Research and Development for Baby Changing Products and Their Regulation

Thousands of children’s injuries are reported annually. Kids in Danger is a nonprofit organization that lobbies for safer regulations for infants, and they have identified falls as the primary area of concern. With support from Dr. Erin Mannen, our team has worked to develop a design that limits the child’s ability to initiate a roll by limiting motion of the infant’s hips, thereby preventing them from moving towards the edge of the table. The product design presented complies with all current regulations, but many of these were deemed outdated or unuseful. As a result, the table also follows a new recommended set of regulations proposed by Dr. Mannen. Should these standards be implemented, they would reduce the risk of asphyxiation, believed to be a common cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Team Members

Sam Standal
Shane Sacolick
Joey Mogavero
Alex Houst

Department

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering

Mentor

Aaron Smith, Ph.D.
Erin Mannen, Ph.D.

Sponsor

Kids in Danger, Nancy Cowles