Thousands of families, both here in Australia and the rest of the world, are trudging through life with the burden of sleep deprivation caused by the relentless itch-scratch-wake cycle of eczema.
Eczema is rising in Australia with as many as one in five children developing it before the age of two, with similarly worrying statistics being reported worldwide especially in the UK where the NHS states that one in five children in the UK suffer from eczema.
In eight out of ten cases, atopic eczema occurs before a child turns five. In fact, many children develop it before blowing the candles on their first birthday cake.
This means that on top of the age-old challenge of sleepless nights from the cries of their newborns, new mums also have to cope with the added strain of the baby being woken by a need to itch and scratch as well as the visible damage to the infant’s delicate skin.
Furthermore, both environmental and food allergies have been on the rise lately. They have been identified as some of the triggers that make the condition even harder to manage.
A solution born of one mum’s determination
South Australian mum Kelly Northey’s son was diagnosed with eczema at six months old.
She became distraught and sleep deprived from her baby’s incessant scratching and skin damage, so she went on a mission to discover a sleeping bag that might offer a solution.
“I struggled to find a sleeping bag that would fit him for longer than a couple of months, was made of lightweight fabric that wouldn’t aggravate his skin and most importantly had hand covers to prevent him scratching,” Kelly explains.
Kelly couldn’t find anything on the market that ticked all of these boxes, so she invented her own and the Bamboo Bubby Bag was born. It is a uniquely designed sleeping bag specifically for children who suffer from eczema.
The bag has a two-pronged approach to assisting eczema-suffering babies:
1. It is made of natural bamboo/organic cotton that protects and doesn’t irritate the skin.
2. The innovative Adjust-a-Sleeve™ design protects the skin from scratching and gives it the all important time it needs to heal.
How has the Bamboo Bubby Bag been received?
The unique design of the Bamboo Bubby Bag has earned it several awards along the way including the AusMumpreneur of the Year 2012 – Favourite Product and our very own Smart 100 Awards 2012.
And now, Kelly’s innovative bed time solution has expanded beyond the borders of Australia to the UK , New Zealand and the United States (via Amazon and other distributors).
An online community of parents has grown very quickly from the love of this product. There are over 5,000 Facebook fans of Bamboo Bubby that provide a support network for parents by posting stories and tips regarding eczema.
Kelly has also launched a free eczema e-zine on the site, an online magazine full of articles and advice to help parents understand and deal with eczema better.
