Founding Family Pre-Order — Ships Spring 2025
Introducing Raya

Comfort BIG Feelings with Belly Breathing

Meet Raya — the first weighted plush that teaches belly breathing to find instant ease.

Pre-Order Now — $99 See how it works
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When Big Feelings Take Over

Bedtime battles. Meltdown spirals. The moments when your child's nervous system is so activated that no amount of reassurance helps.

Sometimes they need more than words.

Parent comforting child Child having big feelings Bedtime struggles
Child using Breath Buddy
Watch it rise and fall

Meet your family's new grounding friend

Breath Buddies are weighted plush companions designed to teach one of the most powerful calming techniques: lower belly breathing.

When Raya rests on your child's tummy, the gentle weight naturally encourages slower, deeper breaths. They can see and feel each breath — watching Raya rise and fall creates an instant biofeedback loop that tells their nervous system you're safe.

The Science

Why Weighted Belly Breathing Works Wonders

1

Weight Cues Deeper Breaths

The gentle pressure encourages your child to breathe into their lower belly — where the magic happens.

2

Stretch Receptors Signal Safety

Deep belly breaths stretch lung tissue, sending calming signals up the vagus nerve to the brainstem.

3

The Body's Natural Sigh Response

This triggers longer exhales and activates the parasympathetic 'rest and digest' system — measurably reducing fight-or-flight.

4

Built-In Biofeedback

"Watching Raya rise and fall turns breathing into a game — and helps your child feel the calm arriving."

Chart showing weight-assisted belly breathing achieves calm 3x faster than normal breathing

Weight-assisted belly breathing helps return to calm up to 3x faster

Based on Stanford research on the physiological sigh

Real Results for Real Families

☽

Easeful Bedtimes

Make belly breathing part of your wind-down ritual. Parents report fewer battles and faster sleep.

◠

Meltdown Recovery

When big feelings hit, a few weighted breaths can shorten the storm — for both of you.

✿

Sensory Grounding

Deep pressure touch releases calming neurotransmitters. Like a weighted blanket you can hug.

↑

Teaching Self-Regulation

Give your child a tool they can reach for on their own. A skill for life.

♡

For the Whole Family

Yes, you can borrow it. Your nervous system deserves calm too.

Early Feedback

From parents who tested early prototypes

★★★★★

"We've tried so many things for my daughter's bedtime anxiety. This is the first thing that actually gives her something tangible to do. She asks for Raya now."

SM

Sarah M.

Mom of anxious 6-year-old
★★★★★

"As a pediatric OT, I'm always looking for tools that combine sensory input with skill-building. This does both beautifully. Already recommending to my clients."

Dr

Dr. Rebecca L.

Pediatric Occupational Therapist
★★★★★

"I like watching my tummy go up and down. It's like Raya is breathing with me. It makes me feel not alone when I'm scared."

E

Emma, age 7

Breath Buddy beta tester
Raya the Ray
Her Story

Meet Raya

Raya comes from Breathing Bay, a calm place deep beneath the waves where all the creatures know the secret to peace: breathing slow. She spent her days gliding along the sandy floor, rising gently with each inhale, sinking softly with each exhale. One day she felt a pull toward the surface — toward children who had forgotten how to find stillness. Now she rests on bellies and reminds busy bodies what the sea has always known: calm lives in the space between breaths.

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Founding Family Pre-Order

Raya the Ray

$99 $119
Select Size Size Guide
Medium is our most popular size — perfect for children ages 4-10 and provides optimal pressure for belly breathing practice.
Pre-Order Raya — $99
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Ships Spring 2025
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Our Story

Created by Nervous System Educators

Breath Buddies is a collaboration between Nervous System Mastery (Jonny + Kelly Miller) and Moonbird (Stefanie + Michael Broes).

During breathwork sessions, we discovered something incredible: that placing weights on the lower belly during emotional intensity helped people calm down faster than anything else we'd tried.

As new parents ourselves we wondered: what if we could give our daughter a tool that taught this naturally? Something soft enough to cuddle, weighted enough to work, and designed specifically for the science of breath?

That's Raya.

Common Questions

Breath Buddies are designed for children ages 3 and up, though many parents find them helpful for the whole family. Our Small size (2.5 lbs) is perfect for toddlers 3-4 years old, Medium (3.5 lbs) for ages 4-10, and Large (5 lbs) for teens and adults. The weighted belly breathing technique works for all ages — we've seen remarkable results in adults too.

Our weights range from 2.5 lbs (Small) to 5 lbs (Large), designed to be heavy enough to encourage deeper breathing but light enough for safe, comfortable use. We recommend supervised use for children under 5 and removing during overnight sleep for young children. For older kids and adults, many find it comforting for falling asleep and then naturally roll off or push aside.

While weighted blankets provide all-over pressure, Breath Buddies specifically target the lower belly — the key area for diaphragmatic breathing. The visual biofeedback of watching Raya rise and fall turns breathing into an engaging activity rather than a passive experience. Plus, it's portable, huggable, and creates a relationship that kids connect with emotionally.

Absolutely! Our Large size (5 lbs) is specifically designed for teens and adults. Many parents who got Breath Buddies for their children ended up "borrowing" them for their own stress relief and sleep. The science of weighted belly breathing works the same for all ages — it's just as effective for adult nervous systems.

Raya features a removable, machine-washable outer cover. Simply unzip, remove the weighted inner pod, and wash the cover on a gentle cycle with cold water. Air dry or tumble dry low. The weighted pod itself can be spot-cleaned as needed. We recommend washing the cover every few weeks with regular use.

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. If Raya doesn't help your family find more calm, simply return it for a full refund (we'll even cover return shipping in the US). We're confident in the science and the product — but we want you to be too, risk-free.

Give your family the gift of calm — one belly breath at a time.

Join hundreds of families discovering a gentler way to navigate big feelings.

Pre-Order Raya