Our Journey
Empowering Every Child. Inclusion and Innovation for Babies to Young Children.
Inspired by the adventures of our firstborn! Like many families, we've danced through the neurotypical and differently-abled experiences, shaping our story. From all challenges and achievements of raising a child with cerebral palsy has led us to create a selection of baby and young children essentials that advocates individuality and inclusivity.
Lil Learners originates and operates in the heart of Melbourne, Australia, it stems from our personal experience of parenthood, where we embraced raising a child with a physical disability.
The vision formed simply from friends and/or family members asking "what present can I purchase for Sammy?".
Whether it was for his birthday or Christmas present, like many families it's not a pleasant conversation where your child cannot play or use mainstream toys and gifts.
It was here that the seed of an idea was born from the fusion of our parenthood journey and our professional expertise.
We have a rich background spanning decades in the fields of business/technology and early childhood education, we embarked on a journey to merge these realms.
By merging the principles and experiences with early intervention therapy and early childhood education, we aim to establish a solid foundation for lifelong learning and development, ensuring every child has the best possible opportunity to thrive, regardless of their abilities or challenges.
Thank you for reading.
Kin, Paula & Samuel.
Follow Sammy's journey on Instagram
P.S. The hidden Easter egg within our simple crafted logo symbolises inclusivity, featuring a wheelchair to represent the people with a disability are equally capable and a lightbulb symbolising early learning and development. 👨🦽💡
Sammy's Story
Sammy's journey began with an unexpected arrival into the world, facing significant health challenges from the start. Born at 40 weeks' gestation, he required extensive resuscitation due to his poor condition. Subsequently, Samuel was transferred to Monash Children's Hospital where he underwent therapeutic cooling for 72 hours to address Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Throughout his early days, he depended on inotropic and respiratory support, battled early onset sepsis, and endured seizures necessitating multiple antiepileptic drugs. A subsequent MRI revealed severe central hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy and a large subgaleal haematoma. Sammy persisted through and faced difficulty with feeding, requiring nasogastric support for an extended period. Despite these obstacles, he achieved the milestone of breathing independently and developing oral skills to suckle for nutrition.
However, this marks only a small step in his lifelong journey with disability.
