The MESH-Accredited Toy Company Highlights Urgent Needs—
and a Playful, Science-Backed Solution
This Mental Health Awareness Month, Pause with Panda is bringing attention to the childhood mental health crisis—while delivering real tools to support healing, regulation, and resilience.
More than five years after the pandemic disrupted daily life, the effects are still unfolding. A recent Gallup study found 42% of parents report that their child’s mental health has been negatively affected, with 21% saying the impact still persists. Combined with growing concern about excessive screen time, trauma exposure, and developmental challenges, the need for emotionally supportive tools has never been greater.
Pause with Panda is answering the call. Part cuddly plush, part therapeutic guide, Pause with Panda is the first customizable emotional support tool designed specifically for children. With six categories of guided exercises—Calm, Focus, Love, Sleep, Move, and Smart Heart—children can build essential emotional regulation skills through a screen-free, sensory-friendly experience. Just a press of Panda’s paw guides them through breathing, body awareness, and mindful connection.
What makes Panda truly unique is how it seamlessly blends child-led play with adult-supported customization. Through a secure companion app, parents, therapists, or educators can upload personalized audio tracks, record their own voices, and tailor Panda’s content to meet each child’s emotional needs—without ever putting the child in front of a screen.
And it’s not just comforting—it’s grounded in brain science. “Children’s brains are still forming the connections between emotion, memory, and decision-making,” says Pause with Panda founder Heather Long. “That’s what makes this window of time so important—and why tools like Panda work.”
Mindfulness training has been shown to: Reduce reactivity in the amygdala, the brain’s emotional alarm system, boost gray matter in the hippocampus, associated with memory and learning and strengthen the prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making and emotional control. By practicing mindful exercises with Panda, children aren’t just calming down—they’re strengthening the neurological pathways that support long-term mental health.
Partnerships in Action: Helping Children Affected by Trauma
This May, Pause with Panda is expanding its impact through strategic partnerships focused on children who need support the most.
In Los Angeles, Pause with Panda is joining forces with SoCal Helpful Honda and the Lost Stuffy Project to bring comfort and regulation tools to children affected by the recent wildfires. On May 16, at Methodist Preschool in Los Angeles, SoCal Honda in partnership with Lost Stuffy Project will donate 35 Panda units to classrooms, helping students who have experienced trauma find calm, structure, and emotional safety.
In Allentown, Pennsylvania, Pause with Panda is also partnering with the Mindful Child Initiative to support public school children. Pandas are being placed in elementary schools throughout the city, giving young students and teachers access to guided emotional support tools during their school day.
These partnerships reflect a growing recognition of the power of early intervention and the importance of addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Children exposed to trauma are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges—but research also shows that supportive tools and caring environments can significantly improve long-term outcomes.
“This isn’t just about giving a child something soft to hold,” says Long. “It’s about giving them a strategy they can return to again and again—something they can rely on when they’re overwhelmed or unsure.”
More Than a Toy—A Movement
Since its launch, Pause with Panda has been recognized with top industry honors, including the MESH Award, Academics’ Choice Brain Toy Award, Mom’s Choice Award, and the 2024 National Parenting Product Award.
MESH stands for Mental, Emotional, and Social Health—a movement within the toy industry that emerged after the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the growing demand for tools that support children’s full well-being. MESH-accredited toys go beyond entertainment, offering evidence-informed ways to build resilience, empathy, focus, and emotional strength.
The plush was designed in response to what researcher and author Jonathan Haidt describes as The Anxious Generation—children overwhelmed by information, screens, and disconnection. Pause with Panda offers an antidote: a tactile, grounded experience that prioritizes emotional presence over digital distraction.
Pause with Panda • $99 • Ages 4+
Take 15% off with code MENTALHEALTH at pausewithpanda.com
From the magical bamboo forest of Zinn, this irresistibly soft Panda offers over two hours of guided Pauses—promoting calmness, focus, movement, and kindness, plus soothing music and white noise. The adult companion app (available on the App Store & Google Play) allows caregivers to customize Panda’s content, record personal Pauses, and track usage. Panda’s lightweight, rechargeable battery (USB cable included) ensures it’s always ready to comfort and support—anytime, anywhere.
About Pause with Panda
More than just a cuddly companion, Pause with Panda is the first customizable plush of its kind designed to help children self-soothe and build resilience—without needing an adult nearby. Whether it’s a midnight wake-up or a tough moment at school, Panda is there to help children Pause, Listen, and Resume with confidence.
For more information and to order, visit pausewithpanda.com.