Daddy’s Design

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. That rings true for dads too! Born out of frustration, Daddy’s Design was created by two new dads who wanted something better for their little ones.

Like most new parents, the founders used breast feeding pillows to “prop up” their babies in lounging situations. But newborns need lots of head, neck, and body support. Realizing that these pillows didn’t provide enough support, they went shopping for something better. Unable to find a product that provided the total support they were looking for, the two dads sat down and sketched out design after design, literally on napkins! After a lot of trial and error, and several designs later, the Snoogie Seat was born.

The Snoogie Seat provides that much needed head, neck, and body support in a fun and comfortable way. It’s also slightly inclined to give your little one the opportunity to see his or her world. Angled at just the right amount, the Snoogie is a great tool for bottle feeding. Also as I found out first hand, traditional newborn loungers and breast feeding pillows do not securely hold a baby in place. Our Patent Pending design creates a safe and comfortable environment while still keeping baby in a secure position.

All of this was not easy to achieve. When we were designing the Snoogie Seat, we spent a lot of time creating sewing pattern after pattern.  Other pillows and cushions on the market provide some support, but we felt they could be improved upon. The size, shape, and incline of the Snoogie provides support for the infant’s head, neck, and body. The ergonomically correct angle, allows the baby to rest while having their head elevated slightly. The shape of our seat creates a “well like” region in the center, which securely holds baby’s bottom in place. Think “floating in an inner tube.” In this position, baby cannot slide down or roll out. Finally, we wanted the Snoogie’s size to be convenient for parents (roughly the size of a sofa cushion) but big enough to allow the entire baby’s body to fit within for ultimate safety. So the final shape, size, and angle(s) were of utmost importance. We worked long and hard to get the right combination of each. In the end my newborn daughter was my test model. I would place her in each prototype and observe her. When she was held securely in place and completely supported I knew we had something better! The Snoogie has also been tested by an independent lab for hazardous substances…we passed with flying colors!

On a side note, Daddy’s Design happily gives to Children’s National Medical Center. When she was just two weeks old, the daughter of one of our founders had to spend the weekend at Children’s in Washington DC. The medical personnel were true professionals, and treated the family with care and compassion. Children’s Hospital does great work, treating some of the toughest illnesses in children. Daddy’s Design is honored to contribute to this organization.

Daddy’s Design is on a mission: to have a positive influence on the lives of parents and their children through our products. We are continually looking for ways to improve the experience that parents have with their kids. New ideas are in the works.

HEALTHFUL HINTS:

How anyone (a new dad or a new mom) can feed a baby:

1. Find a comfortable place to sit for a little while where you can hold your baby comfortably in your lap with the bottle in one hand (note: the Snoogie will be very helpful in making sure the baby’s at a good angle for feeding comfortably). Keep in mind that if you’re comfortable and confident in what you’re doing, you can focus more on your baby…and enjoy the experience more…and your baby will pick up on that.
2. Before you start feeding the baby make sure to check the temperature of the milk. This can be done by squeezing a few drops on the sensitive side of your wrist. If it feels too hot, let it cool for a few minutes
3. Make sure to keep a burping cloth or blanket handy…as spills (and spit up) are going to happen!
4. Remember to burp baby when they are done feeding. They can’t tell you when they have gas…so gently pat their back until they burp each time.
5. Finally, remember, even though the Snoogie Seat will keep your child safe and secure in your arms, it is not meant for sleeping or lounging on elevated surfaces. Also, although it probably goes without saying, please never leave a baby unattended in the Snoogie Seat or in any child restraining device

Puj Tub

Parenting is such a rewarding experience but yet one of the hardest jobs in the world. That is why after having 3 kids of their own, designers Ben and Katie decided to design products of their own that helped them raise their own children and make life a little more simpler so that they could spend more time with their kids instead of stressing over the little things. Hence Puj (pronounce like “pudge”) was born!

As most parents do, Katie and Ben went out looking for the perfect infant tub to bathe their baby in. All they found though were ones that were large and hard to store, messy and hard to keep clean, didn’t cradle and make the baby comfortable, and caused their own back and knees to ache. That is when the idea that there should be a baby tub out there that reduced all these problems that caused such a simple task as bathing to become a huge ordeal.

What came out of this was the innovative invention of the Puj Tub! The idea for the tub came from your simple everyday brown grocery sack. It is light weight, portable, stores flat, and is also able to hold mass. Why not create a tub similar to this concept? Well that is exactly what Ben and Katie did and after three years, the Puj Tub has entered into the world.

Along with the easy to use design of the tub, Ben and Katie also wanted a tub that was healthy and safe for babies as well as the parents. That is why they decided to make the tub from a soft “warm to the touch” foam that cradles the baby. Compared to the large, hard, plastic tubs out on the market right now, this is much more calming and comforting to the little one making bath time more enjoyable for everyone. Also the fear of the backaches and neck cramps that come from bathing your baby are eliminated! The tub can just simply be placed in a bathroom or kitchen sink at your height and there you have it!

Finally, when picking the material for the Puj Tub Ben and Katie first and foremost wanted something that was non-toxic (BPA Free + PVC Free) . As parents of three kids themselves, this was very important to them. From there, they looked for properties like softness vs. stiffness, the material needed to be the perfect combination of the two to enable it to be both soft and supportive.  They also looked for something that was non-absorbant so that it would dry quickly helping it to be anti-bacterial + anti-fungal. All of this resulted in the use of the foam material that the tubs are made of.   The coast guard and the FDA even approve it so it’s gotta be good!

With such an easy to use, store, and health friendly product, bathing your new born will never have been more simple which is just the way Puj wants it.

HEALTHFUL HINTS

Here’s a “top 7 checklist” from Puj Tub that all mommies and daddies should consider before bathing their new babies:

1. Location. Kitchen, bathroom, counter, pedestal. Consider where your bathing supplies are located and where is the most convenient place to bathe your baby.
2. Safety. Make sure your infant is secured in position as well as if the tub actually fits in the sink or on the counter you are planning to use.
3. Comfort for the baby. Your baby needs to feel cradled as well as secure in the tub so no sloshing or slipping of the baby occurs.
4. Comfort for the mommy or daddy. Make sure the height of the tub is comfortable so that you avoid backaches and knee aches.
5. Time. Consider convenience and what the most time efficient way is to set-up and clean-up.
6. Water temperature. Fill the tub first and then test the water with your finger so you know that water is okay for your baby.
7. Baby skin sensitivity. Make sure you are using doctor recommended soaps that will won’t harm or be sensitive to your babies skin.

CONTEST #1: What’s Wrong With This Picture???

For the past decade ER and Grey’s Anatomy have been two of the most popular US hospital dramas. Medical consultants are a given at this level. Take a look at the following clips from both of these shows…both show an ambulance arriving at the ER with a young child.

Two questions: What’s right with these pictures? …and more important what’s wrong?

(scenes © ER and Grey’s Anatomy, all rights reserved. A special thanks to Young Estate Studios for creating these clips and making this possible)

• You are seeing a totally accurate picture of what happens today. Clearly someone was holding the child during transport – whether the parent strapped to a stretcher or the EMT or paramedic who is getting off the ambulance holding the child. Regardless, they did not unstrap the child and pick them up to hop out of the ambulance. The consultant got it right.

What’s wrong?

• The consultant got it right – someone was holding that child on the ambulance while transporting them to the hospital. Noone has strapped that child in and currently there’s no law – at least in the US as well as in a number of other countries – requiring them to do so. It is not the medic’s fault, for very little is available in terms of equipment to safely secure young children on ambulances. But what if that child needed CPR? Or even more important, what happens to that child if the unimaginable were to happen and that ambulance were to be hit?

Maybe they’re safer in an ambulance than a car? If we consider that we are highly likely to be going above the speed limit around curves and passing through intersections against the flow of traffic, I’m not sure I believe that. Also I can say without a doubt there is at least 1 child I know of that will never attend public school because we did not keep her secure in the back of an ambulance. So clearly what we’re doing is not working, but until we’re ready to say “this is unacceptable” nothing will change.

The Littlest Victims of The Recession – Part I

According to CBS Early Show medical correspondent Dr Jennifer Ashton, nationwide 44% of children’s hospitals are reporting increases in ER visits this year. At Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio – one of the larger children’s hospitals in the country, traffic is up in the ER, even though the population of children in northeast Ohio is down.

Dr Edward Barksdale, chief of pediatric surgery, says the ER is busier than ever because people are waiting to seek care. Too many can’t go to a doctor’s office and end up coming to the ER instead, delaying care until its necessary. Then there are cases such as baby Hailey Sarubbi, born at 23 weeks and weighing little more than a pound who is struggling to survive because her mother went into premature labor after working seven days a week to make ends meet. And 17-year old Teauna Boysaw who didn’t have health coverage when she came into the ER with an infected cyst…her mother, a nursing assistant, couldn’t afford the $550 monthly fee to insure her children.

CBS News Interactive: Children In Danger

http://kdka.com/health/kids.health.care.2.1013257.html

Unfortunately, the sad reality is that our little ones are ending up in ER’s across the country. Do we blame the parents who delay treatment until it is absoutely necessary because it is more important to put food on the table? Do we blame a system where one in nine children lacks health insurance coverage? Do we blame the doctors and nurses who keep the child waiting in the ER, sometimes for hours, because every day there are more and more to treat.

Or is there something simpler we should consider here. Perhaps rather than blame, we could look for a way to help …a way to support…a way to cheer on every caregiver who is managing to not only survive these unbelievably awful times, but doing their very best to make life a little better for the child in their care – whether it’s their own or someone elses. Maybe it’s by relying on each other that we find the answers to the problems…for them…and for us. Perhaps its silly to look to a television show for any real meaning, but maybe the castaways on ABC’s Lost were on to something when they said “live together, die alone”. All I know is its up to us to make sure the littlest victims of the recession never become its casualties.

Saving a Baby…All in a Day’s Work

Oh…and before I forget …welcome to the world little girl

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