman and now a mom—I feel powerful in anything. But if I need reinforcements, my vintage Burberry men’s suit.
What’s one thing you wear when you want to feel hot?
This perfect little Gucci bra-and-panty set. I feel sexiest wearing it under something mundane, like a little matching sweatsuit.
What gadgets or items do you find most useful for parenting?
Our Jack is only six months old, but we’ve already got some heavy hitters in constant rotation!
1. Okay, it’s so gross, but this nasal aspirator has saved my anxiety (and my kid’s nasal passages!). It’s basically a super-powered snot sucker, and it’s life-changing for keeping their little noses clear and clean.
2. My pal Vashtie designed a really cool stroller with Doona, and it’s the hack of all hacks for air travel. because it is a stroller/car seat combo.
Doona + Car Seat & Stroller (Vashtie Limited Edition)
3. This weird little Montessori pull toy has gone platinum in our household! Jack goes feral for this thing when we’re driving around.
4. Jack is starting solids, so we’re making them at home using the Beaba Puree maker. It steams AND purees in the same container. So it’s super convenient, and it’s not huge, so it looks great sitting amongst our other kitchen gadgets.
What are a few things you found essential when you first became a parent?
My partner, Kiesh, developed an amazing shift schedule for us once we got home, so Jack slept in this perfect lil’ bassinet by a Black-owned company, Design Dua, during overnight shifts. I was sad to see it go, but then he graduated to the Snoo, which has also been so clutch for us! Also: Coterie diapers. We’ve tried other brands, but they really are top-notch, especially now that Jack is sleeping through the night!
In your opinion, what are the best gifts for kids?
I like to take the parents’ lead! People assume kids want toys, but then their nursery is packed with soooo much stuff, which can be a problem in smaller apartments! Donating to a savings account or buying diapers and clothes for when they’re older are both great gifts. At some point, the baby shower stuff runs out, so it’s helpful to think longer-term.
What are your favorite places to buy children’s clothing?
I’m usually anti–fast fashion, but Zara makes really amazing and sturdy kids’ clothes! I just bought Jack this kimono in all three colors. Outside of that, I love to scour Etsy for little vintage pieces from the ’70s through the ’90s! There’s so many good shops—right now a personal fave is OutgrownVintage.
I also really love Milk Teeth. Their pieces are super cute and have a unisex vibe, which is ideal for us. I have my eye on this lil’ smock for Jack! And obvi, Ssense is a fave for off-the-beaten-path cool baby stuff. I’d kill for this Chopova Lowena onesie!
What’s one kids’ book your family loves?
Our friend Nappy Nina is a rapper from the Bay. She found the book Noisy City Night while she was back home, and it’s his fave before-bed read. We are also big fans of anything by Vashti Harrison!
Where do you go for kid room decor or furniture? Are there any pieces in particular you’d recommend?
We just moved into a new house, and we’re figuring out the nursery setup, since Jack still sleeps in our room. But when it’s time, I’m absolutely pining for this red crib by Ouef! And also this Joybird sleeper couch for when the grandmas come to visit and daytime feeds. And this West Elm dresser for all of Jack’s fashions! We’re doing an NYC-themed room for him, and I’m soooo excited to get started (and already overwhelmed)!
What shoes do you wear when you’re in mom mode? What shoes do you love for decidedly not mom mode?
Mom mode calls for shoes with zero shoestrings, lol. I live in my loafers from the Row, but also slide around town in these velvet clogs from Adidas. If I’m out on my own and don’t have to tote a baby on my hip, it’s gotta be these insanely inconvenient but so-fucking-cool clogs from Balenciaga.
What about bags?
I’m still on the hunt for the perfect chic diaper bag, so if anyone has suggestions, send them my way! If I’m out solo, I’m currently wearing a frog-shaped purse that a friend’s girlfriend got for me after her dog peed on my Rosie Assoulin dress.
In your opinion, what’s the best gift for a new parent?
Food! Hands down. Parents get so much stuff for the baby—from late-night Amazon purchases, grandparents or friends buying them baby stuff, their baby shower—so it’s nice to focus on the new parents after baby comes. A great gift that we got was a week’s worth of meals from Welcome Home, a postpartum meal delivery service.
The food was out of this world. No, seriously—it’s so good that I’m thinking about ordering another week! All we had to do was pop it in the oven or microwave, and we had a gorgeous, nourishing, tasty meal without even having to think about what to order from DoorDash. Highly, highly recommend this as a gift for new parents! I can’t say enough good things about it. Ask for the French butterbean soup. Life-changing!
What about for a favorite teacher or caregiver?
Money! They’re too polite to say it, but give people who look after your babies money. Cute gifts and flowers and all that are nice, but I don’t deeply know their home lives and would hate to give them something they can’t use. If money feels weird, try gift cards or a really good bottle of wine!
What are some beauty products you rely on in your life as a mom?
The entire line of products from Dr. Chaneve Jeanniton at Brooklyn Face & Eye. She sent me over a bunch of pregnancy-friendly skincare and I’m still using it, especially the True Calm Cleanser.
Also, my friend Lena Waithe had her facialist in L.A., Brandi Andrews, come over to ours to give me a postpartum facial and it was amazing. Her moisturizer has been so good for my skin!
Outside of those things, I use Bio-Oil on my entire body fresh out of the shower, and lock it in with whipped shea butter.
What’s the best vacation you’ve ever taken with kids?
The best vacation we’ve taken was to Boram Care right after Jack was born, lol. Boram is a post-birth suite that really looks to help the birthing parent heal and give a soft place to land while both parents learn about their new baby. It is cost-prohibitive, but it’s truly the best thing I could have done after giving birth. I wish it could be more accessible, because all parents deserve a place like Boram.
What’s your best advice to anyone who’s about to become a parent?
People love to tell you horror stories about parenthood, and I don’t know why. Like yes, some of it is new and hard and there’s a learning curve, but if you want kids and know that you want kids, you’re going to have the time of your fucking life. Kids are just so cool. You get to watch them discover the world in real time, and it’s really an honor. My advice is not to listen to a single soul who starts a conversation with “Just wait until …”
What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you about parenting?
“Nobody knows your baby like you do. You know what they need and what is best for them. Go with your gut, and it’ll never steer you wrong.” From that advice, I like to say that I’m not a baby expert, but I am a Jack aficionado.
