Kelly Brown hopes to introduce a new “Buddy” to children with disabilities.
This sidekick in the making is a special bib called the BibBuddy that features sensory toys that attach to fabric. That way, kids can keep sensory items within reach for when they need them.
Brown said her job at the J.D. McCarty Center for children with developmental disabilities inspired the invention, which is patent pending.
She is a direct-care specialist at the hospital and works one-on-one with inpatients by helping with daily living skills, taking kids to therapy sessions and appointments and accompanying them on field trips.
“I love the kids, and they’ve taught me so much about patience and empathy,” said Brown, who has worked at the center for three years.
The patients’ interactions with sensory toys led to her idea for the BibBuddy. She has seen how kids rely on sensory tools for engagement, comfort and self-regulation and the frustration they can develop if they drop or misplace a favorite toy while heading to therapies or appointments.
“I felt like there had to be a better way,” Brown said. “I’m always the type to think there is a solution and answer for everything.”
She started drafting a design for the bib and got input from mothers, teachers and therapists about the product’s benefits and usefulness.
Brown envisions that the bib can help toddlers to teens. Families will be able to customize the bib with options to add sensory toys, such as a sensory teether, chewies, push-bubble fidget toys, fidget spinners and a crinkle square.
Her future plans are to also offer the BibBuddy product for adults with dementia.
Brown believes the bib can offer kids some sensory support that can encourage calmness, focus and emotional regulation.
“I really do believe it’s going to change lives,” she said.
Brown’s next steps are to raise $20,000 to produce 500 bibs. She is raising money through Indiegogo, a crowdfunding website for entrepreneurs, inventors and creators to raise money for their projects. Brown also sells coloring books that she’s created to help raise funds for the BibBuddy. The coloring books feature kids and animals with disabilities.
Brown said she wants to keep the product affordable for families, and hopes that eventually she can donate a portion of the proceeds to the J.D. McCarty Center.
“The kids at J.D. McCarty Center are my inspiration,” she said. “They’ve taught me so much.”
