Australia's favourite play lounge made by mums!
Australia's favourite play lounge made by mums!
ENDLESS WAYS TO PLAY
LEARN MORE ABOUT TEAM CUBBI BUDDI

About Us

The Brains behind Cubbi Buddi

The brains behind the Cubbi Buddi brand are Amy and Tara, who are both mums and Paediatric Occupational Therapists from Sydney. Together, they’ve got over 20 years of combined experience working with children and families on improving their development and skills. Having worked in settings such as private practices, schools, preschools/childcares, community settings, family homes and hospitals – they both have a holistic approach in supporting childhood development.

Between their two growing families, Amy and Tara have 5 children under 6 – so they are very aware of the energy and chaos that tiny humans can bring to a house, especially on rainy days (or during lockdown for a global pandemic). They observed that their kids CRAVED movement, which often resulted in lounge cushions being pulled apart to be jumped on, rolled on, carried from room to room and anything else but sitting on! They’d seen for themselves how their home decor had to completely change when the kids started to really move and explore.

Designing something purposeful

In early 2019, Tara and Amy decided to combine their OT qualifications and family life experiences to try and create something simple, fun but sneakily very purposeful for all Aussie families to enjoy – The Cubbi Buddi! The duo saw a gap in the local market for a high quality, Australian made play lounge for kids – that would give little ones a way to learn and regulate their bodies and also pack up nice and neatly.

It was a wildy complex process that started out with extensive market research – Aussie parents, carers, grandparents, educators (and more) were involved in this stage. The main findings were a set of 5 key needs;

  • compact enough for homes of all sizes (suitable for bedrooms, living and toy rooms)
  • easy to clean and wash any messes caused by little cherubs
  • be safe for children
  • look insta-worthy but at the same time mega functional, soft and comfortable
  • lastly, be multipurpose and every piece to have a functional purpose!

On top of that, Tara and Amy wanted to create a product that was lightweight, strong, environmentally friendly, made in Australia and not cost a million dollars (don’t worry, they came in under budget).

Finessing the details

The design process was ongoing for about 2 years, with a LOT of thought going into the finest details – from types of foam for the internal structure, the cover fabric options, colours, zippers, shapes of the pieces and handles. All this boiled down to ensuring the Cubbi Buddi would be able to support children through all stages of development whilst playing, and be an affordable, quality product that would look great in any Australian or New Zealander homes.

Whilst the Cubbi Buddi play sofa might just appear to be a pile of nice cushions (and you aren’t wrong, they are a very nice pile of cushions but that’s why we love them – so simple!), when paired with the knowledge and guidance of how to use them to support your child’s development, it is SO much more. Cubbi Buddi provides endless opportunities for play, motor skill development and learning – you’ll just have to see for yourself.

The Cubbi Buddi Ethos

We want to educate families about the importance of early development opportunities and how you can easily provide these at home, in schools, childcare centres and even in clinical settings.

The Cubbi Buddi team is always busy working on something new, wait and see what comes next!

Want to know about our sales, new products and inspo ideas? Great! Simply fill in the form to join the Cubbi Buddi Club! Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.