Chubby crayons for babies
Mother-of-two Yvonne Kong makes non-toxic beeswax crayons so babies and toddlers can safely scribble.
IWENT online looking for crayons for babies after my 1-year-old son took the ball pen he saw me writing with and started to imitate me, scribbling on a piece of paper and putting the pen into his mouth. Yet conventional crayons, often made of paraffin wax mixed with colour pigments, are not safe for toddlers whose development milestones include fine motor skills like picking up small items and exploring the world by putting things in their mouths.
The stick shape of conventional crayons also make them easily breakable, posing a choking hazard to toddlers.
My search brought me to Chubby Fingers Play and its owner, 41-year-old Yvonne Kong Ee Vonn, who makes crayons using beeswax in her kitchen, in sizes and shapes that correspond to a toddler’s age and learning ability.
The starter set she recommends for my son, for example, are shaped like carrom pieces, only thicker. “They are round and easy to hold and they cannot be snapped broken easily, reducing any danger in choking,” she says over tea in Bangsar one morning.
“The more you give a toddler items to practise with, the faster he improves on his fine motor skills,” she says.
The Chubby Fingers Play set has eight colours — yellow, red, pink, orange, purple, blue, green and bronze — because Kong says those are enough to start them with.
“I’m not producing an extensive range for art. I just want a non-toxic alternative to crayons so toddlers can be introduced to them earlier,” she says.
Kong and her husband are screen-free parents who didn’t give their two daughters, aged 7 and 4, access to electronic tablets. Even the girls’ TV time is limited.
“With that kind of upbringing, they need more stimuli to engage themselves with. And scribbling is one of the ways I use to entertain them. You need to condition toddlers early. Always pair crayons with paper so they know where to scribble. I usually buy mahjong paper and plaster it on the floor so they can draw there.”
Kong’s journey to produce beeswax crayon happened after she melted conventional crayons and made them into shapes that went into party packs, and for her children to play with.
“The melting process brings out strong smells and at that time I thought that there must be a better alternative to conventional crayons.”
A resourceful person, Kong found a beeswax supplier and after a few months of trials, using mica earth pigment for colours, she launched her non-toxic crayons. Last year, she took part in bazaars and found resellers (like the Ilham Gallery gift shop) for them.
The crayons come in different shapes too — seashells, dinosaurs, animals, flowers and vehicles — and they are suitable for toddlers 3 years and above. There is no lead, paraffin, asbestos or metal in the crayons.
Kong also made crayons for autistic children, in the shape on an egg cut in half. Autistic kids, she tells me, have very strong grip and they break conventional crayons easily. This way, they can draw and parents can give them an activity to do.
“I also make crayons for paediatric cancer patients who are sensitive to certain ingredients. It helps cheer them up,” she says.
Kong says that she makes a decent margin from the sale of her crayons — they cost
“Giving parents a safe alternative is more satisfying for me. If I can help add another activity for parents and kids to do together for play-and-learn, then I have done a small part in helping the community.”
Yvonne Kong Ee Vonn
RM65 for shapes and RM75 for the starter set — but she says profit is only one part of her business.
“Giving parents a safe alternative is more satisfying for me. If I can help add another activity for parents and kids to do together for play-and-learn, then I have done a small part in helping the community.
“This year, I’m looking at e-commerce, adding resellers, including more baby shops and adding colouring medium to our range.”
Kong says she doesn’t want to overpro- duce before the fundamentals are established.
“People still compare mine to conventional crayons but we’re not the same. But millennials, I learn, are more receptive towards these safer alternatives and when young parents accept it, there is bigger room to grow,” she says.
ChubbyFingersPlay is available at select stores. Follow it on Instagram @chubbyfingersplay or email mychubbyfingers@gmail.com for enquiries.