You might say that our story has two beginnings. The first starts with our founder, Leadelle.

Leadelle has grappled with chronic illness for most of her life. Because of this, she monitors stress on her body several ways, including heart rate variability. In 2021, while visiting family on a road trip, she was introduced to bilateral stimulation. Upon receiving this type of therapy, she noticed that her heart rate variability had improved dramatically. She immediately looked for a device that would allow her to continue this therapy on her own time.

Several months later, Leadelle noticed that her grandchildren were exhibiting stress when transitioning between the households of their divorced parents. Working on a hunch that if bilateral stimulation was able to help her so significantly it would also benefit children, Leadelle broke out the device she had been using for herself and set it up for her grandchildren. Their little shoulders relaxed, and they started taking deep breaths. After a few minutes, they were calm, regulated, and happily playing with each other. She noticed that if we had the kids utilize bilateral stimulation when returning home after parental visits, they showed reduced signs of stress. An idea started to take root. This was the second beginning.

While the device providing bilateral stimulation was helpful, it was also utilitarian, somewhat clunky, and required the assistance of an adult to get it set up. Leadelle remarked that it would be more beneficial if we could find a way to deliver this therapy in a cuddly stuffed animal that kids could access entirely on their own wherever and whenever they needed it. After years of troubleshooting and testing her theory, the buzzy buddies were born.

We at SOS Play  are thrilled that we can now share the benefits that come from bilateral stimulation with all of you. We are especially excited to be able to deliver it in an adorable, intuitive, easy way that even young children can grasp quickly. We offer both a toy and a tool for kids, empowering them to take care of their nervous systems. Our goal is to provide an intuitive approach to supporting children, and we believe these bears are a powerful way to accomplish that.