From Drill To Dream: Stacey Kalsi On Building Sleepwear Brand Sunday Littles (Win!)

This Small Business Month, we sit down with Stacey Kalsi—full-time dentist, mom of two and the founder of Sunday Littles, a POC-owned children’s sleepwear brand turning sleepy problems into stylish, sustainable solutions. Launched during maternity leave, Stacey’s CloudLuxe bamboo pajamas marry lab-backed comfort (grow-with-me sizing that lasts 3× longer) with timeless, photo-ready design—all while running a busy dental practice and answering every DM herself. Read on as Stacey shares the highs, the hustle and the heartfelt mission behind a brand that’s as kind to skin and planet as it is to new parents. —Noa Nichol

From dentist to designer—what inspired you to swap dental scrubs for sleepwear swatches and launch Sunday Littles during maternity leave?

I was a new mom trying to solve a “2 a.m. problem”. My postpartum experience was far from blissful – it was built off of lack of sleep, irritation and a fussy baby. What kept me grounded were my memories of my own childhood: Sundays with my parents, pancakes and pajamas, slow and uncomplicated. I didn’t set out to ‘start a pajama company’; I wanted to build a brand that creates and protects those small, sacred moments for families. My clinical background as a dentist, scientifically, shaped a bias towards safety, precision, and longevity and artistically, towards the design, texture, and comfort. Tucking my babies in and then working on Sunday Littles gave me a quiet sense of fulfillment that felt so right from the very beginning. It was also cool to have a different patient list: little sleepers and tired parents.

Sunday Littles’ CloudLuxe bamboo fabric is already iconic—what was the “aha!” moment when you knew parents (and kids) needed this fabric in their lives?

I was driving to the clinic before sunrise, pregnant with my second baby, and was replaying another long night after feeling very defeated. I tried everything: expensive sleep courses, the Einstein baby aquarium, sound machines, red light, co-sleeping, swaddling, even doctor visits. The change that finally mattered wasn’t a new routine, it was a different fabric. In a sample that eventually became CloudLuxe, my daughter finally slept longer in a prototype that felt cool to touch, had a heavier drape without weight, and she woke up without that warm ring on her neck. The best part was that it kept its shape after every wash – no more shrinking like all her other clothes. That’s when I realized we didn’t have a sleep problem, we had a comfort problem. At 2 a.m., every Google search was about hunger cues, diapers, room temperature, teething, noise and so much more. No one mentioned the material against their skin! I thought to myself that if this was a gamechanger for us, I knew so many other families would benefit too.

Sleepwear is usually overlooked when it comes to fashion. How do you merge practicality with the polished, aesthetic vibe your brand is known for?

I’m a mom first, so I knew our sleepwear has to work hard before it looks pretty. We start with our custom-milled CloudLuxe bamboo that is breathable, naturally antimicrobial, and OEKO-TEX certified because comfort and skin health always comes first. Then we hide the function in creative details such as the convertible foot cuffs and generous “fits 3x longer” sizing, flat seams, tagless zippers, and YKK safety-tested zippers.

After that, the fun part comes in: the aesthetics! We design elevated basics: calm, neutral palettes, subtle motifs, and prints that photograph beautifully but never feel loud. They’re pieces you get excited to put on your little ones and that tug at a parent’s nostalgia, whimsy, or sweetness. My dentist/mom brain obsesses over safety and fit; my designer heart fusses over silhouette and palette. The result is practicality disguised as polish—which is exactly how I think sleepwear should be.

You’ve described your pieces as “grow-with-me” and lasting 3x longer. How important is that slow fashion mindset to you as both a mom and a founder?

As a mom, “grow-with-me” means made for real life. Kids sprout overnight, laundry never stops, and budgets matter. When a piece lasts three times longer, you get fewer size changes and more mileage from something your child actually loves. It’s fewer carts and fewer boxes at the door, more hand-me-downs, less closet churn.

As a founder, slow fashion is a discipline. We design for longevity and hand-me-down moments, keep palettes timeless, produce thoughtfully, and pay attention to the true metric: cost per wear. I’d rather be your everyday favorite than a once-a-season novelty. If we can respect family budgets and the planet at the same time, that’s a win I’m proud of. Also as a brand, slow fashion keeps us honest: small-batch, timeless over trendy, make what families actually need. If a piece can’t live across seasons and siblings, we go back to the drawing board.

Your pajamas look runway-ready for bedtime. If you could dress any celebrity family in Sunday Littles, who would it be and why?

This is such a good question! The first family that comes to mind is Michael Bublé and Luisana Lopilato. I feel like the meaning behind Sunday Littles is what they live by; warm, music-around-the-table energy, pancakes, pajamas and nightly family catch ups. The Vancouver roots make it feel full-circle, and I love their focus on quiet moments over outside noise.

Another family that comes to mind is Paris Hilton and Carter Reum. I respect the hustle of a woman running an empire and still making motherhood her headline. Even with the lights and noise, you can tell her kids are non-negotiable. I really admire her ‘soft-mom era’ and it mirrors our ethos: protecting the quiet, sacred moments in a loud world.

Many small biz owners talk about community—yours really shows up. Can you share one story from a customer or collaboration that made you realize you were building more than just a brand?

Our collaboration with Project Play was the moment it clicked for me. We hosted Halloween and then Christmas and more than 30 kids showed up in our pajamas for crafts, play time, and story time. My daughter was there too. Standing back and watching the kids running and jumping in a print that I sketched at my kitchen table, right beside my own child, felt surreal. It wasn’t about a drop or a sale; it was about being invited into their memories and moms trusting our brand and fabrics, and being part of the storyline of their childhoods. I remember on the quiet drive home, my husband turned to me and softly said, “I’m so proud of what you’ve done”.

Running a full-time dental practice and a fashion startup sounds like superhero territory. What does a typical day in your world actually look like?

I love that – superhero territory. Most days start way before sunrise. I try to get up around 5 a.m. to catch our manufacturer across time zones, clear a few emails, pack a couple of orders and brain dump an endless to-do list. I usually get the kids stuff ready for preschool (this is usually the time when mom guilt kicks in and I start to sulk). Then I’m in dentist mode; fully present with patients. I sneak brand updates at lunch, create content, and leave multiple voice notes to our partners on the commute back home. Evenings are non-negotiable family time: dinner, bath, fresh pajamas, stories, and cuddles. Once the house is quiet, I switch back to Sunday Littles to review samples, refine prints, answer endless emails, plan community pop-ups, and pack more orders. Before bed, I do the household usuals and then I try to unwind a little bit by creating a new list of to-dos and fall asleep watching Netflix.

Sunday Littles has already hosted mama bootcamps and donated to the NICU. What role does giving back play in shaping the future of your business?

Giving back has always been the plan during the early stages of Sunday Littles. The few initiatives we’ve done have reminded me that pajamas are just the uniform; the real work is supporting the families inside them. As we grow, that mindset shapes everything such as what we make, how we price, who we partner with, and where we show up in the community. We’ll keep building programming that’s free and accessible for parents, tie launches to causes that support babies and postpartum care, and stay transparent about impact. Yes, it’s super cool to have a drop that sells-out, but nothing beats being useful and a service to others. The role of giving back shapes what we stand for and builds our foundation as a brand.

Be honest—what’s the cutest design you’ve created so far, and which one do your kids refuse to take off?

This is such a hard question to answer! They’re all so adorable, but if I had to choose, it would be Safari Toile for its timeless, vintage charm and Checkered Skull for that mischievous and playful vibe (I’ve always been obsessed with the skull anatomy which led to my passion for dentistry). Also I have a soft spot for our upcoming holiday prints because they feel like tradition. At home, my son lives in Apple Harvest and Checkered Skull pajamas and my daughter never wants to take off her Candy Skull pajamas (she’s in her pink girl era).

With Small Business Month around the corner, what advice would you give to other women (and moms!) who want to turn a personal frustration into a thriving fashion-forward business?

I would say just start and don’t overthink it! I’m still learning every day, but here’s what’s worked for me. Start with the 2 a.m. problem you can’t stop thinking about, make one small, imperfect version, and let ‘real life’ refine it. Pick something you’re willing to wake up early for, then keep showing up. I don’t have it all figured out and most of my progress has come from listening, changing course, and asking for help. You’ll doubt yourself; on those days, go back to your why. Talk to your customers, and take the next small step. Keep your choices simple and thoughtful, and give the work time to grow.

Win! A Matching Mommy + Me PJ Set From Sunday Littles!

Congrats Valentina P. of St. Albert, AB, who will receive a Matching Mommy + Me PJ Set From Sunday Littles (value $150). Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadailymedia. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.