Jonas Hurst: Many moms and dads worry whether their baby is too hot or too cold and because they can't tell us, it can be a case of trial and error in making them feel comfortable. Well, health is at hand, I am glad to say, with a range of cloths that use a space-age technology to keep your baby at a regular 37 degrees.
Karen Wellman, the designer, is here along with mom, Sarah, and baby, Felix, who is fitted out in the gear. Hello to you. Karen, I am going to have to start with you. First of all, where did you get this idea from and explain exactly what it is.
Karen Wellman: Okay. The idea came from I was involved with SIDS many years back and the thoughts that knowing that temperature was a big contributing factor to SIDS and seeing some of the products out in the market, I just felt that if I could come up with a technology that was actually incorporated into the fabric, into baby wear, then it would be very simple, but great concept.
Jonas Hurst: And you had a history in designing.
Karen Wellman: I have a history in designing. I am a designer by trade, and I love inventing if I am being really honest, and I love technology. So it's a little bit of mixture going on there. But I think to -- I searched, looked for the technology for approximately six months and there are lots of systems out there; water cooling and wiring and goodness knows what else. But this system is very, very simple and it was used in the NASA astronaut suit and the way that it works is there is millions of micro capsules that are incorporated into the yarn and when they sense a rise in temperature, they take the heat away from the baby's body temperature, store it, and then slowly release it back when it senses a dropping temperature.
Jonas Hurst: So this is incredible. So it actually keeps the baby at 37 degrees and if the baby gets hotter, it will cool down; if the baby gets colder, it will heat up.
Karen Wellman: Keep it warm, yes.
Jonas Hurst: That's actually just -- I have to admit, when I read about this, before you came in, I was expecting you to bring in something that looked a bit spacey. It sounded some kind of space outfit but if you look down here, these are just brilliantly normal and just normal cloths, but I mean they are very snug and very warm and very -- they are just cozy and thick on it. But I was expecting kind of wise and to see the science, you know what I mean, but it's all in there, all incorporated.
Karen Wellman: I could have worn a space outfit for you if you want me to.
Jonas Hurst: This looks so comfortable. I want to get in it. I mean it's nice thing. So right, Felix is fitted out in kind of a two-piece --
Sarah: Comfy outfit.
Jonas Hurst: Comfy outfit and I mean generally, contend the little boy in there.
Sarah: Yeah, it does. It feels just gorgeous.
Jonas Hurst: So as a mom, I mean how did you find about it?
Sarah: Through a magazine I read about it and about the sleep sack, but it is the difference between a baby sleeping in it and not. It really is, there is something about it's so – it is baby number three. They are so comfortable. They are just divine and you tuck your baby in them, and off they go to sleep and they can't wriggle out of them and they are not rigid like the others.
Jonas Hurst: So it's called 37 Degrees Clothing. Where do people find out about it and where can we get them?
Karen Wellman: We are currently selling at Selfridges. We are on the website, which is www.37degreesltd.com and --
Jonas Hurst: Information will be on our website as well for people who want to know. Well, I was about to say. I mean with all the science that's involved in designing these, are they pricey? I mean I haven't actually found that yet. I mean I am expecting it to be quite pricey or it's okay?
Karen Wellman: It's not too bad at all. I mean, actually that goes for £38.
Jonas Hurst: This is £38!
Karen Wellman: This is £38.
Jonas Hurst: Karen, that is amazing. I was expecting to say a lot more than that. I mean it's hard for the viewers to kind of see but it's so thick and snug and such a lovely material. I was, honestly, expecting you to say a lot more than that.
Karen Wellman: No. It's --
Jonas Hurst: That's great.
Karen Wellman: Our objective is to first of all make sure that it's a little bit higher than the normal, sort of baby grow, or the vests because these are everyday items that mothers need to put their children in. But, we also want to actually keep the price fairly relatively –
Jonas Hurst: Competitive.
Karen Wellman: Well competitive actually, sort of realistic for mothers.
Jonas Hurst: I want you to make one for grown men.
Karen Wellman: My worry is when the baby can't fit in it anymore.
Jonas Hurst: I know, well let's ask about that. At what they age do they go up to?
Karen Wellman: We go up to age five currently in pajamas because as Sarah says, if your temperature is the biggest disruption of sleep and if your temperature is sort of stable, then you are actually going to have a better night sleep.
Jonas Hurst: So it's mostly night time clothing.
Karen Wellman: No, no, we do daytime; ultimately, you look at the environment.
Sarah: Soothing clothing, very soothing, it is.
Jonas Hurst: Soothing clothing and why 37 degrees. I mean am I being silly? Is that the --
Karen Wellman: It's the normal body temperature.
Jonas Hurst: That's the normal body temperature.
Karen Wellman: 37 degrees.
Jonas Hurst: Because I am going to say, I mean you all know this as a parent, and too I am a parent and when you read all the books, which you do, before the baby arrives, you are constantly being told to keep the baby at the right temperature. Sometime they will tell you like, how do you monitor it? How do you do that, but actually this solves that. It keeps the baby at the right temperature.
Karen Wellman: It does, I mean I think you -- there is an element of common sense and your mid wives won’t stop teaching you, you need to put your hand on the baby's back to check the temperature. The other great thing about this product is it's not an insulator. So ultimately if a baby has a temperature and it's really important for us to know those because you need to solve the problem. If a baby has a temperature, you are going to see all the baby’s -- you are going to see the little cheeks will be red.
Jonas Hurst: Yeah, I was going to ask about that. Can you just hold Felix up a bit more in this way so people can see this? You were having fun with that. I mean this is the pretty snug. Now this is a studio with lots of lights. So you expect to think the baby is quite warm, quite hot but you can kind of put your mind at rest, knowing about what he is wearing, it's going to keep his temperature to regular 37 degrees.
Karen Wellman: He is probably better off than we are.
Jonas Hurst: It's just brilliant, isn't it? And so at night times, when you are wearing the nappy sack, or whatever that called, what do you call it?
Karen Wellman: Sleep sack.
Jonas Hurst: Sleep sacks! You don't have to worry about whether to have the baby and clothes underneath it or not because that will still keep the baby at 37 degrees.
Karen Wellman: I mean, we live in ever changing environment. We have central heating. We have air conditioning. We have hot weather, we have cold weather. The climate change consistently and not only are we are sort of in and out of shops and central heating goes off at 10 O'clock.
Jonas Hurst: And in the night time, you don't want to leave the window open and --
Karen Wellman: If it is cold, you use common sense. You put long sleeves on the baby, but if it's baking hot, you don't; simple as that. You use these clothing as you would do with any sort of environment.
Jonas Hurst: Okay. So Sarah, well for all of you this question is, we touched on it earlier, if your baby is ill, if he is ill, one of the things that you have noticed is that it might be getting hotter than usually is, might have temperature or some sort, is that going to be a problem? If he is wearing this, if he is wearing this outfit, it's going to be misleading. The temperature is -- it's going to keep him at the right temperature but he is going to be ill and not showing the obvious signs, you know what I mean? Would you have that concern?
Sarah: No, I don't know. I mean I have put him in these when he has felt warm and there is something reassuring about it, actually we felt more confident that he going to get best in it.
Jonas Hurst: Is that chief thing for you that you can't put your own mind to rest as to whether your baby is --?
Karen Wellman: Well, we have lots of couples as well.
Jonas Hurst: Yeah obviously, lots of other ones.
Karen Wellman: But I think that’s really important. They aren't insulators and you are not going to be able to put your baby in a baby gown, walk out into the freezing cold and expect them to stay warm for a massive amount of time. They will stay warm for much, much longer than they would do if they wear normal clothing but it is important to stress that's on --
Jonas Hurst: We would just like to read this out. It's Professor Ara Darzi from St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. He's talked about 37 degrees, the range, and he says, this new technology has great potential and will produce the long desired result of keeping newborns at the optimum temperature. He also says there is also a great potential for future development with medical conditions which also rely upon temperature regulation, giving that temperature is a major contributing factor to the recovery some of the patients. So you have even got kind of expert supporting this which must be a great thing, a great feeling for you.
Karen Wellman: Well, it is. I mean it’s really interesting when you look at the medical field and you understand that when somebody undergoes an operation, their body temperature drops dramatically and if you can help maintain that temperature, then their recovery time is much better and along with the minimal sort of infection.
Jonas Hurst: It must also be good for premature babies. They find it very difficult to regulate their own body temperature.
Karen Wellman: Yes, we have been talking to some of the doctors about that as well. So we are quite involved and we want to be involved in all these sort of organization to help make life easier. It should be easier.
Jonas Hurst: And you've already heard from Sarah here that she quite like you to do the range for higher than five years old. Can you keep on going?
Karen Wellman: Yes definitively, we would like to do that too.
Sarah: When it comes to the sense they just can pull the covers over themselves until then it is very necessary.
Karen Wellman: We are looking at techniques in sort of different form of bedding things like mattress, covers and all others.
Jonas Hurst: I mean I think you have mentioned it, but do you still put sheets and blankets over the baby.
Sarah: No, I don't.
Karen Wellman: I don't put anything. She did the bottom off the cart.
Jonas Hurst: See that's amazing, isn't it? And babies are more susceptible to temperature as we know. I mean do you know the scientific reasons why? Is it something to do with surface area compared to the volume, I have been told.
Karen Wellman: It’s also to do with retaining heat in their organs and also allowing their organs to sort of – one of the reasons they get really hot when they have just got off the sleep is, their organs are releasing heat to enable them to rest and grow and it is great that these guys grows incredibly. So that is a quite an important part and they don't have an efficient system as we do to maintain body temperature.
Jonas Hurst: The other great thing about all these things is really, it's great for the kids but it is also great for the parents because having a baby is a very stressful thing, and you want to make sure you are getting it right. So it kind of puts your mind at rest. So Felix is a happy boy, aren't you Felix? He just kind of wants to run around a bit.
Sarah: He loves it and when we get away, we just take Felix in sleep sack and you’ll know you are fine.
Jonas Hurst: That's good. If you have got the answer then that's -- so here it is 37 Degrees Clothing, thank you. Felix, don't worry, I am wrapping up. Thank you very for coming and good luck for that.
Karen Wellman: Thank you very much.
Sarah: Thank you.
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