Any fans of The Apprentice will have seen an innovative new baby sleepsuit, called the BabyGlow, winning the day for the Apollo team. What clinched the team’s success, was a massive order from Kiddicare, who 'signed up' for 10,000 BabyGlows.
However, when parents went to buy the BabyGlow straight after the show, they found strangely it wasn't in stock on Kiddicare's website. It turns out that it was a pretend order – just for The Apprentice TV cameras. The idea is that if this was real life, Kiddicare would have put the order in.
However, within a couple of days (and a huge amount of post-show interest) Kiddicare is now stocking BabyGlow. The baby grows are also available to buy from the BabyGlow website – www.babyglowshop.com, costing £29.95 for two.
So what is BabyGlow?
It was described on the programme as the world’s softest thermometer. It’s a baby sleepsuit that changes colour if your baby gets too hot. When your baby reaches safe temperature again, it returns to the original colour – pink or blue.
It doesn’t require batteries. Instead, the suit’s inventor, Chris Eberjer, has worked with scientists to develop heat-sensitive pigments which are then embedded in the baby grow.
While it’s a new design, heat-sensitive sleepsuits are not a new idea. We revealed that Asda introduced its own range of heat-sensitive babywear in September last year, which alerted parents if a baby was getting too hot.
You can get a 2-pack of ‘Temperature Alert’ Sleepsuits from ASDA for £6, or a 3-pack vest set for £5.
BabyGlow is considerably more expensive at £29.95 for 2 sleepsuits. Clearly the technology has moved on, and the BabyGlow suits mean it’s easier to detect if your baby is getting too hot, as the colour of the whole suit changes, whereas the ASDA suits have a temperature sensitive icon on the fabric behind your baby’s neck.
Here at MFM we can see that BabyGlow will appeal to new parents who are very worried about overheating and the risk of cot death. However, we also have the following thoughts:
1 It’s a very expensive buy at nearly £15 for each sleepsuit. If you’re putting your baby in a sleepsuit each night, you’d need at least three sleepsuits so you can have one washing, one drying and one to wear.
2 The babysuit we saw on the show was lightish pink. The colour change to white would be difficult to see in dim light – ie, when your baby is sleeping in a darkened room. Would you need to turn on the light each time you want to check the sleepsuit?
3 Most baby monitors now come with built-in room thermometers, which are clearly displayed on the parent unit or easy to see in the dark in your baby’s room. Some will alert you by beeping if the temperature gets too high.
4 Could it make some very nervous parents feel they constantly have to check the colour of their baby’s sleepsuit all through the night? Does it gnaw away at the common sense that parents have?
There’s a simple, free way to check if your baby is too hot – feel your baby’s skin temperature with your flat hand on his back or chest. If he feels hot, sweaty or clammy, he may be too hot, and you should look at removing a layer of clothing or a blanket. Check again in 15 minutes to check that he feels cooler.
Find out how many blankets your baby needs according to the room temperature.
We’d love to know what you think of the BabyGlow – would you buy it?
