Bay Area dad invents product to combat SIDS

TAMPA (FOX 13) - A Clearwater father's fear of SIDS after his daughter was born birthed a product that could help ease parents' fears of a range of potential afflictions for newborns.

Crescent Womb is a cradle attachment that is said to mimic the resting position created by a mother's womb. Its maker says it can ward off things like sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), flathead syndrome, improper spinal curvature and startle reflex.

Inventor James Spencer said after his daughter, Stella was born, he was overcome by the fear something could happen to her.

"Stella was the most amazing thing to happen to me but with this miracle came fear, the same fear that all new parents feel," Spencer wrote on the website for Crescent Womb.

Spencer said he decided to turn his fear into action, and Crescent Womb was born.

After developing the product, he launched a campaign on Kickstarter.com and the reaction was overwhelming. Within 15 days, the project raised three times its goal of $30,000 with 675 people pledging support.

The primary goal of the product is to reduce the risk of SIDS. Many health professionals are troubled by finding a definitive cause for SIDS, which the Mayo Clinic describes as, "the unexplained death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old."

By using a natural, breathable, flexible, mesh we have designed our system to promote a healthy environment, regardless of a baby's movement or positioning.

SIDS is sometimes known as crib death because infants will be found dead in their cribs. However, some research seems to point to factors that put babies at risk, primarily focusing on a baby's sleeping position. Babies sleeping on their stomach or side, sleeping on a soft surface like a comforter, and sleeping in the bed with parents could contribute to SIDS, the Mayo Clinic says.

Crescent Womb's inventors said they looked at these factors when creating their product.

The Crescent Womb looks like a mesh hammock for babies. The product website says it will keep a baby in the proper position "regardless of a baby's movement or positioning."

Another concern the makers of Crescent Womb say their product addresses is plagiocephaly, or flathead syndrome, which can result from a baby sleeping in the same position on a flat surface.

As support for the project grows, the creator is looking toward production and shipment of the product to those who pledged to the online campaign. The first of the $125 product is expected to ship in September. Spencer said the product has also been picked up by QVC and they are working to ship worldwide.

An independent lab tested the product to make sure it meets Consumer Product Safety standards. Parents who have tested it like the simple design, and the fact that there is no bedding around the baby, no crib padding, and that it's made up of a breathable fabric which keeps the baby from overheating.