Our Story

Little Ready started on a flight that didn't go to plan.

Hi, I'm Lydia, a mum of twins from Melbourne, Australia. A few years ago I took a shortish (4 hours) flight with my child, and it was hard for them. Everything was new: the noise, the queues, the waiting, the strange seatbelt. I knew what was coming. My child didn't.

So before the next flight, we prepared. We talked about each step. We played airports. We practised the bits that had felt big. And the next flight was completely different.

Preparation didn't make the experience smaller. It made it feel known.

The gap between knowing and feeling ready

Most parents already prepare their children for new things. But knowing what to say, and how much to say, is surprisingly hard. When we surveyed 100 parents, the same tension came up again and again:

• 76%actively prepare their child for new experiences
• 92%explain what will happen in their own words
• 66%worry that preparing could make their child more anxious

Parents want to help. They're just not sure how to without making it a bigger deal than it needs to be.

So I made the thing I wished I had

Little Ready kits combine a gentle preparation story, a Story Companion to play it through, and a Ready Buddy to bring along on the day. Read it. Play it. Go.

I sketched the first Ready Buddies at my kitchen table, wanting them to feel like the Story Companions but softer and more familiar. From there, every kit has been shaped with input from people who work with children every day, across paediatrics, occupational therapy, speech pathology and play therapy.

Our first kit helps children prepare for the dentist. Airports and friendships are next, with many more of childhood's new, tricky and wobbly moments to follow.

Little Ready is still small, and I'm building it carefully. If you're here early, thank you. You're helping shape what it becomes.

Lydia, founder