4 min read

Why I Created NIBSY

By My Store Admin · September 2, 2026

For more than 23 years, I’ve worked with children.

I’ve seen the brave child who suddenly becomes nervous at the classroom door.

The child who needs Mum to stay for just one more minute.

The child who says, “I can’t do it.”

And the child who looks perfectly fine on the outside while quietly needing reassurance.
As an educator, I’ve also seen what happens inside classrooms when children are trying to
manage big feelings while still learning, listening, joining in and becoming more
independent.

And I’ve been the parent on the other side of it too.

That combination of experience made me realise there was something missing.

There was a gap between comfort and independence

Children already have fidgets.

They already have comfort toys.

But I kept thinking there should be something that could bring those two ideas together.

Something small enough to go anywhere.

Something discreet enough for a classroom.

Something tactile that little fingers could quietly rub, squeeze and explore.

And something that could carry a deeper emotional message:

You are supported. You are safe. You can take the next step.

What I wanted was a tiny tool that could offer both sensory input and transitional comfort.

A familiar little companion a child could carry when Mum or Dad couldn’t be beside them.

Something teachers could comfortably use in the classroom.

Something parents could use as part of the language and strategies they were already teaching at home.

That idea became NIBSY.

We can’t remove every hard moment

One thing has stayed with me throughout my years working with children:

We can’t always remove the hard moment and we can’t always be there when it
happens.

There will be first days.

New classrooms.
Friendship worries.
Swimming lessons.
Bedtime nerves.

“I can’t do it” moments.

Times when children feel unsure even though we know they are capable.

And as much as we want to protect them, growing confidence doesn’t come from never
feeling uncomfortable.

It comes, little by little, from discovering:

“That felt hard… and I handled it.”

Children often need our help before they can do that for themselves.

First, they borrow our calm.

Then they learn the words.

Then they practise the strategies.

Then, eventually, they begin to discover:

“I know what to do.”

That is the space NIBSY was created to sit in.

A little bridge

NIBSY is a tiny silicone companion designed to sit on a child’s thumb or be held quietly in
their hand.

Each character has tactile texture for little fingers to rub and explore, along with its own
simple emotional focus such as bravery, confidence, comfort, positive thinking or
friendship.

But NIBSY was never created to make every uncomfortable feeling disappear.
It was created to be a little bridge between:

“I need you beside me.” and “I think I can try this myself.”

A small reminder of the support, language and coping strategies a child has already been
given.

Sometimes that reminder might be:

“I can feel nervous and still have a go.”

Sometimes:

“I can try.”

Sometimes simply:

“Mum always comes back.”

For children, parents and teachers

NIBSY was created with all three in mind.

For children, I wanted something small, comforting and easy to use when feelings become
big.

For parents, I wanted something that could carry a little piece of their reassurance into the
moments when they can’t physically be there.

And for teachers, I wanted something quiet and classroom-friendly that could support
children without becoming another loud or distracting toy.
After more than two decades in education, I know how important it is that anything brought into a classroom is simple, practical and genuinely usable.
That matters to me.