Sheffield mum’s Kickstarter campaign for natural, plastic-free, vegan-friendly baby blankets

Mini Joy launches its Kickstarter campaign for the BabySnug, a bamboo swaddle and duvet that makes mom-life (including breastfeeding and calming) easy and chic.

“All first time parents worry about their little baby,” says founder Kat Brennan, of Stannington.

“Are they warm enough? Is their head supported? Is this product 100% safe? Can others hold them correctly? Are they comfortable? Why are they crying? We too had all those questions in mind.

"I wanted a product which I couldn’t find on the market – so I created it.

“The inspiration for BabySnug came from my mum when I was five months pregnant, she mentioned our family tradition of using soft baby blankets. It had to tick a few boxes - be good for my child, be breathable, safe, soft, swaddle like and ideally natural. I knew I didn’t want any plastic in it.

“I made the first prototype and asked my friend to try it out with her little baby. He literally fell asleep within seconds and she wanted to keep it. That’s when I knew that I was on to something good.”

But before Kat could begin production on the blankets, she had to get funding. The soon-to-be-mum, whose first child – a little boy – is due at the beginning of July, launched a Kickstarter campaign on May 15 and is hoping to raise £10,000 to help her produce and launch her BabySnug business here in Sheffield.

“Almost all duvets and baby blankets are made out of plastic or silicone filling—often times they lose shape, are poorly made and not breathable,” says Kat, who is originally from Poland, but moved to Sheffield five years ago after meeting her husband at Tramlines.

“With BabySnug, mothers simply wrap their baby up, nice and snugly. It’s more than just a soft, soothing blanket; the soft bamboo material wrap can be used as a play mat, nursing cover, changing mat, pram blanket, or duvet.

“I sourced everything for the blanket and created one for myself, but after seeing the reaction of my friends who also have babies, I’d love to manufacture these and see more Sheffield babies reaping the benefits,

“The blanket is made with sustainability in mind, and a uniquely designed filling of bamboo and biofiber. Plus, It's lightweight, breathable and biodegradable.

“The campaign is going well so far, the amount is growing slowly, so I’m really keen to just raise as much awareness of what I’m doing as possible.”

BabySnug is currently available for pre-order on Kickstarter starting at £35.

Visit minijoy.co.uk/collections/all for details, and kickstarter.com to donate.