Feeding a newborn is one of this Grandma’s favorite activities. I love how the baby feels in my arms. I love how the baby smells, after he or she is changed of course. I love the squirms and the facial expressions and the noises. I also love that HGTV is on twenty four hours a day so I can be occupied while waiting for the baby to finish the bottle without falling asleep holding the baby. However, as a grandma, I do not have to deal with the treadmill of every two and a half to three hour feeds around the clock for weeks or months on end as the parents do. One young father must not have been into HGTV because he has designed a hands free holder to bottle feed which enables one to use their smart phone at the same time.
If you have not heard about Kickstarter it is a website where one can invest small amounts to help new inventors and entrepreneurs bring their ideas to reality. One such inventor is the young father, Tim Causa, age 34, from Virginia, who invented what he calls the Swipe & Feed. He says it is a dishwasher safe plastic holder that attaches a baby bottle to a smart phone. This enables a parent, or grandparent, to, while the holder supports the baby bottle at a correct angle to feed the baby, use their smart phone in one hand, and hold the baby in the other hand.
On his kickstarter page, he tells the backstory of how the idea came to him:
“One morning around 3AM after bottle feeding my newborn son, Jack, the idea came to me. Every night I would wake up every two hours to the sound of Jack screaming for a bottle. As soon as he started feeding, Jack would nearly fall back asleep. For 25 minutes at a time, I was in a dark, quiet room feeding my son. It dawned on me that I could do some catch-up work while he fed, but I needed something to help me hold a bottle and my smartphone. I searched online for solutions, but nothing was on the market. That’s when I decided to seize the opportunity and solve the problem myself.”
On his kickstarter site you can learn how he developed the product, how and when it works, what bottles it does not work for, and you can help him get his latest version to market.
I looked for his product on Amazon. What I first found is probably a cute baby shower gift for a new parent, an inexpensive SwiftBox Cute Feeding Bottle Soft Gel Case for iPhone 6 4.7 inch + Screen Protector.
One cannot feed a baby with that. But also on Amazon is the The Beebo – Free Hand Baby Bottle Holder in gender neutral aqua. It is a holder that goes over your shoulder and holds the bottle in the proper angle to feed the baby. It is expensive for what it is. It leaves your hands free, like the Swipe & Feed, for whatever you would like to do, including use a smartphone. Find it here.
The Beebo is BPA Free, Phthalate Free, Lead Free, and the reviews are mixed at three stars. Some reviews say it does not work with a woman’s body, but that brings us back to the Swipe & Feed, which is gender neutral. It has not made it onto Amazon just yet.
Where can you find the Swipe & Feed?
If you pledge $24 or more, on Tim’s Kickstarter website, you will get 1 Swipe & Feed – Starter Package and “you can be one of the first in the world to own a Swipe & Feed. One Swipe & Feed will be sent to you, or anyone you would like to send one to as a gift. Color choices will be made at the end of the campaign.” He will ship anywhere in the world.
The Swipe & Feed works with an iPhone 6, 6s, or the new iPhone 7 without a case.
As you can imagine, there are scant reviews for this product as it is brand new. Detractors talk about feeding time being a bonding time for parents and this device takes away from that. However, from this experienced grandmother, in a twenty four hour period, there are at least eight feedings, and there are enough feedings a day for bonding. A new parent is totally sleep deprived, and if this tool assists in keeping a parent awake during a nighttime feeding, it is worth a try. It is sure cheaper than the Beebo.
So, if you have a baby shower coming up or want a cool new baby gift for new parents, you have three options above for an interesting and different idea. And buying the Swipe & Feed helps a clever new father develop his new idea. Let Tim know how you like it.
Joy,
Mema
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