Help my baby sleep

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Celebrating 10 years of Bubbaroo with an article written and featured by Babyology reflecting on my Bubbaroo journey, the personal experience which inspires me and a big birthday bash! The article by Babyology can be viewed here or you can read the article and watch the video which is reproduced below.

Aussie mum’s mission to help her struggling baby creates sleep solutions for parents worldwide

Aussie mums have created some of the most brilliant baby products on the market – simply by tapping into their own needs. That’s exactly why pioneering mum Nicole Cassey went from struggling with a baby who was failing to thrive, to sleep product innovator. For 10 years she’s been the driving force behind Bubbaroo – creating swaddling and sleeping bags to help other parents get through the struggles of sleep issues. Prepare to be inspired, Babyologists – this is one amazing mum, behind some equally impressive baby products.

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There’s certainly no shortage of baby products out there, but every now and again something stops us mums in our tracks – and we mutter those all-too-common words: why didn’t I think of that? Or we may have thought of it, but just didn’t know how to go about making it a reality. That’s pretty much the backstory to Bubbaroo – a brand that focuses on making high quality safe sleep products that give parents peace of mind.

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Bubbaroo founder Nicole became a mum for the first time in 2004, and like many of us, struggled through those first few weeks. Her son Jacob was a terrible sleeper, was losing weight, suffering from severe reflux – which all culminated in a seven night stay at Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth. It was a long road to recovery for both of them – as Nicole focused on establishing a feeding and sleeping routine for Jacob.

Nicole explains, “The key to Jacob’s recovery was to get him settled, sleeping and staying asleep. He couldn’t feed when he was always over tired and distressed. The feeding regime meant that a routine was essential to ensuring sleep – the old feed, play (tummy time), sleep and recognising tired signs. Controlled crying was not going to work for Jacob because it would only exacerbate his reflux and my anxiety. I tried baby wearing but Jacob hated it – causing him more distress, so lots of cuddles, baby massage and swaddling until he was able to roll.”

And that’s when Nicole realised she had to find a way to help Jacob (pictured above) stay asleep. His severe reflux came as a package deal with a rather strong startle reflex – so he would often wake himself, and then be in distress from the pain of his reflux.

“We would swaddle Jacob to calm him but he’d always manage to escape, I nicknamed him Houdini because even though he was failing to thrive he was incredibly strong and could hold his head up from birth,” says Nicole. “I searched and searched to try to find a swaddling product but couldn’t believe that there was nothing on the market in Australia.”

Nicole set about creating a swaddling product that not only provided the same comforting environment as a mum’s womb, but the freedom for baby to move their arms and legs – and that’s how Bubbaroo was born. It’s such an inspiring story – as you saw in the video above look at how Jacob is doing now, as the brand celebrates an impressive 10 years!

The Bubbaroo Joey Pouch is the flagship product in the Bubbaroo range, a pioneer of sorts, as the first Australian swaddle to hit the market. Nicole spent a huge amount of time developing the Joey Pouch, sourcing high quality materials for safety and functionality. She also wanted chic designs and a neutral colour palette that comforted and calmed babies ready for sleep. She consulted midwives and child health nurses, met with SIDS and Kids and spent more than a year conducting market research and modifying the design of the Joey Pouch Swaddle Wrap and Joey Swag baby sleeping bag range. The range was launched in 2006, just as Nicole found out she was pregnant with daughter Emily Grace (mums never do things by halves!).

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Over the past decade, the Bubbaroo range has continued to grow, and now includes striped Joey Swag baby sleeping bags, blankies and the cutest little Joey comfort toy. And this year saw the launch of the Platinum range – stunning bamboo muslins, fitted cot sheets and new Joey Swags which use organic cotton and Australian wool padding on the 1.5 TOG and 2.5 TOG versions. Bubbaroo has also this year unveiled the new Joey Pod Transitional Swaddle, which has invisible zips that allow it to be used as a swaddle, or as a sleeping bag with one or both arms out.

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What started out as one Australian mum’s mission to help her own baby has developed into a business helping families in Australia and across the world. We’re raising our glasses to 10 years of Bubbaroo!

By Anita Butterworth on 26th May 2016

Nicole Cassey

written by

Nicole Cassey

Nicole Cassey, Mum to Jacob and Emily, founder and general dog’s body at Bubbaroo. Nicole was inspired to create Bubbaroo and Australia’s first swaddle after the personal experience she had with her first child, Jacob.

Nicole explains "It is such a steep learning curve becoming a parent. Getting to know the baby you created and finding your groove as a parent. You sometimes feel like you need to become a detective to try to interpret your baby's cues, personality, cries and behaviour. This is my passion to help parents on their journey, especially new parents as they transition to parenthood."

Nicole has a passion for sharing knowledge and community, regularly organising and presenting at various expectant parent and sleep workshops. Nicole ensures she is up to date with the latest evidence-based safe sleep and health research. Bubbaroo collaborates with experts in their field that share similar values and philosophies and have a passion for helping and supporting parents and expectant parents.

Nicole’s attention to detail with the creation of her premium quality baby, toddler and child sleepwear is exceptional. Nicole has been committed to ensure that Bubbaroo is not just a mass market brand producing products, Nicole’s focus is on helping your baby sleep safely in products that stand the test of time.

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