Category: Kids/Babies

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Automotive Kids/Babies Safety

Starfish brings travel safety to baby and parent

The Premise. Perhaps every parent’s worst nightmare is forgetting that they have their sleeping baby in the backseat and accidentally leaving the child in a sweltering vehicle. What if there were something on the market that would alert a parent’s smartphone if something like that were to happen?

The Product. Starfish is a seat sensor and app. The app uses Bluetooth to pair up with the parent’s iPhone or Android phone, and the two pieces work together to build a geo-fence around a particular area where baby has been placed, such as a car. The geo-fence is approximately 20 feet in diameter, and the app takes about three minutes to set up. The seat sensor portion is weight activated, so if the parent leaves the area without the baby, a notification is sent to their smartphone that the child may be in danger. If the parent doesn’t respond within five minutes, emergency contacts are notified.

The Pitch. The video for the $15,000 campaign lays out some nice detail for how the product works, which seems to be pretty user friendly. The call for assistance to get the device into the hands of parents and caretakers around the world is indeed one that makes sense and seems potentially lifesaving.

The Perks. There are 12 tiers from which backers may choose. Perhaps the most interesting of these comes with a pledge of $40. Backers have the unique opportunity to be a part of a testing group, and will have the opportunity to provide feedback for the testing and design of the product, information that would be put toward the finished product. Anticipated delivery for this tier would be November 2014.  A pledge of $50 gets a backer the actual product with an anticipated delivery of December 2014.

The Potential. This product seems like a great idea and would likely be appreciated by any parent, especially new parents. We’ve seen a couple similar products on Backerjack before like the Babeep. Starfish would make a great baby shower gift or perhaps even a Christmas gift. It also has the potential to be of benefit to grandparents who help with care giving, daycare centers and preschools.

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Kids/Babies Video

Bibayo gives viewers a POV experience of being a baby

bibayoRomantics and those prone to dramatic and poetic dialogue have always bemoaned wanting to see the world through a child’s eyes again. Bibayo is a GoPro-style “point of view” camera that can be put in a baby’s bib to give adults some perspective into their child’s world. The footage can be shared through social media and the device also includes an accelerometer for tracking movement and can trigger the camera if unexpected movement occurs. While the device seems like a great way to capture the early life of children, backers don’t have any footage of the device itself or the video it captures, so supporters will have to take it all on faith. As a concept device, none of the reward tiers include the Bibayo itself at this time.

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Cycling Kids/Babies

Follow Me Bicycle Handle wrangles kids on family outings

Follow MeAhhh, yes. The giggles that come with teaching the kids to ride their bikes. That is, until they race ahead or lag behind or aren’t paying attention and run into a tree. Follow Me Bicycle Handle lets mom, dad, or other caretakers take smaller kids out on their bikes, and still maintain some control over where they go and what they do. And if all goes well, maybe mom and dad can have an almost romantic evening walk – romantic only goes so far when the kids are in tow. Backers willing to push this product forward with at least $50 can get a voucher for 50% off once the product hits the market. Expected delivery is July 2016 with a campaign goal of $150,000.

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Kids/Babies

Snugababy keeps baby asleep from cuddle to crib

SnugababyYes, sleeping babies are adorable. But perhaps even more precious is a good night’s sleep! Some parents are blessed with babies that are sound sleepers. For those who wish that they were, Snugababy may be the answer to the heart’s cry of a new parent. The specially designed blanket keeps sleeping baby feeling like he or she is still snug in Mom’s or Dad’s arms as baby gets placed into the crib. Backers willing to pay some bucks for said relief can get one product for $50, with an expected delivery of January 2015.

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Kids/Babies Wearables

TrackForce lets you chip loved ones so they never go missing again

trackforceMissing people are no joke, whether very young or very old, and the ability to find those who are lost is invaluable. A wearable tracking device that can be attached to clothingcan help address the problem. TrackForce is the idea in question, using multi-colored, water-resistant tracking “chips” to allow caretakers and parents to locate a missing person using GPS. A security layer will allow only those with the password to access the GPS data. While this project’s heart is in the right place, this has been done before, and it’s certainly been done better already. Backers can track down a TrackForce for $150 in December.

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Kids/Babies Toys

Kids can build their dream home with WoodyMac

The Premise. Kids love building things. Many building toys are meant to be easily broken down, meaning that mini-buildings made by children aren’t that structurally sound. It’s also been a challenge for toy manufacturers to come up with a decent fastening system for pieces.

The Product. WoodyMac is a building set that uses beechwood and plywood pieces along with magnets to build things with. Different slots and pieces let WoodyMac users create neat-looking miniature buildings. This product offers a choice of kits to make an ice cream stand, supermarket, and a variety of houses. The magnets are powerful and non-toxic, making them safe for young ones. Instructions are not included in each set, so kids must use their imaginations to build.

The Pitch. WoodyMac’s campaign video talks about the need for a toy that’s both boy- and girl-friendly. The rest of the page discusses and displays the various ways each set can be put together and shows how strong the magnets are. Photos of the finished sets let backers see what they’re donating to and how each kit looks upon completions. WoodyMac hopes to raise $20,000 in 32 days on Kickstarter.

The Perks. Each kit has a different cost and comes with two early bird specials. For instance, the Classic House kit costs $75 and $110 at its sale prices and $150 at its regular price. WoodyMac has 33 reward tiers, giving backers plenty of options in their donation levels.

The Potential. Building tools are extremely important in developing spatial skills in young children. Toys like IKOS, Strawbees, XYZ, and Assembly all offer simple ways to build, but require the child’s own imagination in coming up with what to build. While that isn’t a bad thing at all, WoodyMac’s preset kits are great for younger kids who would like a goal in what they’re building. With something to work towards, these kids can better learn building techniques along with the satisfaction of completing a project. All in all, WoodyMac offers a great new connector in the building market, along with a fun activity for kids.

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Arts Kids/Babies

Real Crayon Maker reuses wax in its tracks

Real Crayon MakerSeems like after a while, there are more broken crayons strewn around a house with school-age kids than whole crayons. The Real Crayon Maker offers an interesting idea that may make for a fun indoor activity on rainy days, or when the kids come inside to warm up after creating backyard snow cities in the coming months. Broken crayons can be melted down in a heat safe system to create new crayons, or the melted crayons can be molded into interesting new shapes and characters.  Seems like something useful to have on hand to offer kids something new to do, but new crayons really aren’t all that expensive if the focus is on replacing the broken ones. The refurbished fun begins with $34, and an expected delivery of November 2014.

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Kids/Babies Organization

PoPots stack up colorful personalized organization

PoPotsFor those who hate wrapping gifts, here is an idea that is creative and allows for a bit of personalization. PoPots are stackable rubber baskets that come in multiple sizes and colors. And for that extra added personal touch, add a PoTee that says something like Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, Gone Fishing, and Gone Crazy. Well, maybe not that last one, but there are 50 options that will soon be available. They seem like an ideal way to organize the tiny things that always seem to wind up underfoot in a child’s room. Backers may choose their size and color of PoPots for $30 and look forward to receiving them in November of 2014.

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Kids/Babies

Buggy Balance helps keep a stroller from tipping over

Buggy BalanceShopping with an umbrella stroller can make for a tricky excursion. Too much weight on the handles and a particularly squirmy little tike can make for an unbalanced load. Buggy Balance acts as a weight to counter baby’s twistin’ and shoutin,’ and help eliminate rockin’ and rollin while strollin.’  Backers get one pair for $25, which seems relatively reasonable given the product’s apparent quality. Expected delivery is November 2014.

Categories
Health and Wellness Kids/Babies

Hipster baby carrier distributes weight better, won’t drink PBR

The Premise. Moms and dads can get tired from carrying their babies around all day. However, all of this lifting can become quite taxing. Many carriers are designed for the baby’s comfort, leaving little thought to its parents, which can lead to back problems and poor posture. 

The Product. Hipster is a baby carrier designed with both parent and child in mind. The weight of the baby sits on the hips instead of on the shoulders. The baby can sit in the front, back or on the parent’s hips, but the fastener keeps the spine straight to avoid injury. With versatile straps, the carrier can hold the child in a total of nine different ways. Using different attachable layers, the carrier can be made summer friendly with less padding and winter friendly with more. Additional pockets and compartments make it easy for parents to store whatever they may need while holding their child. Hipster comes in different colors and patterns with additional accessories like the head cover.

The Pitch. This Swiss product was created by a couple, Cecillia and Alessandro. As explained in their video, when Cecillia pinched a nerve in her back, she struggled to pick up her baby. Different carriers weren’t working for her unique back problems. Thus, the idea for Hipster was born. The rest of the campaign goes through reward tiers, specs and shows Alessandro using Hipster in its 9 different ways. Hipster is looking to raise $25,000 on Kickstarter. 

The Perks. For only $100, backers can receive the Hipster at an early-bird price with estimated delivery set for August 2014. The regular price of $120 offers delivery in September 2014. Tiers offer a variety of accessories and colors and go up all the way up to $1,000.

The Potential. People are really beginning to get wise to the fact that poor posture can be extremely detrimental. Many hiking packs load weight onto the lower back and hips in order to give shoulders a rest. Hipster uses the same idea for kids. Another low-fastening baby carrier, the Side Ride Hip Carrier, uses the same idea to hold kids on the hips, buthas only two options for carrying instead of nine. The baby carrier’s versatility and posture control make it a sensible and desirable contender on the new parent market.