Please help for my gcse

[20ella03]

Hi I'm creating a product for my textiles GCSE which is aimed particularly at premature babies and their families. The product is a baby grow which is made from thermochromic fabric which turns from a colour to white when the baby's body temperature rises above 37 degrees, thus alerting the parents/carers that their child is overheating. I have also planned for there to be some small magnets sewn into the cuffs of the sleeves which improve circulation and remove acidity from the body caused by disease or infenction. I would really appreciate it if you would reply back and tell me any necessary requirements you would have for the product so that I can improve and alter my design accordingly. Thanks : )

I have also planned for there to be some small magnets sewn into the cuffs of the sleeves which improve circulation and remove acidity from the body caused by disease or infection

Don’t include magnets. Everything you’ve written here is pseudoscience and they’d be a choking hazard.

The magnets must be well sewn as they can be deadly if swallowed.

Suitable neck line for ease of undressing

I agree on the magnets.

Have easily accessible velcro (or similar) openings where tubes might go.

Depending on how premature you are aiming it at, consider how the fitting/fastenings can be changed to aid dressing a baby who is in an incubator, or who has tubes and wires to accommodate. And ditch the magnets!!

Magnets are a major hazard.

I like your creative thinking, using technology and all that. However, there is some evidence to suggest that premature babies benefit hugely from skin to skin contact and being carried next to their mother's heartbeat. I'd worry that a colour changing baby gro might encourage new parents to leave babies lying down and to rely on the baby gro too much.

How about modifying or creating a fabric baby carrier/sling that is strong, breathable,easy to put an extra tiny baby in, and doubles as a sort of decorative pashmina when the baby is not in it?

Although I am loving the ideas about having places to put tubes.... and premature babies do need to wear something!

Great innovative thinking at your age! Good luck in your GCSES.

remove acidity from the body caused by disease or infenction

sorry, that's bollocks.

Soft fabric. None of those silly feel labels - have info printed on inside.

Minimal seams.
Kimono style fastening rather than over the head kind.

Not what you asked but....
Not sure what way the fabric would need to be treated so it would colour change? Chemicals? If I had a preemie I’d be wanting as free from chemicals as possible.

Lots of premature baby grows don't need to be pulled over the baby's head, they close at the sides and wrap around. Space for wires/tubes is a good idea. Maybe a flap on the back or tummy so parents can place a hand underneath to maintain skin to skin whilst in an incubator?

Can the fabric be washed at a high temperature and still function? It will need to be if it's for prem babies. Can you confirm that 37 degrees is the point of concern? We were told over 39 degrees up to three months and over 40 after. I'm really worried that you say magnets are some kind of treatment for a none existent problem. No medical professional I spoke to mentioned such a thing so I think it's snake oil. To be honest parents with a premature baby don't need to be confused by such nonsense, they have enough to worry about. Perhaps you could consider something else for your project. We were given knitted squares to take home to pick up our scent which we swapped each day at the hospital. They were comforting for us, and hopefully for our baby. Please do consider very carefully what you are suggesting and talk to medical staff on a neonatal unit if you have the opportunity.

Please do post the research that shows magnets remove acidity from the body.

Please do NOT ever mention the above pile of BS to your textiles teacher.

It is worth considering at what point on the babies body the temperature is likely to change. Generally I think the warmest part would probably be the armpit but would you see that?

You would also need to consider ease of washing, potential costs involved of purchase and at what point are you thinking of the baby wearing it? When it is first born in hospital or once it is home?

Good luck with your GCSE, I did textile GCSE and it was one of my favourites

Magnets do not and cannot alter the pH of the blood or body tissues.

OP please ignore @ChateauRouge, that is exactly the sort of thing you should discuss with your teacher - otherwise how do you learn! I say that as a secondary science teacher myself.

@ChateauRouge at the other end of this thread there is probably a 15 year old child doing a GCSE, which involves learning and making mistakes along the way. Don't be so bloody nasty!

Oh and OP if your textiles teacher suggested the magnets send them to the science department for a chat 😉

No magnets, really dangerous for babies, and don't do anything for health.

To get an accurate temperature reading you need to use an internal reading like those ear ones or under the tongue. Even the armpit will give a slightly lower reading. Could you do some research into what temperature the baby grow would likely be when the internal temp is too high?

Or like PPs have said, one with access flaps for wires and tubes is a really good idea without being too complicated, you'd just need to research where they need to go.

Good luck x

Fab idea here good on you for 💭 of something original. As mentioned above it needs some tweaking. Perhaps you can do research at a local baby group, maybe a questionnaire?

Remove the magnets

You can’t have them in an incubator with all the wires!

They’re a choking hazard

In no way do they remove acid from the body

What I didn't twig earlier was the temperature issue - prem babies are more at risk of being cold than too warm, that's why they are in incubators in hospital or skin to skin. A high temperature might indicate infection but medical staff would be monitoring that (constant temperate monitoring in hospital). I think you might be looking at a solution for a problem that doesn't exist, sorry to put you off but having spent a long time in hospital with a premature baby it is a very sensitive subject for me.
In our case our baby stayed in the incubator whilst he had a drip. He didn't have a baby grow on in there as the temperature is regulated. Once he was stable and could maintain his temperature he was taken out of the incubator and wrapped up nice and warm in layers. His heart rate/temp monitor fell off a lot as it's attached to the foot with a velcro strap. Thinking about it, if you want to do something for tiny babies, a sock that keeps the monitor in place could be useful. Sorry if I sound harsh, it's hard to explain what a difficult time it is in the early days of having a premature baby.

Thanks so much for all your help with my last request for help. I would really appreciate it if you would go onto the link below and fill out this quick survey that I've created to help me out. (I think it's only about seven questions)
www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZPMPVCY
Thanks a bunch : )

you need to rewrite your survey

premie isn't a word
you need to define baby so you know how old the children are of the parents that are filling this in

good luck with it!

Thanks for the advice @pretendingtowork1. I have changed the name of the survey and would appreciate it if more people would fill it out. : )
www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZPMPVCY

Internal and external temperature are different things though. I think you need to do a lot of research into the temperature side of things.

The survey is also still coming up as ‘premie mums questionnaire’.