March 4, 2025
The Role of Play in Child Development: Podcast Episode #280
Juliana shares insights into how purposeful play fosters growth, and speech and language development in children in the latest episode of Ask the Doulas podcast. Juliana is CEO and co-founder of 2MamaBees, a company specializing in eco-friendly, high-quality playhouses and children’s products.
Hello, hello! This is Kristin with Ask the Doulas, and I am thrilled to chat with my friend Juliana today. She is the CEO and founder of 2MamaBees, which is a company specializing in eco-friendly, high quality playhouses and children’s products. Not only are you a successful entrepreneur, but you are also a mom! Welcome to the show, Juliana!
Thank you so much for having me! I’m excited to be here with you.
Yes! And our topic is so important. We are going to talk about the role of play in child development. So obviously, your business is built on play, with everything from the play houses, doll houses, and all of the other children’s products. I would love to have you share your research and insight with our audience.
Absolutely. My favorite topic, of course, is play. I better like it because I do it a lot! Yes, so as you said, I am the co-founder and CEO of 2MamaBees, and we specialize in primarily outdoor play products, so swing sets, playhouses, but also some indoor play products, as well. And we’re always expanding our line to include more products. One thing that really makes our company stand out from the rest is that we meet with industry experts for the design and inspiration behind our products, and by industry experts, I mean play therapists, speech therapists, OTs. We really want our products to be all consuming in a way that children are learning on every sensory level while parents can also be engaged. We take so much consideration in the design and development of our products. One aspect I could point out is the height of our playhouses. Even our smallest outdoor playhouse sits almost six feet tall inside so parents can comfortably play, as well. And our mission, of course, is to empower families through purposeful play, and in doing so, we really try to help families understand the importance of play and how they can actually integrate play with their children to help reach developmental milestones. So that is a little bit about what I do!
And your design is beautiful, but the fact that – again, moms get things done – that you were so thoughtful in bringing in the experts in the maternal space and pediatric space to make sure that not only you have a beautiful design with the playhouses but also that there was more purpose and development that could result from the play and the use of all of your different products.
Absolutely. And you’re right, only a mom would think of all the things, right? This is what we do all day long. You have to think of all the things.
Absolutely. And playing with your own kids – I’m sure it wasn’t only your professional experience, but personally seeing what was on the market, what was lacking, and filling in the gaps.
Absolutely. I have such a wide range in ages with my kids. My oldest is 18, and my youngest is 5. And I think through that huge gap and age difference, I’ve kind of see the evolution of toys. When my oldest was younger, everything was plastic and in these bright primary colors. And primary colors are great; I’m not saying that they’re not. But I do think that as parents – and myself, I’m always trying to look through the eyes of the consumer because I am a consumer, right? The aesthetic means something to me. You know, I design and decorate my house because I want it to look pretty and I want everything to be streamlined. So in finding ways to really encompass products that parents are not only going to look at as not being an eyesore but then putting additional thought behind it as well. So yes, you are right. The aesthetic of our products – we’re now an 18-time award winning manufacturing company with the primary emphasis on our awards being for the aesthetic of our products. But that feature, that was for the parents out there. That one wasn’t so much for the kids.
Right. You want your back yard to look beautiful for your outdoor products, of course, so that makes a whole lot of sense to me. But also functional and practical.
Absolutely. I think for such a long time, the outdoor play industry went uninterrupted. It was like we were still buying the exact same swing sets that were sold in the ‘70s. Design has changed so drastically. Why has the design of play sets not changed? And parents, even myself, I was trying to find the best spot in the yard to hide something. To hide something that I have to sit there and stare at the entire time because I don’t want my kids outside playing by themselves. So it’s finding the balance between it not being an eyesore and then still engaging in play. So there’s a few things we include with every product that we sell, which is our play food. All of our products are made primarily out of wood. The only plastics are used on the swing and the slide. So we include wooden play food that can be cut in half and velcroed back together. It comes with a little play knife set so that kids can actually utilize that. There are so many sensory features that we can go through with just that component alone. The kids are able to learn how to cut and then Velcro and put the food back together, the sensory feeling of all the different shapes and sizes of the fruits and food that’s included. It’s kind of little touches there. They do make a big impact in your child’s education and the way that you can actually integrate that into play.
So one thing we’re working on right now, and it’s probably my new passion project, is actually working with these industry experts to come up with little books, if you will. So let’s say you buy an air fryer, and you’re looking at the air fryer and it says, here’s X, Y, and Z, how to operate. And then in the back there are five recipes to try. Try these out with your new air fryer. The exact same process, but with play. So here’s how you assemble your playhouse. Here’s how you put it together. And here’s five different ways that you can actually interact and play with this product with your child, and here’s the developmental milestone that you’re helping your child hit while interacting in that play.
Amazing. And then caregivers can also utilize some of those tips, if there’s a nanny, for example, or even older siblings, as you mentioned, who might be helping with the younger children.
100%. And even further than that, one thing that we’re really focused on now is therapists. So therapists that are coming into the home – that’s kind of where a lot of this stemmed from for us. My co-founder’s son was diagnosed with autism, and that is the reason and the inspiration behind us even starting 2MamaBees and really has helped with the evolution of it, as well. I would see therapists in the home for sometimes six hours a day. A lot of the times, the therapists are bringing the products that they’re playing with the children with, and then when they leave, they take the products with them, whatever play products they brought for the day to guide that therapy session. And it’s kind of like, how do I become involved? How do I as a parent continue to help be involved in that development of my child through play therapy if you’re taking the product with you? That was really the inspiration behind finding ways to involve sensory play. So not only can the therapist come in and use the product, utilize the product for therapy while they are in the home, but then it stays. It doesn’t go anywhere. So you as a parent can pick up where they left off, and you can actually help and be involved in that whole process with them, as well.
We’re designing an outdoor playhouse right now called the Micaiah. Micaiah is actually my business partner’s son who was diagnosed with autism, and it will be all-encompassing for children who have any sensory delays. And this one is really kind of at the heart of everything we do, and it hits on every level and the fact that we are really taking such a deep dive into letting the therapist guide us through the design process so that it really does become a tool for both parents, therapists, and caregivers, anyone that comes into the home so that the child can have it there. It’s stationary. It doesn’t go anywhere. But it’s a learning tool for everyone, for the entire family, and that’s where purposeful play really comes in. It’s bringing the entire family together.
I love it together. My kids go to Montessori school, so it does seem like a lot of that play that is focused on Montessori, especially early childhood learning.
So any other new and exciting advances going on? I know that you – again, you are in some of the major big box stores and you started out as an Etsy shop and expanded to be able to serve even more families. You’ve talked about how you have customized play centers for different subdivisions, for example, to kind of fit into the aesthetic there. You have so much going on!
Yes. I mean, it’s a never-ending process, but such a labor of love. I genuinely wake up every day just so happy with what I get to do. Yeah, I would say aside from the fact that obviously, I am insanely inspired by the people I get to surround myself with and these industry experts. Sustainability is a core focus of mine, as well. We have some exciting things that we’re working on pertaining to sustainability. I’ve never seen it done with any toy product yet, so hopefully they aren’t listening to this. It’s small, but it’s big for us. We want to be the change makers. We want to hold some of these bigger companies’ feet to the fire and say, you can make these changes. I mean, we’re domestically manufactured. We’re domestically sources. We’re manufactured by Amish artisans. Just one quick stat: our entire manufacturing facility emits less carbon emission in one month than it takes to bring over one 40-foot cube from China. So being able to stand behind that and say that we did just win the Stevie Award for building sustainable supply chains – so we’re always trying to push that envelope a little more.
And one thing – a great idea, actually, that we came up with and we’re really excited to roll out is that instead of people getting the standard assembly instruction booklet, we’ve changed it to seed paper. So all of our outdoor playhouses come with real plant window boxes to help with environmental consciousness at a young age with children. Well, now after they assemble the playhouse, they can actually plan the assembly instruction into the window box and it will grow wild flowers.
That is so awesome!
Right? It’s so fun. I love it so much. So we’re just constantly trying to find ways to evolve and create different inspirational ideas, and I hope people do follow suit. That’s the kind of thing that we’re like, please copy. You can, probably a lot easier than I can, too, and you should. You should, because it’s every thought process in the entire development of our products, and right now we can say it’s even down to the assembly booklets. The thought is put into it of how we can become more sustainable. It’s so ironic to say that I sell products to kids, but then a lot of these larger corporations aren’t thinking about the world these kids are going to one day inherit. I don’t want to be that corporation. I want to lead a corporation where that thought process is involved. Our products are all heirloom quality, so they’re built to last ten-plus years. You can watch your kids play on it and then one day watch your grandkids play on it. That’s another thought process with our design aesthetic. We really try to keep it streamlined and modern enough and timeless so that the design will last aesthetically and still be beautiful in 10 to 15 years and parents will still enjoy looking at the products.
I love all of it. And as a B-Corp at Gold Coast, it’s much simpler as a service-based business, but tracking emissions and being aware of how we use emissions and all of the things and the impact we have on the environment, with every decision we make – I can’t applaud your work more! It is brilliant to not only employ artisans and impact the US economy. Instead of looking at ways to cut costs, you’re looking at more of the long-term use. I feel like we live in a disposable society, and the heirloom quality that you’re creating and the legacy. Even being able to pass it down to your children one day is a beautiful thought. They grew up with this beautiful play set or doll house, and then they’re able to carry that forward.
Absolutely. Like I said, I love what I do, and it’s pushed me to be such a better person and parent. It really makes me think things through even on the purchasing side now. We look at every ingredient on the box, but are you looking at everything the product is made out of as well? How are you advocating for your children, for their health, and for the community and the greater good of the world that we live in? It’s a beautiful thing to be able to own a company where you get to make all of those decisions and you’re right. Not all of them are cost savings. Let’s put it that way. It would have been a lot cheaper to manufacture overseas. But I wouldn’t be able to stand by the product the way I can now. So I’ll take the margins I have for the legacy I’m leaving behind.
Absolutely. It is worth it. Again, the longevity and the impact on our health, even. With some of the plastic products and so on, and if kids are playing constantly – everything you mentioned, like the play food and the playhouse, it is crafted with sustainable materials that won’t harm them. It brings a lot of peace of mind, and I know my clients – I’m a baby registry consultant among many other things – and as they’re planning their registries, they’re looking at sustainability. It’s not as much about budget but it’s a lot of safety concerns and wanting to reduce and reuse and recycle, all of the things, to make a better impact on what we’re facing right now with the environment.
Yeah, I completely agree. And I think we grew up in the time where we got to see what it was like to have no internet, and then we had dial up, and now it’s at our fingertips and at our children’s fingertips. There’s a case to be made on both sides that there’s parts of it that aren’t the greatest, but I think the one part that is great is that with that comes information and knowledge. And I think people are so aware now, and they’re so aware because they have the resources to be able to be aware. So I do think that’s the way the world seems to be shifting. People are more conscious. I mean, look at what happened yesterday with finally banning red dye. It’s about time. Everybody is saying it’s about time. But had that knowledge not been able to be passed around – you think about it, when we were kids, we would have had to go research and find something in the library using the Dewey Decimal System. And now it’s one Google search away.
Exactly. You didn’t have to ask the librarian and go through the microfiche and look up old articles.
So I think with that does come the knowledge, and parents really are. Not even just parents; just consumers alone, any consumer on the planet. You are thinking more. We are all consciously forward thinking more about the products that we’re buying and the products we’re putting in our homes and consuming. Kids put everything in their mouth; I think we all know that. Especially you, working with babies. So what are you putting in your mouth when it’s this plastic product that was made in China? I mean, they said that it passed X, Y, and Z, but did it truly? So those are the kinds of things where we’re over here dotting our I’s and crossing our T’s with. I mean, we’re CPSC certified, which is great, but we’ve even gone beyond that and F963 certification. We’re rigorously tested to make sure that we’re exceeding safety standards, and that’s because I am a mom, and I do care. I care what my own child plays on, so I definitely care about what other people’s children play on, as well.
I mean, it’s right in the name, 2MamaBees. I love it. So as far as play goes – most of our listeners are either expecting a baby; they may have other children at home, or they are even pre-conception. What tips do you have for parents to engage in play at a very early stage?
So a lot of what I’m saying is coming directly from being able to be lucky enough to be able to sit down with some of these incredible minds. But I have learned through these different conversations that your child develops the most – their brain develops the most – between ages 1 and 3 and then 1 and 5. But 1 and 3 particularly. And during that time, they’re absorbing every ounce of information. If you really think about it – I mean, it would be difficult for me at my age to learn a language, yet they learn an entire language within a year, sometimes more than one language.
So purposeful play – I mean, it looks different for everyone, so I don’t like to put anything in a box. I’m happy that you said that your children go to a Montessori school because children shouldn’t be put in a box. But purposeful play for me really looks like – when I know I need to purposefully play, I need to check my phone at the door. It needs to be not even within my vicinity. But then knowing and engaging in that play, letting your child lead the way, is what I feel like most of the therapists put such an emphasis on. Don’t try to lead the play. Allow your child to direct, and they’re the star of the show, and you’re just here to be the supporting piece. So in those moments, you are not only providing, obviously, engaged play with them, and of course, they love that.
As parents, we do understand that those are the moments that our children love the most, when you’re completely focused on them. But you’re also empowering them in those moments because for the primary part of their day, you’re directing the show at all times. This is what time you go to bed. This is what time you take a bath. You need to brush your teeth. You need to get dressed; here’s what you wear. So play time really, for them, is when you build their self esteem the most. You have the ability to sit back and let them tell you and then just engage in that play by letting them direct.
So let’s say they decide that today your play kitchen is a rocket ship. Well, suit up. You’re an astronaut. Give them those moments, those uninterrupted moments, where they get to see you focused on them and they get to see that focus, really allowing them to explore their creativity. Because you are going to be surprised and shocked by what your child’s imagination can come up with. And as adults – and this is something I struggle with, so I am not at all trying to sit here on my high horse and act like it’s easy for me to always engage in play. I am a workaholic. As we grow, everything that’s pushed down our throat is work, is play is hard. As an adult, play is hard. It is hard to stay engaged for a long time. So that’s even better. If it’s hard for you, let them lead. And just follow suit with where they’re going. I think that’s probably – if I was going to say the advice from all the incredible minds that I’ve been able to sit on calls and podcasts and group chats with, that would be the common denominator that I see.
Brilliant! Thank you for sharing all of the wisdom that you’ve gathered through your research and working with experts. I’d love to have you share how our listeners can connect with you, Juliana.
Absolutely. We’re on all social media platforms, and of course, we do have a website. Our handle is 2MamaBees. Please feel free to always reach out and engage. We love to hear from our consumers or even just different moms with ideas or something that they thought would be creative and they’d like to see hit the market. I love when consumers reach out and say we liked this, but what if you did this? Please give us your feedback. We want to create products that are innovative, and we can’t think of it all, but we have all of you to help us.
And you are on so many channels. You mentioned your handle. You’re on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, all the places, even LinkedIn. So lots of places to connect, and I love that you’re seeking feedback and innovation from other moms and customers of yours.
Thank you!
Well, thanks so much for chatting with me. We’ll have to come back and chat again soon!
Absolutely! Thank you so much for having me!
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