Two mom-founded brands, Slumberkins and Along the Waves, have collaborated to create the Repair Bear: a soft, plush toy designed to rekindle connection between parents and children after contentious interactions. Born out of the shared belief that emotional repair is an important part of parenting, the Repair Bear offers families a tangible way to say, “I’m sorry,” “I’m here,” and “We’re okay.” The limited-edition bear is a beautiful soft periwinkle color and comes with a short poem to help facilitate repair.
The collaboration blends Slumberkins’ expertise in creating intentional, emotionally supportive tools for children with Along the Waves’ heart-centered approach to motherhood and community.
Annalee, the founder of Along the Waves, began sharing her motherhood journey online during the early days of parenting her first child. What started as a sort of digital diary for Annalee quickly became a space where other moms found solidarity, comfort, and connection. She now has over 385K followers on her Instagram account and 571.2K followers on TikTok.
“I would post at 3 a.m. saying, ‘On the floor in my daughter’s room again,’ [and] immediately I would get DMS from mom saying, ‘Me too! I’m here with you.’ That was such a gift that they were giving me,” says Annalee.
Her newfound community inspired her to create something that would give the same feeling to other moms, and Along the Waves was born. The clothing brand is designed to remind other parents they’re not alone. Annalee and her husband also host the Riding Along the Waves podcast, in which they discuss parenting, marriage, and everyday life.
That shared commitment to emotional support and real talk is what connected Annalee with Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen, best friends and co-founders of Slumberkins, a brand known for creating emotional learning tools for families.
Through their collection of plush creatures, affirmation cards, and therapeutic storybooks and playsets, Slumberkins introduces key concepts like resilience, self-worth, and mindfulness in ways that are accessible and engaging for young minds.
“Going into motherhood [is] just such a big transition…Everything you’re doing shifts because your world is revolving around your kids, especially in those early years,” says Kelly. “You’re overwhelmed and you sort of end up being your worst self, even though you’re trying to be your best self, which can be so frustrating. Having a tool like Slumberkins can be really helpful.”
It was from this mutual understanding of motherhood’s challenges and a desire to help families navigate them that the idea for the Repair Bear was born. Together, the two brands set out to design a tangible tool that would help rebuild connection after moments of disconnection, giving parents and children a gentle way to come back together.
“Having a tangible tool that you can grab, especially for kids, is so helpful for them to visually see something that lets them know what your intentions are,” shares Annalee.
To bring the idea of repair to life, Slumberkins and Along the Waves are hosting an event on June 18 at The Den in Denver. The event includes an interactive workshop on emotional repair and connection hosted by Kelly and Callie, a fireside chat with Annalee, and a take-home Repair Bear.
While there’s no such thing as perfect parenting, both Along the Waves and Slumberkins are encouraging parents to embrace reconciliation and community as essential parts of the journey.
“I think when parents can accept that parenting is not about being perfect, even if maybe that’s what we see on social media, it takes a lot of pressure off our shoulders and lets you release that mom guilt we carry,” says Annalee.
“Knowing that you’re not alone and being in community with others has been the most important piece of breaking cycles and parenting differently for this generation,” adds Kelly.
You can learn more about the Repair Bear at slumberkins.com and get tickets to their June 28th Denver event here.
Slumberkins x Along the Waves Power of Repair Workshop & Event
Wednesday, June 18, 6–8pm
The Den, Denver
