SME News | British Made Awards 2023 | 30 Best Children's Health Solutions Manufacturer 2023 - South Whilst thumb sucking is common in infants, often starting before birth, it can result in a number of oral health concerns if it continues as the child gets older. Awardwinning and accredited by the Oral Health Foundation, Thumbsie® Ltd. is a market-leading manufacturer and provider of fabric thumb and finger guards that are designed to help children break the habit in a fun and positive way. Here, we dive into Thumbsie®’s story, products, and plans for the future. When a child develops the habit of sucking their thumbs and fingers and continues to do so for a long time, it can cause a variety of dental problems, including malformed teeth, misaligned jaw, and speech impediments. As a result, the child may need long and painful dental treatment. Jo Bates was inspired to create Thumbsie Ltd. when her third daughter, Isabel, tried to give up thumb sucking. Just as she had with her other two daughters, Jo took Isabel’s dummy away when she was three years old. Unfortunately, without the dummy to suck, she started to suck her thumb instead. This soon became a habit. Whilst there were already solutions for thumb sucking on the market, including bad tasting nail polish, plasters, and even expensive plastic thumb guards, Jo found that none of them appealed to her and her family. For this reason, she encouraged Isabel to choose some fabric and used it to make her a comfortable fabric thumb guard that covered her thumb. Within three weeks of wearing them, Isabel had managed to stop sucking her thumb during the day and, two weeks later, she was able to go to bed without the thumb guard on. Hoping that her creation would help other children like they helped Isabel, Jo launched Thumbsie Ltd. The Thumbsie® is a handmade fabric guard that fits over the thumb or fingers like a glove. Suitable for children between the ages of three and 12, the glove secures around the wrist with Velcro and comes in five sizes as well as many different fabrics. The fabric guard acts as a reminder to the child, helping them to stop sucking. Thumbsie® strives to serve as a complete solution for thumb sucking, providing parents with all the products, advice, and support they need to help their child overcome the habit. The company’s thumb sucking bundles come with 3 or 6 fabric gloves, a bag, a reward chart, and the ‘Thumbs Up for Ted’s Thumbsie’ book, which was written and designed especially for families struggling to give up sucking. Furthermore, once the child has successfully overcome their habit, Thumbsie® also provides a free personalised certificate. With every Thumbsie® being handmade, Jo’s team primarily consists of freelancing local seamstresses, who work from their own homes. The company’s internal culture is friendly, flexible, and pleasant, which is why so many of its staff members have been part of the team for many years. However, Jo prioritises the quality of her products, taking a meticulous approach to recruitment. She requires all candidates to provide a sample of their own work, then demonstrate their ability to make a high-quality Thumbsie®. Reflecting on her accomplishments, Jo feels that she has a lot to be proud of. She has successfully designed an effective product, been in business for more than a decade, helped thousands of children overcome the habit of thumb sucking, won ten business awards, and been recommended by dentists across the world. However, her favourite part of running Thumbsie® is receiving pictures from parents and seeing the smiles on the faces of children who have given up thumb sucking using her product. For its innovative products and exceptional customer service, Thumbsie® has been awarded Best Children's Health Solutions Manufacturer, South, in the British Made Awards 2023. In the future, Jo hopes to add a skin cream to her offerings, since the thumb can become sore from sucking. To do this, she is looking to partner with a local supplier. Contact Details Contact: Jo Bates Company: Thumbsie Ltd Web Address: www.thumbsie.co.uk
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