A dad-turned-inventor has created a device to allow new parents to multitask while bottle-feeding their babies.
Tim Causa from Northern Virginia, US, was feeding his baby son when he came up with the idea for the Swipe & Feed - a plastic contraption that attaches to a mobile phone and a bottle to enable parents to swipe and click while their child eats.
“One morning around 3am after bottle feeding my newborn son, Jack, the idea came to me,” Causa wrote on his Kickstarter page.
“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,” he added.
“That’s when I decided to seize the opportunity and solve the problem myself.”
Causa and his wife both now use the device while feeding their son. They claim it will fit almost any phone measuring between 67mm and 73mm in width and works with most ‘wide-mouth’ baby bottles, but not narrow or glass bottles.
The Causas are currently seeking investors for the Swipe & Feed on crowdfunding site Kickstarter. It has so far received a mixed response from parents on Kickstarter and Facebook.
Mum Bethany Pagel wrote: “I must say this is pretty cool. However, feeding time is such a special bonding time that doesn’t last very long at all. Before you know it your baby will be grown.
“I enjoyed and cherished every feeding I gave my little baby boy and looking into his big blue eyes...not my phone.”
Amanda Gummer, child psychologist from Fundamentally Children, told The Huffington Post UK, she believes a device that could improve a parents’ feeding experience can only be a good thing.
“I think a lot of parents use feeding time to catch up on Facebook and emails on their phones, and for the last few generations it was a time to watch TV or read a book,” she said.
“The issue is how important is it to give your baby your undivided attention whilst they are feeding. My view is that as long as parents are spending lots of time interacting with their babies and children, including eye contact and cuddles and periods of undivided attention we shouldn’t demonise a product that may make parent’s feeding experience more relaxed and enjoyable.”