When Julianne Gardner sat in a salon chair with soaking-wet hair and heard her baby screaming through the phone, she couldn’t have imagined it would one day become the origin story she shares on podcasts. But that’s exactly what happened — and now the Phoenixville, PA mom and founder of Bottimals is getting the recognition she deserves.
Julianne recently joined Dr. Brandie Keates on the Pregnancy Pain Sucks podcast for an episode titled “Bottle Refusal: Why Your Baby Won’t Take a Bottle (and What to Do)” — and if you haven’t heard her story yet, this is your sign to tune in.
The Problem That Started It All
Like so many entrepreneurial origin stories, this one begins with a problem that felt deeply personal. When Julianne’s son Blake — a breastfed baby — flatly refused a bottle, the ripple effects were immediate. She couldn’t get a haircut. She couldn’t step away. And the more she researched, the more she realized she wasn’t alone.
Bottle refusal affects a staggering number of families — estimates suggest more than 60% of breastfed babies experience difficulty transitioning to a bottle. In extreme cases, it forces mothers to turn down jobs, cancel plans, and sacrifice their own wellbeing just to keep feeding going. “That really creates a vicious cycle of stress for a family,” Julianne has said.
So she did what any determined Penn State Eberly College of Science graduate with a background in clinical trial management would do: she went looking for the research.
The Science Behind the Solution
What Julianne found was compelling. Studies show that a mother’s scent actively stimulates the sucking reflex in infants and reduces stress — a biological bond that goes far deeper than most people realize. Research published in peer-reviewed journals confirms that maternal odor plays a significant role in neonatal feeding behavior.
That insight became the foundation for Bottimals. The Bottimals bottle-lovey® is a stretchy, scrunchie-like attachment that wraps around most standard baby bottles and features an adorable stuffed animal. Inside sits a heart-shaped pad that a mother wears against her skin, absorbing her natural scent. When the pad is placed back into the lovey during feeding, baby gets the comfort of mom’s presence — even when mom can’t be right there.
It’s sweet. It’s science-backed. And we have the success stories to show it works!
Building a Business, One Nap Time at a Time
Julianne runs Bottimals out of her home, carving out time to work between taking care of her two young children (and a third on the way!). She built her network through LinkedIn and Instagram outreach — often surprised by how many established entrepreneurs were willing to give her 15 minutes of their time.
She also leaned on resources like the Great Valley LaunchBox powered by Penn State, which connected her with a patent attorney, mentors, and a broader community of innovators. Julianne even won first place in the Penn State alumni category at the LionCage Pitch Competition — proof that the idea resonated far beyond her own kitchen table.
More recently, Julianne joined the Shadow Her program, a cohort designed to help women scale their businesses past $1M in revenue — a signal that Bottimals is just getting started.
Sharing the Story on Pregnancy Pain Sucks
Dr. Brandie Keates’s Pregnancy Pain Sucks podcast is no stranger to the real, unglamorous challenges of pregnancy and early parenthood — which makes it the perfect home for Julianne’s story. In the episode “Bottle Refusal: Why Your Baby Won’t Take a Bottle (and What to Do),” Julianne brings the full Bottimals journey to a new audience: the exhausted moments, the research rabbit holes, and the scrappy early days of building a business between nap times.
For any parent who has Googled “why won’t my baby take a bottle” at midnight, this episode is both validating and genuinely helpful. They talk about the Bottimals journey, motherhood, and how tools like the Bottimals bottle-lovey® are helping families find their way through.
Disclaimer: The Bottimals™ bottle-lovey® is designed to provide comfort during feeding by incorporating a mother’s familiar scent. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. Bottle refusal can have a variety of causes; if you have concerns about your baby’s feeding, nutrition, or health, please consult a licensed pediatrician or healthcare provider. Results may vary. Individual experiences shared are not guarantees of outcomes. Bottimals™ products should always be used under adult supervision and in accordance with provided instructions. Please review all safety guidelines before use.