Category: Kids/Babies

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Kids/Babies Television Wearables

box&rox measures kid activity, lets them trade it for TV time

One of the foremost concerns for parents is the amount of time screens take up in their children’s lives. With smartphones, tablets, computers, consoles, and television all vying loudly for their time, it’s easy to see how most kids can forget about the outside world.

box&rox is a multi-layered system to ensure that children get the required amount of physical activity each day, with a goal of supporting healthy habits young to develop a solid foundation as they grow into adulthood. The system is comprised of three parts. The rox is a wristwatch that comes in a variety of colors that tracks a child’s physical activity throughout the day, earning sparkies as a reward. The box portion of the system connects to a television or a console’s power supply and meters the electricity available for use depending on how many sparkies were earned on a connected rox. The final of this system is an online world that serves as a place to use sparkies to gain more access to it, although the campaign didn’t do a great job at explaining why a child would interact with the world. The box&rox system serves as a warden of sorts that encourages physical activity and rewards it accordingly, taking the worry off the parent’s shoulder. The core system is going for £125 (~$198), while the campaign itself is looking for £10,000 (~$15,900) in funding.

The box&rox system is similar to what the Kudoso is doing for Internet access, and continues an overall trend of gamifying access to entertainment for younger children. Combining both in one household would lock down overuse for sure, but who’s to say kids won’t figure out a way to game the system itself? They usually always do, but I suppose an all night binge in Mario Kart could be viewed as an exercise in problem solving.

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Kids/Babies Wearables

Keep tabs on your tyke with Monbaby

Having a child is a life-altering event, full of contradictions. The intense joy and excitement one feels at the child’s birth quickly becomes inundated with the worry that comes along with taking care of that new life. Is the baby sleeping ok? Throwing up? Crying? Breathing alright? And on and on — all parents would attest that it can quickly become exhausting to worry so much.

The creators behind the Monbaby know exactly what this mess of emotions feels like as they’ve had the experience themselves, which led them to create their their version of the baby monitor. Shaped like a small button, the Monbaby clips on to any article of clothing and sends a variety of information every five seconds to your smartphone, including a baby’s breathing, sleeping patterns, and the position the baby is in while it sleeps. This vigilance is a extraordinary relief to parents especially because customizable alerts are available through the iOS or Android app, lifting all sorts of worry from their shoulders so they can more easily relax.

Monbaby’s applications are not only limited to babies: the company sees their device working for toddlers and even the elderly as well. That said, while it uses Bluetooth Low Energy to facilitate these features, it stands to reason many parents wouldn’t want a wireless device so intimately close to their newborn child. Ultimately, though, this may be a case where peace of mind ultimately trumps fear. The Monbaby baby monitor is going for $109 with an estimated delivery date of December 2014. The company has already achieved their funding goal of $15,000.

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Kids/Babies Tablet Accessories

Bizee Baby faces inevitable outrage for gluing baby’s eyes to iPads

Trying to enjoy a meal in a non-fast food restaurant with one or more small children is generally something of a hairy situation. Little ones usually don’t have the patience to wait for food to arrive at the table. That’s why BizeeBaby was invented. This gadget keeps little fingers, eyes, ears and, of course ,the mouth busy and stimulated so that mom and dad and maybe even a couple of friends can have an actual conversation that lasts longer than six seconds. While this won’t eliminate the need for a diaper bag, it might be ideal for slipping inside of one, especially since it folds up. And when toys don’t seem to keep baby busy enough, there is an iPad holder so that baby can watch something onscreen.

While the BizeeBaby seems like a quick way to keep your kid distracted, ultimately it doesn’t seem to solve a larger problem of public misbehavior. Pushing the child aside and keeping their attention glued to a screen may not be the best way to parent your kid. This campaign seeks to raise $55,000 by November 28, 2014. For $100, backers get one product and an expected deliverance from mealtime insanity sometime during May 2015.

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Kids/Babies

Strollbright pimps your baby’s ride

Walking the baby at night in a stroller can be just the thing when baby doesn’t seem to want to cooperate and go to sleep. There’s just something about cool night air that soothes and calms. But walking at night can also be a safety concern: that’s why Strollbright was created. The battery-powered lights use white LEDs that work for 72 hours, offer 360 degree visibility, are waterproof and tangle-resistant. It is compatible with most strollers on the market. At the press of a button, users have the option of steady or flashing lights and the battery has a self-charging system. For those who want to do double duty and walk the dog while walking the baby, consider The Watchdog campaign for pet safety, too. The Strollbright campaign seeks to raise $5,000 CAD (~$4,400 USD) by November 27, 2014. For $25 CAD (~$22 USD), early bird backers get two strips of led lights with an expected delivery of December 2014.

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Kids/Babies

Interlocking Fidget chair is for kids who rock

There are some who say that the energy children have should have been reserved for older tired people. But since things didn’t work out that way, Fidget helps kids to find a way to manage all that energy when they are in an environment where they must sit. The chair is suitable for ages 3-6, though there are plans to make one for ages 5-9. Basically, it moves with the child as they squirm around, helping to facilitate their focus for activities that require mental energy rather than physical energy. They are also modular, and when flipped around, can be used as chair and desk combo. Some backers may have an issue with the fact that the chairs are made of high density polyethylene (petroleum based) but this makes them easy to clean. Seems like such a chair may actually have an appeal to some adults, especially those locked into doing desk work all day long. In the meantime, this campaign seeks to raise $50,000 by November 30. 2014.  For $70, early bird backers get one product with an expected delivery of February 2015.

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Automotive Kids/Babies

Twyce doubles up on car seats to bring along backseat buddies

There’s nothing like a strong woman who doesn’t want a larger vehicle to inspire her husband to get creative about how to tote a multitude of kids here, there and everywhere. That being said, Twyce would represent the classic myth that behind every man living in a peaceful household stands his persistent wife. Even so, multiple households with little ones that still need a booster seat for trips in the car will likely be grateful for these dual booster seats, made of organic, flame-retardant, washable, kid friendly materials. Twyce is also easily transferred between cars. Now if someone could just come up with something like Plexiglas dividers as a way to quench that timeless sibling argument about, “He touched me!” “Well, she touched me first!” But when they finally settle down and fall asleep as kids often do in the car, Ostrich Pillow might be a nice companion to Twyce. This campaign seeks to raise $650,000 CAD ($570,303.01 USD) by November 21, 2014. Early bird backers get one Twice for $130 CAD ($114.06 USD) with an expected delivery of May 2015.

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Kids/Babies Toys

Versa Bricks bridge Lego, Hot Wheels and K’Nex for kid bulding fun

It’s been said that kids who enjoy building blocks and puzzles as their favorite toys often grow up to be tomorrow’s engineers. Versa Bricks seems to have an interesting way to encourage the builder in every kid, and maybe even the kid in every parent. Versa Bricks are touted as being compatible with Lego type bricks, Hot Wheels tracks, K’nex, and HO scale train tracks. So all of those really cool ramps can now be placed much more easily under the race track as the Hot Wheels car plunges through the window of a Lego building – kind of like in the movies. For kids who like to think on a grander scale, XYZ and Assembly are worth checking out. To add a bit of artistic flare to that building enthusiasm, Curiositoys may be a perfect fit. This campaign seeks to raise $17,500 by December 2014. For $9, backers get 12 Versa Bricks (two sets) with an expected delivery of March 2015.

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Connected Objects Kids/Babies Lighting

BabySleep is a connected nighttime lamp for kids

Toddlers and small children are notorious for refusing to go to sleep. Even when they can barely keep their eyes open, they insist on staying up, unwilling to miss any action. Babysleep is a clock designed for these types of kids, teaching them when it’s time to go to sleep and wake up. Looking like a little wooden birdhouse, the product has a sun and moon on it. When the sun is lit, it tells the child that they should be getting up. When the moon is lit, it’s time to go to bed. Parents have several options in controlling Babysleep. They can either set times from the product itself, from a computer or even use an accompanying app. Times can be adjusted easily for nap time, traveling or sleepovers. Brightness of the lights as well as colors can also be customized.

The campaign included testimonials from parents claiming that Babysleep has become a fun nightly ritual for their child. It also goes into the detrimental effects of the often erratic sleep patters of terrible two-year-olds. Other children’s alarm clocks focus on different goals, such as the Onaroo Alarm Clock. This product urges kids to stay in bed longer so that their parents can sleep. Babysleep focuses more on the child’s well-being than the parent’s. Backers can donate £99 (~$160) for this Italian product. Babysleep is looking to raise £50,000 (~$80,600) on Kickstarter.

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Kids/Babies Safety Smartwatches/Bands

Linkoo shrinks down the size, price of the child locator watch

No matter how many precautions are taken, a parent’s worry for their child’s whereabouts isn’t something that is easily quelled — if at all. It’s ingrained deep in our wiring to be worried for our offspring. From getting lost to more serious concerns like predators, the only defense a parent really has are cell phones. For younger children, though, a smartphone comes with excessive maintenance costs even if it may contain everything a parent needs to feel better.

Inventor Lionnel Legros has created Linkoo to ease the worry of parents across the globe. Linkoo is a combination GPS tracker and cell phone for specifically for kids. The myriad of bright, fun color options appeals to kids while the integrated GSM appeals to parents, programmable with each parent’s number and one SOS number for emergencies. The child can make calls to these numbers or receive calls from anywhere around the world, and if the child doesn’t pick up a call, the watch will automatically call back ensuring the parent gets in contact no matter what. A Web portal and companion iOS/Android apps offer parents an additional layer of protection in the form of  maps with real-time tracking and geo-fencing capabilities. The Linkoo is going for $129 with an estimated delivery date of March 2015. Inventor Lionel Legros is looking for $50,000 in funding.

Capitalizing on a child’s excitement for their first watch is a smart move on the inventor’s part, even if it’s a little sneaky. But for parents, nothing is ever too sneaky to ensure their child’s safety. The excessive costs associated with maintaining a smartphone for a child are mitigated with a solution that keeps just the essentials, making it very child-friendly. There are tons of other GPS, childcare smart watches on the market like the 1Decision Bracelet that interacts with an accompanying bracelet worn by the parent, taking responsibility off of the child’s shoulders to signal for help. So the question remain: will a child actually wear it if they were to know what it actually does? The video paints an ideal picture, but is it a truthful one? We all know how finicky children can be, after all.

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Kids/Babies

The Little Globetrotter bib rolls up for travel, won’t rock your world

Any new parent knows that it’s astounding how many time they must change a baby’s clothes over the course of one day. Little Globetrotter aims to bring a bit of cleanliness and a potentially diminished laundry load to moms and dads. This bib not only features a wider shoulder design, but also an optional snap together pocket to help catch spills – or allow baby to hide those yucky Brussels sprouts and asparagus until he or she is able to learn from siblings the more effective and smoother way of passing that stuff off to the dog when mom isn’t looking. The stain-resistant material is a nice touch considering how quickly a bib can start looking pretty nasty. When it comes time for mom and baby to hit the road together, the bib can be rolled rather than folded – which is probably a plus for those who really, really hate folding stuff, or just have an issue with crease lines in bibs. This campaign seeks to raise $4,000 by November 2014. For $30, backers get one bib with an expected delivery of December 2014.