Talking Teddy Bear Lulls Babies To Sleep

Talking Teddy Bear Lulls Babies To Sleep FARM HOME Novelty Items 5-1-31 Here's a "teddy bear" that's more than a toy or sleeping companion for your baby. It's the "natural" way to pacify newborn infants. The bear contains an audio unit about the size of a cigarette case which transmits sounds babies hear in the womb before birth. "These familiar sounds have a tranquilizing effect for the newborn baby suddenly exposed to the outside world," says the manufacturer. The recording of intrauterine sounds was made by a doctor who inserted a microphone into a mother's uterus shortly before birth. It was located near the baby's ear so it would "hear" the same sounds the unborn child hears. The sound recording is on a silicon chip and encapsuled in the audio unit which is battery powered. The unit fits into a pocket of the cuddly 12-in. plush bear, sold under the trademark of "Rock-aBye-Bear". Volume of the recording can be turned up to counteract background noise and turned off after the baby goes to sleep. Originator of the unusual concept is Dr. William C. Eller, an obstetrician at Holy Cross Hospital, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. "The birth experience and transition from a peaceful, quiet existence inside the mother's body can be a very traumatic and difficult period for the newborn. Picking up the sounds that the baby hears for the last four months of pregnancy and playing these sounds to the newborn after birth can have a calming effect," he says. Hospital reports on the new bear are enthusiastic. A spokesman at Holy Cross Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale says, "It works like magic. We have, I think,, the quietest nurseries anywhere. Within 30 seconds after the tape begins to play, crying stops. Within 60 seconds, nine out of 10 babies are asleep." Rock-A-Bye Bear is reportedly "flame retardant, non-allergenic, washable, and baby safe." It weighs 12/2 oz, and sells for $40. The company advises parents that the Rock-a-Bye Bear is not a substitute for usual care of an infant that is hungry, wet, or tired. The Rock-a-Bye sound is not a form of medicine, medical treatment or medical procedure - it is simply a baby pacifier. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Rock-aBye Baby, Inc., P.O. Box 24160, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 33307 (ph 305 561-5111).

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