College Parents Shell Out Thousands For ‘Surrogate Moms’ To Baby Their Kids

Interesting college, mother, parents, ucla, university of alabama admin September 22, 2026 0 Comments

College Parents Shell Out Thousands For ‘Surrogate Moms’ To Baby Their Kids

Parents of college students are starting to pay mothers-turned-entrepreneurs thousands of dollars to parent their kids on their behalf.

These concierge businesses are growing in states such as Alabama, Georgia, and Texas, the New York Times reported. (RELATED: Patrick Clancy Says Lindsay Never Asked Forgiveness For Killing Their Kids)

One mother, Carrie Eckhardt, who goes by the name Bama Mama, told Fox News that she began working as an Uber driver at the University of Alabama, where she would often offer students advice, earning her the nickname Uber Mama.

From there, Eckhardt said she created a Facebook group that kept growing as parents asked her to pick up prescriptions, drop off treats, or give their children a birthday surprise.

Eventually, the requests grew, leading Eckhardt to offer two packages that parents could buy into, while also allowing them to request services a la carte.

The cheaper package, “Essentials,” costs $999 a semester or $275 a month. Under the package, Eckhardt offers weekly laundry, grocery shopping, monthly room cleaning, monthly treat drop-offs, and a basket at the end of the semester.

The premium “Peace of Mind” package costs $1,500 a semester or $425 a month and offers the same benefits, along with a dozen cookies gifted during the semester, another personal check-in, sweets once a month, and priority access to her services.

Additional add-ons include birthday deliveries, a 6-7 basket, flowers, additional cleaning, and a sick basket.

“Kids are sometimes thousands or hundreds of miles from their parents with no community,” the Bama Mama told Fox, adding that “sometimes it’s not about the kids; it’s about the parents.”

Mindy Horwitz, also known as MindyKnows, has extended her service across 10 campuses, from the University of Florida to U.C.L.A., allowing local mothers to set their own rates. One client told the Times that “It’s not a DoorDasher. It’s like a surrogacy.”

Horwitz told the Times that she pushes back on accusations that these mothers-for-hire are coddling young adults who may be on their own for the first time.

“We’re just a support system,” Horwitz explained.

A mother of a child under Horwitz’s care told the Times that it was just “insurance,” adding peace of mind knowing that “if I can’t be there and my child needs something, there’s someone there.”