Spotlight On: Dinah from Nimble Kids
This week, we spoke all things toys with Dinah, the Founder of Nimble Kids. Nimble Kids is an Australian business, setting new standards in children’s play. It began when Dinah and her husband, experts in custom timber joinery, needed durable, safe, and beautiful toys for their daughter after years of their boys’ toys breaking down.
With a focus on longevity, safety, and sustainability, Nimble Kids is becoming a beloved brand for families who value high-quality, timeless toys. Let’s dive in!
Hi Dinah, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us! To start, would you mind please sharing what inspired you to start Nimble Kids?
I grew up on a sheep property outside of Cunnamulla, where life was simple—no screens, no fast food, and hardly any plastic toys. My parents were always busy running the property, so my siblings and I had to entertain ourselves with what we had. This upbringing shaped my values, and now, living in the city with my own family, I wanted to pass on that same sense of creativity and independence to my children.
When my daughter, Evie, was born—nine years after having three boys—I realized that none of the toys we had were suitable for her. They had either broken, the battery-operated ones had corroded, or they had literally disintegrated over time. The only things that lasted were the books. My husband, who runs a solid timber joinery business, suggested we make something special for her during COVID – that’s where it all began.
What was the gap in the market you noticed when starting Nimble kids?
We designed and built a Pikler triangle because my husband couldn’t bring himself to buy the flimsy, possibly unsafe options available online. Evie was immediately drawn to it and had so much fun that we slowly added more features to it.
Our products are designed to be strong, because you need to have confidence that they’re safe for children to be using – climbing, jumping, two kids playing together – they need to be robust. Ours are the strongest in the market, tested to at least 80kg.
What I love most about our products is that they’re wholesome and built to last—maybe it’s the country girl in me, but I take pride in knowing we’ve taken no shortcuts just to make a bit more profit.
What are some of your priorities when curating these adorable and long-lasting toys?
We wanted to create toys that were functional and open-ended. As someone who doesn’t love messy play, I wanted to bring something to the market that gave children a chance to enhance their development and learn new skills, without having endless clean up or pieces everywhere.
I also wanted to create something long-lasting, sustainable and that looked good in the home. Having something that can be expanded upon was also important, so that instead of buying all new toys, it grows with the child.
Can you take us through the design process for your toys? What do you consider essential when designing these pieces?
Initially, we used my husband’s expertise in timber joinery to develop our first concepts. We designed each piece in collaboration with an industrial designer to ensure our products exceeded market expectations. Our rungs are thicker and sturdier, and we designed our products so they could be delivered fully assembled, to ensure safety. Our large piklers also fold flat, making them a breeze to store – something that’s always important when it comes to the playroom!
The toy has to provide open-ended play and support childrens’ development, across a range of ages. All our pieces are crafted from sustainable resources, with FSC-certified timber and eco-friendly, child-safe paints and stains.
Our toys are investment pieces, built to last. We design add-on pieces that extend how children can play and interact with the toys – like the ramp, that becomes a bridge, a slide, or a bumper race for the included puck or cars.
How do Nimble’s products impact kids across Australia? What are the benefits of these educational toys?
We often think of toys like climbing frames as being fun and a wonderful way to get some extra energy out – and they absolutely are, but there’s also a whole range of ‘hidden’ benefits for children’s development.
Climbing supports strength and endurance, bilateral coordination, creative problem solving and sensory processing. And children benefit from this without even realising – they’re just having fun and working out how to climb, jump and play.
When should parents introduce these pieces to their children?
The Pikler triangles are really flexible – they’re ideal to start from when babies are starting to pull themselves up, as they can start to strengthen their muscles and support themselves as they balance. However, even young babies can start with a large pikler, as other toys can be hung from the rails helping them to focus and grasp at items.
We noticed your Pikler Triangle fits into the Montessori Method of Learning. Would you mind elaborating and sharing why it is an amazing toy for development?
Montessori is an approach to learning which focuses on children developing independently in their own time. Within the Montessori Method, children are given the materials to explore their world and develop cognitive and motor skills as they go. The Pikler Triangle provides children with the tools they need to practice physical challenges at their own pace and encourage curiosity and self-confidence.
In terms of gaining brand awareness and visibility, what are some strategies you have adopted when securing new customers?
Sharing user-generated content on social media has been very powerful for us. For many new parents, they’re thrown into a world of toys, and craft, and expectations around what parenthood, and particularly motherhood, should look like and what you should be doing to support your child’s development. We wanted to show parents that it’s possible to give your child incredible development opportunities without spending half your day setting up or cleaning up.
Do you have anything exciting coming up for Nimble Kids?
With Christmas coming up our main focus is gearing up for the busy season. We want to have a lot of Nimble Kids under trees or on Santa’s sleigh come Christmas morning. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for our Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale.
Beyond that, we’re always looking for ways to give families even more ways to play.
What piece of advice would you give someone just starting out in the industry?
Find the gap in the market, and invest in consulting with an industrial designer to support your ideas.
