Next Nature baby care

Babies' needs aren't complex. And yet, they are. Over the years, parents have found some tricks to ease their babies as well as themselves. Taking a baby for a drive to make them sleepy, for example. Very inconvenient if the parent needs some sleep as well. With today's technology, caring for a newborn should be a breeze. Here are some baby care products to make the life of babies and parents a little more... next nature.

for the longing parent

Healing pyjamas

Over half of all babies are affected by jaundice in the first week of their lives, during which their skin turns a bit yellow due to a high level of bilirubin - a pigment produced during normal breakdown of red blood cells.

Treating Jaundice in newborns is important. In most cases, it will dissapear after a couple of days in indirect sunlight. But if bilirubin levels in the body stay high for too long, there’s a risk of brain damage. Also short term problems could arise: jaundice can make babies sleepy, and therefore more difficult to feed. Sometimes phototherapy is used  to get rid of the excess bilirubin. Therefore, some babies with jaundice spend the first weeks of their lives naked, in incubators.

Leaving your fresh human in a plastic box in the hospital instead of taking it home is not something most parents enjoy. And soon, they might not have to. Creating light-emmitting clothing for newborns, Empa researchers allow babies to be held by their parents, while receiving phototherapy from their PJ's.

for the tired parent

A driving crib

Who doesn't get sleepy from a long car drive? I know I do. And babies do, too. That's why many parents take their sleepless baby for a drive at night. But most too often, the parents are tired as well. And sitting behind the wheel while you're drousy, annoyed and disturbed by a crying child, is not the safest of options, especially when you can just pop the kid in a crib that does it for you.

Ford's smart baby bed simulates a car journey to rock your child to sleep. The motion, engine noise and street lighting of a late-night drive included, but from LED's and speakers, safely built into the crib. Because you need your sleep, too.

for the paranoid parent

A reassuring sock

Checking the baby may become obsolete with all types of new smartphone-connected baby monitors. Among those is the Owlet smart sock monitor, a wearable device to track your infant's heart rate and oxygen while asleep.

Sleep-related deaths, like sudden infant death syndrome, are still around; they're hard to detect and prevent. So apart from knowing that the baby is breathing, parents can't do a lot. It's not unnatural for a parent to want to check up on their child. And how convenient is this smart sock, which tells you when something's wrong?

for the non-poop-loving parent

Sniffing diapers

Some parents aren't bothered by the smell of their munchkin's doodoo. For others, sniffing diapers is like playing a game of Russian roulette, and they get nausious by just thinking about the odour. For those second type of parents, Monit's smart diaper sensor is ideal. The bluetooth connected device sends you a notification on your smartphone when the baby has fudged his huggies.

Not only does it save parents from taking the sniff test, it might simultaneously save the baby from UTI's or skin irritation. It's not the best for a human to sit in its own excreta for a longer period of time, you know. Pixie Pads can even tell you if your baby (or anyone who wears it) has a UTI, by analyzing the pee on it: to catch the infection in an early stage.

for the multitasking parent

A handsfree stroller

While we obsess over self-driving cars, it was only a matter of time before strollers - which are basically non-motorized cars for babies - became motorized, too. Smartbe is an intelligent baby stroller and can be "pushed" handsfree. With a climatized carry cot, a feeding bottle warmer, an automatic rocking chair, automatic power folding, music, an electronic locker, an anti-theft sensor, and a microphone and webcams, I might even order one for myself. The stroller is controlled by smartphone or smartwatch, and can be programmed to stay a couple of feet in front of you. It's especially designed for active parents who like to run while taking their kid for a stroll.

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