Safe Sizer Choking Prevention Plate – Our Story and Giveaway

I’m David Zak, the inventor of the Safe Sizer™ choking prevention plate and the dad of 3 beautiful kids aged 2 to 8. Now, I don’t consider myself an overprotective parent. When my kids are playing I don’t rush to them every time they fall down. But I do worry about the big things. Those potentially fatal but very preventable “accidents” that can happen so easily if you’re not careful. Choking on food is one of those things.

When my oldest was beginning to eat solid foods, I knew I was supposed to cut it up into really small pieces to reduce his risk of choking. But I was always asking myself “How small is small?” I should also mention that I’m a former engineer, and I simply needed a little more precision than “small”.

So, I did some research. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 75 children under the age of 14 die in the US every year from choking on food and about 7,500 are treated in emergency rooms. These are senseless and preventable tragedies. Additionally, the CDC data shows children under 2 years have the highest rates of choking deaths in this group, but children up to 4 years are still particularly vulnerable because they lack a full set of teeth.

I also found a recommendation regarding food size to reduce the risk of choking. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children younger than 4 years old not be fed any round, firm food unless it is cut into pieces no larger than one-half inch in any direction.

You think you know how small one-half inch is until you start trying to cut up pieces of food to that size. It’s smaller than you think. At least, it’s smaller than we thought. And, my wife Susie and I thought, maybe this is smaller than most people would expect. If most people have even heard of this guideline…and it’s pretty important. Nobody we knew had, and we thought they should.

As I thought about how to get this information out to more people, I kept coming back to the small objects test cylinder developed by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC). The cylinder’s purpose is to show parents what objects are too small to give a child under 3 because it could block the child’s windpipe. If a toy fits in the cylinder than it fails. As a matter of fact, if a toy fails this test it is required to have a label on its packaging stating it is a potential choking hazard. So why not a test cylinder for food?

But food is a little different. You want it to be swallowed, so here smaller is better. But there is one big advantage with food that I thought would make a test cylinder idea work even better than it does for toys. Food is typically served in pretty standard ways. There’s usually either a plate or a placemat or a tray or some other type of tableware. So a food test cylinder could always be right in front of you if it was built into the tableware itself.

So I invented the Safe Sizer™ . It is a ½ inch diameter ring that could potentially be put anywhere and on anything on which children can be served food, in order to:

1. inform those who don’t know about the one-half inch size recommendation
2. remind those who do to follow it at the exact place and time when they need the reminder
3. provide a test gauge to accurately measure bite sizes to one-half inch or less

After striking out multiple times trying to convince some large manufacturers of children’s tableware that the Safe Sizer™ was a good idea, Susie and I decided we would just do it ourselves. We formed a company and called it Midwest Monkeys® after our 3 monkeys who were all born in the Midwest. We live in Albuquerque now so it was also a way of bringing a piece of our personal history with us.

Over the next year and a half we joined the major industry group, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), met a great product designer, developed, tested, and finally produced our first product that incorporated the Safe Sizer™ feature. We designed a set of three colorful melamine plastic plates with a 3-dimensional raised ring version of the Safe Sizer™ built right into the plate. To use the 3-dimensional Safe Sizer™ feature on the plates, the parent or grandparent or babysitter or any caregiver serving a child a meal simply places a piece of cut up food inside the raised ring, turns it to ensure the piece fits in every direction without going over the sides, and then hands over the plate to the child..

While we could have put the Safe Sizer™ feature on any number of different tableware, the plastic plate made the most sense. It is probably the most commonly used serving dish for kids and plastic allowed us to mold the feature right into plate making it permanent. By using melamine plastic, we also got a very durable, dishwasher safe, and food safe plastic. Lastly, we tested at the CPSIA accredited Intertek Labs to ensure that the Safe Sizer™ plates were fully compliant with the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008). They meet or exceed all standards for lead, phthalates, and melamine plastics.

The Safe Sizer™ choking prevention plates have been available since January 2009 and the response has been wonderful. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from parents about how their kids don’t want to use any other plate and how they love putting food in the Safe Sizer™ to show their parents that the food is the right size! We’ve been mentioned in numerous articles, on TV, and in mom blogs. We’re particularly proud of the awards we’ve won including iParenting Media, The National Parenting Center, PTPA (Parent Tested, Parent Approved), and Creative Child Magazine. But what we’re most proud of is that maybe we’ll help prevent one of those 75 kids and their parents from suffering a senseless tragedy.

HEALTHFUL HINTS

Choking Prevention Guidelines

Here are some great guidelines on food choking prevention from the American Academy of Pediatrics. I would encourage all parents and caregivers to look at their site (Parenting Corner Q&A: Choking Prevention) for more information.

1. Always supervise your children while eating
2. Insist that kids are sitting while eating. No walking, running, playing, or lying down.
3. Avoid the foods that kids most commonly choke on: hot dogs, nuts & seeds, chunks of meat & cheese, whole grapes, hard or gooey or sticky candy, popcorn, chunks of peanut butter, raw vegetables, raisins, and chewing gum.
4. Cut food for infants and young children into pieces no larger than one-half inch, and teach them to chew their food well

***Introducing our: “SAFE SIZER PLATES FOR FEWER CHOKING KIDS” Giveaway!***

The Prize:

For 3 winners: you may each choose your favorite 2 plates *PLUS* a wildcard (1 extra winner) – see below for details

And here’s how it works:

Below you will find a PEDIATRIC SAFETY CONTEST ENTRY FORM. It includes 2 MANDATORY entries for the contest as well as the opportunity for you to enter BONUS entries…

For simplicity (and so that you can tweet multiple times) you can use this form for each entry, however you must fill out a separate form for each entry for it to count!

How to enter:

For your Mandatory Entry: You MUST do these 2 things FIRST or no other entries will count!

1. We at Midwest Monkeys need your help. We’re trying to make some improvements to our website but we’re not really sure where to start. So please go to our site, come back here and tell us on the form below what you’d suggest we do to make the site better. We’re looking for real suggestions that show us you’ve actually gone to the site….plus…we have a surprise for you…the BEST suggestion will win our “wildcard prize”…a single plate of your choice in addition to the ones we already mentioned – and we’re choosing this winner! (1 entry)
2. Tell us which 2 plates you like best so we know which ones to send when YOU WIN (1 entry)

For your Bonus entries:

1. Follow @pediatricsafety on twitter and tweet the following: “I just entered a SafeSizer Choking Prevention Plate Giveaway @PediatricSafety http://bit.ly/mcrTp 3 winners! Safer kids! Great Idea!”

OR “Toddlers need to eat food in pieces <1/2″. SafeSizer plates make that easy! http://bit.ly/mcrTp Giveaway w/ 3+ winners RT @PediatricSafety” (you may tweet both: 1 entry for each per day)

2. Blog about our story and giveaway on your own site and link to this post http://bit.ly/mcrTp. (2 entries – please submit 2 forms)
3. Join the Pediatric Safety community using the “Join our Community” button. (4 entries – please submit 4 forms)

**CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 4 WINNERS **

Our 3 Main Contest Winners – Win 2 Plates Each:

1. Traci Fritz #62 – with a Bonus Entry: joined the Pediatric Safety site
2. Stephanie Clark #77 – with a Mandatory Entry #1: website suggestion
3. Katrina Brandenburg #31 – with a Mandatory Entry #2: which 2 plates she wanted if she won

Our Wildcard Winners – Wins Their Choice of Plate for the Most Helpful Website Suggestion

• Kristen Chumley – I think the theme should be circles. Maybe you could make the navbar circles instead of a single rectangle. Show the 3 styles of plates and when you scroll over them, there could be a zoom feature for users to check out the safe sizer. Another idea would be to have a video demonstation so people could see how useful it is to get a visual guide of 1/2″.

Contest Rules:

Giveaway is open to USA and Canada readers only. Giveaway ends at noon EST Friday Sept 11, 2009. Please fill out a separate form for each entry with your name and a valid email address so we can make sure each entry gets counted. You will have 48 hours to email pediatricsafety.net if you win. 3 winners chosen using random.org for the main prizes; 1 winner chosen by Midwest Monkeys for the wildcard prize. Good Luck to all entrants!

PediaOrganic

When our son was two years old and had the flu, he got severely dehydrated!

His doctor recommended the usual oral electrolyte drinks. We bought them but he refused them!

I sent my husband to the drugstore again and he brought back a few more of the brands and some sports drinks. The boy pushed them all away, calling them Yuck! I read the ingredients: artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial preservatives. We landed in the ER and our poor son was put on IV. He was crying hysterically, in lots of pain from the needles, and completely miserable! My heart broke for my little boy! When his doctors told me we were not alone and many kids refuse the national brands and land in the ER; I told my husband that there should be an organic hydrating drink for kids that tasted good so that when they are sick they will actually “want” to drink it! So right there in the ER, the idea for PediaOrganic® was born!

I began by mixing juices, adding vitamins and even called on organic recipe developers to help me make an organic oral electrolyte drink for kids of all ages. For years, I worked all day and well into the night to develop the recipe for PediaOrganic®. But we had some pretty strict requirements. It needed to:

• Be Made with all Organic Ingredients
• Be Made without Genetically Modified Ingredients
• Have No Artificial Colors or Flavors
• Be Gluten and Dairy Free
• Have No Preservatives or Alcohol

When I finally got down to a few recipes I asked neighborhood kids, nieces, nephews, and even kids and moms from a nearby preschool to taste test it. The results were amazing, everyone loved PediaOrganic®! (Moms and dads liked the flavor and were drinking it too!) And I knew we had found the solution we had been searching for…

We didn’t just stop our research though once we found the right recipe for PediaOrganic®. Because in addition to wanting an organic product that would help keep our son hydrated when he was sick, we needed to make sure the plastic bottles produced for PediaOrganic® were health conscious as well. After checking a number of bottlers we decided on Ball Plastic Packaging since none of the resins used to produce Ball’s plastic bottles contained BPA.

So we started off looking for something that would help keep a little boy with the stomach flu from becoming dehydrated, and in the end it became so much more… Moms have used it after a long day in the sun, at the park or after a visit at the amusement park. Some people drink it after a workout. There are moms that freeze it into popsicles too!

I believe that all things are possible and making things organic and healthier for our children is my life’s goal! May you forever find health and happiness without artificial ingredients!

HEALTHFUL HINTS

• Symptoms of Dehydration
  • extreme thirst, more than normal or unable to drink
  • dry, warm skin
  • cannot pass urine or reduced amounts, dark, yellow
  • weakness
  • crying with few or no tears
  • sleepy or irritable
  • headaches
  • dry mouth, dry tongue; with thick saliva
• Treating Dehydration
  • First and foremost – when your kids are sick, consult your pediatrician or health care practitioner
  • But always keep a bottle of an oral electrolyte in the fridge at all times, because stomach flu’s or other ailments usually strike in the middle of the night when most drugstores are closed. (Note: most oral electrolytes including PediaOrganic are used for mild dehydration. They replace fluids and electrolytes lost during diarrhea and vomiting to help prevent dehydration from becoming more severe)
  • Never use an oral electrolyte in an IV
  • If there is vomiting or fever, or if diarrhea continues beyond 24 hours, consult your doctor and/or seek additional medical attention.

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.

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.