The creation of this product was inspired by a powerful insight that is very relevant for newborn moms: their scent is a natural relaxant for babies to calm their separation anxiety. And while there are several techniques to calm separation anxiety, there was no product designed specifically for this painful stage. With that in mind, Huggies conceptualized The Pelushirts, which are sleep shirts for moms to wear at night that turn into beautiful plush toys impregnated with her soothing smell to give them to their babies and make them feel like she's there, even when she's not.

Even before babies can see, they can recognize their mom's smell. It is scientifically proven that mom's smell soothes the baby, making them feel secure and loved. That's why pediatricians recommend mom's to leave a blanket or a worn t-shirt that smells like her to calm their newborns separation anxiety. Separation anxiety in babies is a normal process in their development when they gain a sense of object permanence. That’s why when you leave them momentarily, whether it is at the cradle, with a relative or at a day care, they start to cry uncontrollably out of fear because they don’t know how long you’ll be gone and that makes them feel vulnerable. This is very common during the first months when moms spend most of the time with them. And while it’s a developmental milestone, it is undoubtedly heartbreaking for both babies and moms.

One of the most difficult moments for moms after having a baby is when they have to return to their work and leave their newborns at a day care, with a relative, or a babysitter. There’s an enormous feeling of guilt when you see your bundle of joy crying hysterically and you have no other option than to let it happen. With that in mind, The Pelushirts brand partnered with Huggies and conceived The Pelushirts, a sleepshirt collection for moms to wear at night-time that folds into plush toys impregnated with her soothing scent to give it to their babies during daytime, while they're away. This helps the child to feel as close to moms as possible by giving them an item of clothing that smells like her disguised as a toy to hug.

August 2019- Conceptualization of the idea

November 2019- First Patent

July 2020- Design the product

September 2020- Development of the first prototype

October 2020-Testing

December 2020- Development of the second prototype

January 2021- Production of the finished Pelushirts

The Pelushirts were designed with moms and babies in mind.That's why they were designed with ultra soft, hypoallergenic fabric, which also absorbs better the scent of mothers. The Pelushirts have a pocket on the front of the sleep shirt that hides the adorable characters inside. That way, when moms take off their sleep shirts in the morning, they can fold it and put it through the central pocket to stuff the Pelushirts and keep their scent inside of the plush toys. The Pelushirts characters were inspired by some of the most maternal animals in the word: The Llama, The Octopus, The Kangaroo, The Seal and The Porcupine. The Pelushirts were a limited edition promotional item and were available to be ordered @ Instagram as a prescription to soothe separation anxiety.

The Pelushirts were an instant hit with moms, helping them deal with a real problem that affected both them and their babies. To launch Pelushirts we used several Puerto Rican influencers who are mothers and showed their audience how the product worked with their babies. On the first day of launch, thousands of moms were asking where they could get the Pelushirts because they really needed them. Based on that response, The Pelushirts are going to become from a limited edition promo item to a mass production item in collaboration with Huggies.