Babies need to keep warm. Even more so when they’re born premature or with low birth weight. While that can usually be solved with an incubator, they aren’t the most accessible in developing countries, where high costs (modern ones can go for as much as $20,000) make them very difficult to acquire. The Transport Infant Warmer offers a much more affordable alternative.
Developed by Embrace Global, the baby-sized wraparound blanket can keep hypothermia at bay for up to six hours at a time. After that, the heating element can be rewarmed quickly via an electric heater for twenty minutes. If one isn’t available, you can put it in warm water to achieve the same functional heat levels.
The Transport Infant Warmer is a hypoallergenic nylon sleeping bag that wraps around the baby, creating a comfy space for them to sleep in. Warmth is provided by a heating pad containing a wax-like substance that retains heat at 37 to 35 degrees Celsius for several hours. The pad is slipped into a pouch located in the back of the material.
Initially slated to be released in India, where an estimated 40 percent of the world’s underweight babies are born, the product is expected to be used for transporting newborns to hospitals, where they can receive more appropriate care. Specific markets in Asia and Africa will follow after that.
Price for the Transport Infant Warmer is a very affordable $200, a far cry from the several thousand dollars that even the cheapest incubators typically go for.
[Embrace Global via SFGate]