Neonate Feeder

A simple solution for suckling issues commonly experienced by newborns and their mothers

Skills

Rapid Prototyping
3D Modeling
Product Research
Brainstorming
Third Party Integration

Course Project

Problem

Many infants are born with certain complications that cause them to have difficulties with breastfeeding. Currently, to fix this, caregivers will train the baby by using the finger feeding technique. This method is inconvenient as it requires three hands: holding the milk, feeding the baby, and holding the baby.

Requirements

The solution should...

be easy to use
- Feedings average 15 minutes every 4 hours daily
be operable with a maximum of 2 hands
- Mothers want to feed without help

be safe for baby's health
- The device will be near the baby's mouth
allow for variable flow of milk
- Training requires the baby to learn how to get milk by changing the milk's flow rate

Approach

Solution

We were able to implement the DirectMed IV Roller Clamps as our solution. Mothers and caregivers are now able to exercise the finger feeding technique with 2 hands while still being close to their baby. The Neonate Feeder is used in the palm of the feeder and is adjusted with the thumb to gradually open and close the feeding tube.

The client interview along with user observations led us to brainstorm solutions for the problem. We decided the hand holding the milk was to be eliminated from the feeding method.

Research led us to finding an alternative for controlling the flow rate without changing the height of the milk bag. IV Roller Clamps are known to be used for controlling the flow rate of fluids into the body by externally compressing the tube carrying the medication. Initially, we pushed to design our own roller clamp for this application. I led the designing, modeling, and printing these custom roller clamps.

We realized that this method would not be feasible for practical implementation of the device and we were advised to look for existing roller clamps that are compatible with the special feeding tubes. DirectMed, a medical supply company, allowed us to purchase in bulk the IV Roller Clamps we needed.