infants
Latest
Researchers use creepy robo-baby to figure out why infants smile
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a robotic infant to test a hypothesis that babies can (and regularly do) manipulate their mothers into smiling on command. Turns out that your 4-month-old progeny is a lot craftier than you thought.
Monica's AN24 monitors unborn child's heart remotely
While Monica Healthcare's AN24 fetal / maternal electrophysiological monitor won't go down as the first device to take a pulse on one's heartbeat outside of the hospital, it is being dubbed the "world's first" device to allow "mother's-to-be to keep a regular check on their baby's heartbeat without having to go into the hospital and be attached to a machine." The pocket-sized device operates on battery power, weighs under 100-grams, and specializes in "non-intrusive passive monitoring." Moreover, it can detect and differentiate between the mother and the baby's signals, and can transmit real-time FHR / MHR analysis data to via Bluetooth or USB to any applicable handheld / PC. Notably, the AN24 has gone from "a research device into a medically approved product in only two years," and if the EU testing continues to go well, the company expects the device to hit the market in the October timeframe.[Via MedGadget]
The Babykeeper: toilet training with visual aids
We've seen our fair share of strange and / or gimmicky products around here, but the Babykeeper by Mommysentials has to be one of the creepiest. This contraption allows you to hang your six to eighteen month old infant on the door of a public toilet stall while you, um, do your business. Now we're not questioning the safety of the device or the necessity of keeping an eye on your child at all times, but who in their right mind wants their little baby staring at them squatting over a dirty toilet, especially after they've dined at, say, Taco Bell. In the same way that its traumatizing for children to watch their parents engage in "adult activities" (or heaven forbid, be in the same bed), we can't imagine that it's psychologically healthy for Junior to get slung up on the back of a swinging door and be forced to watch Mommy heed nature's call every time they're out and about. The $60 Babykeeper may be the perfect solution for some, but we'll stick to the tried-and-true methods of either holding it in or paying an honest-looking stranger to act as temporary babysitter every once in awhile (this last parenting tip was brought to you by BloggingBaby).[Via Pocket-lint and Babygadget]
