Among the many questions that new parents have regarding the care of their baby, one of the most common has got to be "How much should we be feeding them?". Of course, that brings up another question, namely "How much are they eating?". The Tel Aviv-based designers of Sleevely claim that their product can provide the answers. It's a "SmartSleeve" that an existing baby bottle slides into, which monitors the infant's nutritional intake.
As is the case with so many other new "smart" gadgets, Sleevely incorporates an app that runs on a Bluetooth-linked iOS device – an Android version is in the works. Among other things, that app is initially used to tell the SmartSleeve what make/size of bottle is being used, along with the type of formula (or breast milk) that's in the bottle.
From there, the sensor-equipped SmartSleeve monitors the temperature of the formula, and the amount that is consumed per feeding. That amount is determined by the distance between the sleeve's two flexible arms, which decreases as the volume of formula within the bottle drops.
The raw data is sent to the cloud for processing, then displayed on the app screen. The app also records and displays the time and date of each feeding, along with the identity of the caregiver.
All that data won't mean much on its own, however, so the app additionally advises parents on how much and how often their wee one should be eating, providing feeding time reminders and recommendations. It also shows where their baby falls within a growth chart of infants of the same age group, plus it sends alerts when the formula's expiration date is approaching.
The designers of Sleevely are currently raising production funds for their product, on Kickstarter. A pledge of US$29 will currently get you one, when and if they're ready to go.
More information is available in the pitch video below.
Sources: Sleevely, Kickstarter
Just breastfeed the baby when he/she wants to eat. Babies come with a built-in feed reminder. and boobs are already a "smart bottle". Both of these things are customized for each particular baby rather than relying on averages.
@Rt1583 - Hey there. Parents do read the graduated marks on bottles. At the same time many parents want or actually need to follow up on their baby’s nutrition. Today they have to use manual input apps or write the information down, and both tasks are error prone and cumbersome. Now, for the first time, we offer them a simple and affordable solution that’s 100% automatic and captures empirical data with great accuracy (±0.03 ounces).
@Amanda Lee Matthews - Dear Amanda. We fully agree and support that breastfeeding is the best natural way to feed your baby and encourage every mother to breast feed. But unfortunately it’s not the case for many mothers - In the US 76% of mothers start breast feeding on birth but only 38% exclusively breast feed by 3 months, as many mothers can’t breastfeed due to physical issues and many others have to manage life’s challenges so can’t relay on breastfeeding as the only source of feeding. Sleevely is not meant to replace mother instincts but to support and strengthen them. Sleevely captures accurate and empirical data from all of its users so it can recommend, based on feeding history, comparisons to peers at same age group and growth charts, quantities and times for next meals. It’s completely up to the parents to decide how much and when to feed and we know we can help them in the process.