As a parent raising a child on the autism spectrum, I was constantly looking for ways to make life a little easier for my son. Bedtime was our hardest battle. He would lie awake for hours. When he finally drifted off, the creak of a door or a car outside would snap his eyes open again. I watched him fight for rest that never seemed to come.

I began looking for a solution. After significant research I discovered the secret of weighted blankets. They are scientifically proven to naturally stimulate serotonin, the happy hormone. They lower cortisol, the stress hormone. And they boost melatonin, which helps you fall asleep and relax. I thought any weighted blanket would do the job. On the contrary, none that I found were right for my son. Some were too heavy for his small frame, others trapped heat and made him sweat by midnight.

So I stopped looking and decided to design it myself. I worked with a manufacturer for over a year. Going back and forth on every detail, tweaking the weight, softening the fabric, adjusting the stitching, until it finally felt right. A blanket that hugged him without crushing him. One that stayed cool through the night. Soft enough to forget it was even there. For the first time, my son fell asleep in minutes and slept calmly through the night.

When I saw how much this helped my son, I wanted to share it with others who might need it as well. So I decided to bring it to the rest of Australia through Batuk. What started as a mother’s love for her son is now a mission to help people sleep deeper and live better.