A Heart Family for Foster Awareness Month

We enjoy reading in the mornings too when we wake up. We had to bring Yeti to story time so he could meet Hartley.

With May being Foster Care Awareness month, we wanted to highlight Slumberkins. We fell in love with Slumberkins after we met Yeti. The book and plush doll combo talk about slowing down and being mindful, something we need help doing as a family. We then interviewed Callie Christensen, one of the founders of the company for our Mompreneur and Man Behind the Brand series. She shared how they created children’s products to teach children social and emotional skills. And she also opened up on how their experience on Shark Tank shaped what they do, how to set boundaries and why they put family first.

Click here to watch our interview

Slumberkins is introducing their latest addition, a Sloth named Hartley. Hartley is an ultra-soft and cuddly friend that, when used as a transitional object, can provide an immense amount of comfort and a feeling of security – to help ease anxiety and transitions for little ones. Each Slumberkin includes an accompanying “Sleepytime Rhyme” board book story that helps to promote attachment between caregivers and children, while reinforcing a specific positive life skill.

The corresponding interactive Hartley Sleepytime Rhyme board book focuses on diversity within families and the importance of love – not blood – binding families together into a “Heart Family.” Themes of healthy family attachments, family transitions, self-esteem, and acceptance are woven throughout this thoughtful and heart-warming story. The pairing of Slumber Sloth and Sleepytime Rhyme is perfect of helping talk about diverse family structures. It also emphasizes that whether near or far, we carry our families in our hearts.

While you may not be in a position to become a foster parent, you can volunteer with organizations like Alliance of Moms to help those in the foster youth system, donate resources like a Slumberkin to a foster youth or foster family, or ask a foster family if there is some way you can help them. It could be bringing over a meal, tutoring, or babysitting. You could even consider becoming a foster mentor. According to Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) there were an estimated 437,465 children in foster care in 2016 in the United States.

A portion of all Hartley Bundle proceeds will go to the Alliance of Moms, whose mission it is to break the intergenerational cycle of babies born to teens in foster care. Hartley is a special limited-edition Slumberkin whose Sleepytime Rhyme was written specifically for children in blended families, in foster care, or who have been adopted.

 

We were gifted a Hartley bundle, but all of our thoughts and opinions are our own.

A Heart Family for Foster Awareness Month

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