For years now, I have wondered how the world has changed. I think it’s for the better, yet at times I feel there is so much that can be improved. I think about my childhood from a similar perspective. I had it all, and yet when I see the kind of advantageous tools and toys children have these days, I feel they are so lucky to have such new thematic and educational toys to grow up with. Of course, I have admittedly had my fair share of doubts about how this could be further improved.

It wasn’t until a few years ago in 2022, as a mother to a 3-year-old son, that I started unraveling an entirely different world – one which required a huge shift in perspective to give my son what he needed the most. Thoughtfulness.

After a very difficult pregnancy, my son Daniyaal was born in 2017, which was followed by an even more challenging postpartum depression. Growing up, he wouldn’t respond to his name being called, was non-verbal and had no emotional and human bonding with anyone. In June 2020, he was officially diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder shortly before he turned 3 years old. The diagnosis and helplessness pushed me to an all-time low. It was a less-than-desirable situation, but I decided to go through this with my child, without letting doubt overshadow my conviction.

My husband Imran and I are Daniyaal’s biggest advocates and accept that the needs of our autistic son are not always simple. But the easiest thing for us to do was to love him unconditionally, accept his condition wholesomely and to make sure that this is an opportunity to shift the perspective of so many people around us.

During the phase of exploring different therapies, I understood his need to explore every toy with his mouth first, a condition called PICA. This is when I found an inexplicable desire to find a way that Daniyaal and other children with specific needs could enjoy tools and educational toys without their parents worrying about issues related to toxicity and safety of their children.

I decided to combine my in-depth research on children with special needs and my expertise in design and manufacturing. This is reflected in Casa Bambini, which is an homage to the importance of inclusivity and thoughtfulness for our children. After all, they are the future of this planet and what better way to make sure children are safe. Not just this, parents are also stress-free when they have to choose from a range of sustainable toys that are toxin-free in every possible way.

Casa Bambini, which literally means House of Children in Italian, is my heartfelt way of reaching out to families looking for the perfect toys, play equipment and furniture to improve their child’s fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and reasoning abilities, while eliminating worries about toxicity. Our toys & play equipments are uniquely designed to inspire endless exploration and play, allowing each child to engage in ways that align with their individual creativity and imagination. The furniture range is crafted for versatility and longevity, designed to adapt and grow with your child, offering years of use in multiple ways. All our products are made from 100 % naturally sourced wood such as beech, rubber, mango, neem, pine and European plywood, which makes them durable, sustainable, ethical, biodegradable and most importantly – spectrum-friendly.

- Yvonne Karachiwala
Founder, Casa Bambini