Fragile infants graduating from the NICU ward need to be weaned off of tube feeding and begin normal breast and/or bottle feedings. Determining when the child is ready for this big step is not easy, pretty much remaining a guessing game that experienced clinicians are best at. Now comes to market a new solution from NFANT Labs, a firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm received FDA clearance for its nfant Feeding Solution, a feeding bottle that can detect the movement of the tongue of the baby as it’s trying to suck on the nipple.
The device consists of a coupling that sits between the nipple and the bottle, and a sensor component that goes over the top that actually detects the movement of the tongue. The coupling is disposable to maintain cleanliness, while the sensors can be reused repeatedly.
The sensor component has wireless capabilities, transferring data to a paired tablet or smartphone that displays detected movements in real time. The same data is also uploaded to the cloud, allowing someone other than the person feeding the baby to analyze it and make decisions on whether to continue bottle feedings or to stay with the tube.
Product page: nfant Feeding Solution…
Press release: NFANT Labs…