British Mum Launches Baby Sleep Invention

snoozeshade-logo-230x80A UK-first baby sleep product – SnoozeShade – launches in national
retailers this week. Surrey mother, Cara Sayer (38) invented the product, a
removable blackout shade which attaches to prams to help babies to sleep for as long as they need while out and about, to make her own life easier and hopes it will help parents in the same way. It is a safe and secure alternative to the common sight of prams draped with blankets.

SnoozeShade launched in October 2009 at the Baby Products Association Show in London and was received very well with orders placed at the show based on the working prototype that Cara displayed. Just four months on, SnoozeShade will go on sale in JoJo Maman Bebe and Kiddicare along with a selection of independent nursery retailers. It will also go on sale in the next month with Mothercare.

The idea came to Cara in 2008 when she was struggling to keep her daughter Holly, now two, to her sleep schedule whilst in her pram.

SnoozeShade has been received to rave reviews by industry experts and has been awarded the “Prima Baby Loves” logo and ‘Most innovative Product’ by Baby London magazine. It has been shortlisted in the National Women on their Way 2010 awards in ‘Outstanding New Product’ category.

Elaine Griffiths, Prima Baby’s editor commented, ‘Sleep is really important for babies and toddlers, but as a mum there’ll be times when you need to be out and about and on the move – naptime or not! Most products designed by mums tend to address real parental needs, and the SnoozeShade is an ideal solution to help your baby sleep if you’re away from home or on the go.’

“SnoozeShade was borne out of my own personal experience of the difficulty of keeping my daughter napping in her pram or pushchair when I was out and about. I didn’t want to be trapped at home whilst she slept but needed to make sure she got the sleep she needed. Coats and blankets were unreliable and didn’t always work in breezy or sunny conditions. Many of the covers available on the market pride themselves on the fact that baby can see out whereas a mum needs baby to switch off to nap.

I looked everywhere for something that would help and when I couldn’t find a product that existed already my friends and family told me to stop whining and do something about it.

Many people I have spoken to along the way say that they can’t believe that it hadn’t already been thought of but the reception it has had from major retailers such as Mothercare, Jo Jo Maman Bebe and Kiddicare shows there are still new products to be invented.

Although I have spent over 18 months on product development and testing it’s hard to believe that it’s just four months since I exhibited at the Baby Products Association Show. SnoozeShade will go on sale in three of the UK’s top nursery retailers – Mothercare, Kiddicare and JoJo Maman Bebe as well as many other outlets. Necessity is definitely the mother of invention in my case and I have more ideas for other products which has led to me forming a parent company – Really Simple Ideas Ltd.”

A spokesperson from Jo Jo Maman Bebe said, “JoJo are constantly searching for innovative products that offer a point of difference for their customers. Many parents struggle to get their children to sleep during daylight hours and the SnoozeShade is the perfect solution.”

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