At A Glance

A new mom, Samantha Brückner wanted a play mat that would keep her 4-month-old’s safety but also matched the style of her modern Scandinavian home. When her search came up empty, she decided to design her own and founded Toddlekind in 2018. Today, Samantha’s E-Commerce company sells the world's only eco-conscious, design-driven, functional play mat made to adapt to the lifestyle needs of both children and parents.

Who is Samantha?‍

Meet Samantha Brüeckner, Founder of Toddlekind!

About Toddlekind

Based in Germany, Toddlekind is driven by a belief that childhood should be cherished and playtime should be fun – without having to compromise on interior design. Since launching its first product—the Haven play mat—in November 2018, Toddlekind has evolved into a trusted brand for design-led essentials that support everyday family life. Seven years in, our mission remains the same: to create beautiful, functional spaces for little ones to grow.

Samantha’s Entrepreneurial Journey

Living in a newly built Scandinavian style house, Samantha Brüeckner had increasing concern about how the minimalist interior would affect the safety of her 4-month-old. Hardwood floors are dangerous, and a carpet didn’t make sense because babies often are either spitting up or leaving a trail of mess behind. The logical solution was a foam mat, but nothing on the market fit matched Samantha’s modern Scandinavian aesthetic. “I set out to create a play mat that was functional, non-toxic, odorless, and expandable, but looked like a high-end rug,” Samantha recalls. In 2018, she founded Toddlekind offering expandable, design-driven play mats made to accommodate a growing child’s floor space needs from infant to toddler and beyond. She finishes, “That’s how my company started, out of personal need.”

Today, Toddlekind’s core team consists of 7 members based in Germany in Texas. Operational support and customer service is outsourced from the Philippines.

Toddlekind’s Customer Service Philosophy‍

Toddlekind’s business grew organically by word of mouth and people seeing the play mats in a friend or family member’s home. Samantha describes her company as customer-centric, understanding the influence a parent sharing their experience has on both sales and brand reputation. “We try to make sure every customer is happy because we see them as a multiplier,” she says. Proactive customer service initiatives include a two-year warranty, required in Germany but extended to the US despite not having a policy, and free tile replacements should a child scribble on or damage it. “We’ll replace those tiles for free at cost to us,” Samantha explains. “We try to go above and beyond what the legal requirements are for a warranty and that in of itself, delivers a better customer journey.”

Innovation Means Delivering the Best Product

Since coming to market, Toddlekind has faced competitors with intentions to copy its product. “It is really difficult. So, in a situation like that, what we’ve tried to do is be the best in our particular product category. And we’re confident enough to say that we’ve made the world’s best play mat. Our play mat is the only eco-conscious play mat that will biodegrade at the end of its life cycle,” Samantha says. Staying true to core values drives product innovation, most recently observed with the release of the Evo Mat. Samantha invested 3 years into development to create the vegan leather foam mat. “It looks like leather, but it’s actually a foam mat,” she reveals. “It can be used as a baby mat, but also as a rug replacement or a luxury sports mat. It’s like a forever mat for your family.”

How Taking a Business Risk Paid Off for Toddlekind

While many European brands are hesitant to bring their product stateside, Samantha believed launching Toddlekind in the US offered opportunity for growth. She remembers “being brave and sending a container of inventory from Germany and just hoping for the best.” Taking a risk paid off – Toddlekind’s business doubled after entering the US market in 2020.

Customer Retention and Product Expansion

Focusing on one high-quality product, a baby mat, resulted in people not needing to make repeated purchases from Toddlekind. To bolster customer retention in the upcoming year, the company is planning to launch more products for the playroom space with Samantha saying, “we expect to be able to double our returning customer rate (18%) in the future.” In the meantime, Toddlekind is leveraging its B2B (business-to-business) and wholesale distribution to complement its D2C (direct-to-customer) E-Commerce business.

How Samantha Prepares for Peak Season

Toddlekind’s peak season happens during Q3 and Q4 (business decreases during summer because customers (mothers) are at home more with their children). To prepare for busy periods, the company sends inventory in the summer when shipping rates are lower and formulates marketing campaigns at least 3 months ahead. Adequate planning allows the lean team to operate without additional help - the only exception is Black Friday when customer service representatives are brought in to provide support.

Goals: Build Customer Base and Product Expansion

Focused on expanding its customer base and retention, Toddlekind recently launched a TikTok shop in Germany with plans to open in the UK. The company is also positioned to enter a major US retailer in the upcoming months.

Samantha reveals that product expansion is also a main priority. “We are dropping 5 to 7 key pieces to fit the whole playroom narrative. There are also complete collections being built up along with a focus on seasonal collections, summer and outdoor for example.”

Samantha’s Advice to Aspiring E-Commerce Entrepreneurs

Samantha’s first offer of advice to anyone looking to enter the E-Commerce space is “to first validate your product.” If introducing a new product, she suggests studying how comparable products sell and perform internationally before launching in your own individual market – the approach will give a stronger sense of the landscape and how to meet the needs of potential customers. Existing products also offer opportunity for success in E-Commerce when customer pain points are identified and solved through strategy and development.

Lastly,Samantha emphasizes the importance of solid, clean branding. “Unless you have great branding, it won’t resonate with the audience.” Understanding that paid advertisements are expensive for start-ups working on a budget, Sam recommends building up an organic channel on social media platforms, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, used most by your target audience, which in turn, fosters authentic, meaningful connection.