Quick Change Crib

It was 2am and my husband and I had finally fallen asleep, when our slumber was shattered by the cries of our 3 month old daughter. It was my turn to get up. I found that the little one had done it again – she needed to be changed AND so did her crib sheet. Of course it wasn’t her fault, but it was 2am and the crib sheet needed changing again? A necessary evil, I supposed. A baby needs a clean bed and you have to do what you have to do. But, the thought was overwhelming!

Why? Because it is not an easy task. I, like most people, had the crib set up with bumpers and toys so the baby can be safe and stimulated. In addition, crib mattresses are now required by US regulations to fit very snugly in the frame – again for safety reasons. While safe, it presents quite a problem when you go to change the sheet. You can’t fit your fingers between the sheet and the crib frame to get enough leverage to pull the sheet off and put a new one on. You literally have to pull the entire mattress out and stand it up in the crib to change the sheet. Of course, you can’t do that with the bumpers and the toys on. Aaarggghhh! All this, of course, at 2 am with a baby screaming!

This is a critical decision point in a parent’s life…. brave the task of spending the next 10 minutes cursing and fumbling or take an easier, if more dangerous, route. It is at this time when moms and dads are simply exhausted that they may make a poor decision. Research shows that many parents put a blanket or towel over the soiled sheets; others take their baby back into the bed with them. Both of these options are not ideal – a baby needs to sleep in a clean environment and sleeping with your baby in the same bed can be dangerous (e.g., suffocation).  In fact, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 60 children younger than two years suffocate each year after being placed to sleep in adult beds.

So, after struggling through one more 2am change,and trying hard to fight off the strong desire to just let my daughter sleep in my bed, I set out to create a crib that would make it easy for parents to choose the cleanest, safest option when it came time to change those sheets.  I knew that the Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association (JPMA) consistently states that parents should follow the “A, B, C’s” for infants: “A”lone (no loose blankets or stuffed animals), on their “B”ack (sleeping position) and in a “C”rib (not in parents’ bed).  With this in mind, I began the long journey of research with parents, understanding regulations and safety standards, designing and re-designing and patenting my invention. The result? The Quick Change Crib!

The Quick Change Crib has a patented “door” cleverly hidden into the headboard that opens so that parents can slide the mattress out horizontally, change the sheet, and slide it back in without ever having to remove toys, mobiles or bumpers; it literally can be done in 30 seconds. So now we have clean, healthy, safe baby…and definitely more well-rested mom and dad. Think of the extra time you save as more quality time with your baby.

The Quick Change Crib is certified safe by JPMA and and we participate in random quarterly testing through an independent laboratory that tests against CPSCA and ASTM standards. We have also won numerous awards for innovation and design (Whirlpool Mother of Invention Grand Prize Winner, NAPPA- National Parenting Publications Awards, Outstanding Product 2007 by iParenting Media Awards, etc.) and have been written about in leading magazines and journals.

The support for our crib has been undeniable…from Moms and Dads, the press, as well as from recent research. A 2009 study of unmet needs in cribs found that:

• 82% of parents believe that ease of use is a very important feature of a child’s crib, compared to 33% believing that design is very important and 17% who believe color is important;
• 97% of experienced moms and Dads find ease of use of the crib especially important;
• 72% of parents agree that changing the crib sheet is more frustrating than they expected.
• Nearly 60% of parents report that changing the crib sheet or lifting the mattress is “extremely difficult” or “very frustrating,” compared with 7 percent for changing a diaper.

This whole journey has been simply unbelievable. My parents always used to tell me “wait until you have kids!” whenever I questioned something they said or did, so I expected that my perspective on things might change, but I never expected being a mom would catapult me into a whole new business!   I am, and have been for the last 15 years, a principal partner with a boutique management consulting company, but turning my crib idea into reality has been been like a lifetime of learning squashed into a few short years. I have my kids to thank for that (oh, yeah, and my parents, my husband, my business partner and a whole lot of other supportive people!).  Thank you for the opportunity to share my story and I can’t wait to read yours!

HEALTHFUL HINTS:

JPMA Safety tips for selecting your first crib: 

•  This first “home” should be cheerful and secure. Each year, approximately 50 babies suffocate or strangle when they become trapped between broken crib parts or in cribs with older, unsafe designs. Many older cribs, including the one that was used for you or your younger children, do not meet all current safety standards. Even if you are on a tight budget, you should not purchase an old crib at a garage sale or accept a hand-me-down that does not meet the following guidelines
• Infants should ALWAYS sleep in a crib, which meets current Federal and ASTM standards.
• The crib mattress should fit snugly with no more than two fingers width, one-inch, between the edge of the mattress and the crib side. Otherwise, the baby can get trapped between the mattress and the side of the crib.
• No pillow-like bumpers.
• Look for the JPMA Certification Seal.

easidream

Hello, I’m Lynda, mum to six lovable and lively children and inventor of easidream®

When my sixth child, Bradley was born, he cried constantly and it was a nightly struggle to settle him to sleep…a struggle that went on until he was two and a half years old! I tried everything to soothe him off to sleep, but I discovered that the most reliable way was to lean over the cot sides and create a ‘rocking cot’ motion by moving the mattress up and down. Having scoured shops and the internet for any product that would replicate this movement (and relieve my backache!), I realised that there was nothing suitable out there, so I went on to take the ‘massive step’ of developing a product of my own – easidream®

For the next few years I researched the problem as deeply as possible, canvassing valuable input from sleep experts, university departments and medical professionals like midwives, child psychologists and paediatricians. I also consulted with the baby care industry and product design teams and, of course, surveyed many parents with young babies. At last, after a 7-year gestation easidream® was born!

The finished product has been meticulously designed and researched. I considered it was essential for easidream® to undergo proper scientific trials to validate its efficiency… it was no good just me saying it worked, I needed to be 100% sure that it did! I embarked on a year long period of research in conjunction with University of Brighton medical experts, which involved testing both the moving platform and the soothing sounds on a wide selection of babies. These studies not only revealed just how effective easidream® was at promoting healthy sleep patterns, but also showed that it encourages parents to adopt safe sleep practices.

The findings revealed:

• Average crying time on easidream® was reduced from 18 minutes to less than 1 minute
• All of the babies that took part in the trials remained happily settled on their backs; great news in respect of SIDS
• Time to settle to sleep in some cases was reduced by up to 95%

We all know that when a new baby arrives, uninterrupted sleep is rare and we have to adapt to shorter, broken nights and savour every moment of sleep we can catch. But although we think our bodies are coping with just a few ‘catnaps’ a night, continuous lack of sleep eventually catches up on us all; it’s vitally important that we understand just how crucial sleep is to the whole family’s well being… not just for healthy child development, but also for the general health and well being of everyone in the household. Did you know that it has been proven that well rested children develop faster, are healthier and have fewer behavioural problems? With adults, lack of sleep has been proven to affect both memory and cognitive skills…. What more can I say? I was determined to invent a product that would not only help soothe particularly fractious babies, but also promote the formation of a healthy sleep pattern, so both babies and parents could benefit from a good night’s rest.

easidream® actually assists in encouraging the formation of a healthy sleep pattern plus it encourages babies to self settle on their back in the cot, which is great news in the fight against SIDS. It also solves the problem of sleep deprivation for the whole family by rewarding them with those valuable hours of sleep they so richly deserve.  End result: happy, healthier babies and happy, healthier parents!

HEALTHFUL HINTS:

1. Putting babies to sleep
   • Make sure you place your baby with their feet at the foot of the cot (but not touching the end of the cot) , to reduce the likelihood of the baby wriggling down and becoming overheated underneath any cot bedding, which may end up over the baby’s head. Overheating has been shown to greatly increase the likelihood of a SIDS related incident occurring. 
   • Also, remove soft toys from the cot, as they too could increase your baby’s temperature to an unsafe level.  This is why ewan, our dream sheep, is secured to the cot bars and not positioned directly in line with your baby’s head, just in case he becomes detached – although this is extremely unlikely! (Some of our website shots are at an angle that may look like ewan is close to the head, but I can assure you he’s not!)
   • Always ensure your baby is placed to sleep on their back; again this is incredibly important in reducing the likelihood of a SIDS incident occurring. (The beauty of easidream® is that it has been proven to actually help baby’s settle to sleep on their backs and so parents are more likely to follow the recommended safe sleep guidelines.)
   • While all of this is consistent with the American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines for Safe Sleeping , each baby is unique.   Always remember to ask your doctor what’s best for your baby’s sleep.
2. If they wake up or refuse to sleep:
   • …it is extremely important that you go and check your baby to determine the reason why. We have spent a great deal of time researching this particular area and having consulted medical professionals, and it is why we decided against having an automatic sound activated feature or a remote control that would “restart” the soother. As this is such a vulnerable age group, we consider it vitally important that parents return to their baby to remedy any problem – dirty nappy, thirsty, hungry etc. For healthy, happy sleep times we believe that interaction with your baby is vital and we strongly encourage this practise.

« Previous Page