A Made by Asking experiment All ideas
Concept product · in development

Play, timed to your baby's stage.

A sensory play set that unlocks around real developmental windows — not the age printed on the box. 0–24 months.

No store yet — we're validating interest first.

Little Sprig sensory play set laid out on a linen mat
Parent face to face with a smiling baby reaching for a high-contrast card
The problem

The toy aisle doesn't know your baby's age this week.

Toys are sorted by shipping box, not by what's changing in vision, grip and memory right now — so bins fill with things already outgrown or too advanced.

How it works

Three steps, timed to your baby.

1

Tell us baby's birth date

No quiz, no score — just the week we plan around.

2

We ship the right-now stage

3–5 pieces built for this exact window, not a crate.

3

You get a how-to-play card

Two or three specific prompts to use during play.

What's in a set

Built around what actually changes early on.

High-contrast cards

Bold patterns sized for newborn vision, 0–3 months.

Cause & effect toys

Respond instantly to a kick, swat or grasp.

Object permanence play

Peekaboo boxes sized for searching-age babies.

Prompt cards

Words and pauses to use with baby, every stage.

Why these stages

Grounded in research, not marketing copy.

Each stage maps to one published study, not marketing copy.

Serve-and-return interaction

Harvard's Center on the Developing Child: core to building brain architecture.

developingchild.harvard.edu →

Newborn contrast sensitivity

Brown, Opoku & Stenger (2018): newborn contrast peaks far below adult levels.

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov →

Object permanence, earlier than thought

Baillargeon et al. (1985): 5-month-olds notice impossible hidden-object events.

harvardlds.org (PDF) →

Contingency learning

Rovee-Collier: 2–3 month-olds quickly learn kicking moves a mobile.

frontiersin.org review →
Lab observations about typical development — not a claim that any toy makes a baby smarter or guarantees a result for your child.
Who it's for

Three people who'd use this.

The first-time parent, 6 weeks in

Overwhelmed by the toy aisle and just wants to know what's worth having right now.

The gift-giver done with onesies

Wants something considered for a shower or first birthday, not another stuffed animal.

The parent leaving a checkup

Just heard a milestone range and wants play that matches it, this month.

Early-access pricing (planned)

Pricing we're testing — nothing charged today.

Single Stage

$39 / one set
  • One set for baby's current window
  • Serve-and-return prompt card
  • Ships once, no commitment
Planned, not yet available

Full Journey

$129 / all 4 stages
  • All four stages, timed by age
  • Prompt cards for every stage
  • Swap or skip if baby's pace differs
Planned, not yet available

Gift a Stage

$45 / gifted set
  • Pick a stage, timed to the baby
  • Gift note included, no price shown
  • Built for showers and first birthdays
Planned, not yet available
Questions

Before you join the list

Is this toy certified safe or tested yet?

No — it doesn't exist as a physical product yet. Once built, pieces will be tested to standards like ASTM F963 before sale.

Will this make my baby "smarter"?

No. Windows are typical ranges from published research, not promises. Every baby paces themselves; no toy guarantees an outcome.

What if my baby isn't "on schedule"?

You'll be able to move a stage earlier or later — windows are ranges, not deadlines.

What happens to my email and answer?

Used only to notify you and plan which stage to show first. We don't sell or share it. No account, no charge.

Is this a subscription I have to cancel?

Nothing is live yet. If we launch: pay-per-stage or pay-once, not auto-renewing.

When would this ship?

No date yet. This page exists to find out if enough parents want it first.

Early access

Want to know if we build this?

Join the list — no charge, no commitment, just early word if Little Sprig becomes real.

You're on the list.

Thanks for sharing baby's stage — it shapes which set we'd build first. We'll email you if this moves forward.

We'll only use your email to contact you about Little Sprig. No charge, no account, unsubscribe any time.