By SQUEEZU Founder · 3 minute read
When I first began looking for squishies for my autistic daughter, I was trying to understand what she enjoyed. I saw her gradually becoming happier with the toys, and that experience gave me a reason to keep exploring.
But it also taught me the limits of my own point of view. I am one mother. My daughter is one child. What feels welcome to her does not automatically feel welcome to everyone else.
I wanted to make room for more voices
After I began finding sources and working on squishies for my daughter, I was surprised by how much other people liked them. As SQUEEZU took shape, I started inviting autistic children and their families to design with me.
I did not want the brand to speak about people without giving them room to contribute. A parent's perspective can be valuable, and so can the perspective of the child who will actually touch, hold, or choose not to use an object.
For me, designing together begins with that respect. I do not assume a preference just because of a diagnosis, and I do not want my own favorite shape or texture to become the answer everyone is expected to like.
The person comes before the product
A toy can look cheerful in a photograph and still be the wrong fit for someone. I want there to be room for that response, rather than treating it as a problem to overcome.
I think of an invitation as something a person can decline. Looking might be enough. A light touch might be enough. Enjoying one texture does not create an obligation to try another.
I also know that an ordinary day can change what feels welcome. I want SQUEEZU's world to leave space for those changes, without asking anyone to perform happiness for a product.
Why I keep feel and shape separate
Our browsing categories offer different starting points: Slow Rise, Soft Gel, Stretchy, and Cloudy Soft for feel; Food / Fruit & Veg, Cute Characters, and Geometric Shapes for appearance.
I see these as ways to help a person begin exploring, not as labels that decide what they should prefer. A lovely shape cannot tell the whole story of how an object feels, and a feel category does not replace the information about a particular item.
I want people to be able to ask both questions: do I like looking at this, and do I want to interact with it?
What I want to carry forward
I began this journey because my daughter's small moments of happiness mattered to me. Inviting other children and families into the design process helps me carry that attention beyond our own home.
I am not promising a particular result for every child, and I do not present a squishy as a treatment. I am building a brand that began with one family's experience and makes room for others to bring their own.
A Softer Day, to me, includes the way a choice is offered: with care, with listening, and with the freedom to say yes, no, or maybe another time.
Read how my family's story became SQUEEZU · Find your own little joy
The painted cover is an editorial illustration, not a portrait of participating families.
