Karekot

20/10/2022

This article captures one of my real frustrations with the portrayal of aesthetically pleasing baby sleep images but which are, in reality, dangerous for the baby. Such images, especially if shown by celebrities on social feeds such as Instagram can wrongly influence mums and parents in their buying decisions. My plea is keep it simple: Place the baby in a sleeping bag, or in a blanket with arms outside and edges tucked under the sides of the cot so there is no danger of it covering the baby's face, put the baby's feet to the base of the cot, and, most importantly, have nothing else in the cot.

A recent study shows that three out of four stock images show babies sleeping in unsafe environments. The study was carried out by Baby Center and analysed hundreds of images available on stock photography sites such as Getty Images, iStock, and Shutterstock. Each year, there are about 3,400 sudden....

29/09/2022

Some good news! I am delighted to say that Karekot will feature, in its full prototype glory, at HARROGATE INTERNATIONAL NURSERY FAIR LIMITED as one of three finalists in the Baby Products Association Concept and Innovation Awards. I look forward to meeting with all the lovely people I met last year when showcasing the concept of Karekot (on a rather primitive stand using my camping table and chairs as can be seen in the photo!) and I look forward to meeting other brands and manufacturers who might be interested in partnering/licensing with me to help get this much-needed product to market.
So, fingers crossed everyone that I get a really good outcome, so I can finally say Karekot IS coming to market!

03/09/2022

It's quite shocking that in the 21st century, in an advanced society, we are facing headlines advising us how to keep our babies warm in winter. Co-sleeping is one of those issues that can be quite divisive with contradictory claims about whether it is safe or not. What I would draw from this item is not to use cot bumpers thinking they will give extra padded warmth - they should not, in my view, be used in any circumstances at all.

Experts have warned that parents have been given some 'harmful' advice about how to keep babies warm and are urging them to use safer methods as winter approaches

15/07/2022

An update on Karekot. Unfortunately, it's not the update I wanted to give.

Those are words that no entrepreneur wants to hear. But when they are heard after nine months of painstaking and positive negotiations, with a perfect company resulting in a proposed perfect deal, it is too painful to bear.

19/05/2022

There are some promising developments here in relation to identifying potential causes of SIDS linked to a specific enzyme in babies' blood. Whilst still a long way from empirically proving the cause, let's hope that further research provides more evidence that could help to identify preventative measures as well.

Scientists find babies who died from Sids had lower levels of BChE on average, but say link ‘needs more investigation’

12/02/2022

Sleep regressions aren't real. Night wakes are normal, and protect against SIDS. And 12 hours of sleep isn't a gold standard. Here's what scientists want us to know about baby sleep.

10/02/2022

Direct link to video mentioned in the post below

The Roadmap alternative MBA is a CPD certified training course which provides the real world skills to grow a business, aimed at organisations of less than 2...

10/02/2022

OK, it has been a while, well, a very long while since I have posted and that's because I'm waiting to announce something extremely positive very soon which has come about as a result of me attending Harrogate International Nursery Fair. I cannot say anything more for now, but, needless to say, my fingers and toes are all crossed!
Harrogate was brilliant, I got loads of interest from potential buyers, and retailers, even though I didn't have the prototype there for people to see, and my stand was, as you can see in the photo, very basic!
In the meantime, I would like to share a video with you:
Last summer I had the pleasure to work with Steve Pugh of Roadmap MBA (https://www.roadmapmba.com/) who supported me in making a fantastic video about how Karekot came about. Steve has been an invaluable source of support and I want to thank him wholeheartedly for that, but I also want to share the video with you, as maybe some of my experiences with cots will resonate with yours? Take a look here:
https://youtu.be/LIrE1YcG1jc

11/10/2021

Some news: I'm off to Harrogate International Nursery Fair this weekend where I am on a stand (H4) to show-case the latest design for Karekot to get feedback from all the buyers and retailers who will be present.
Inspired by my own experience of using a wooden barred cot with my baby, which wasn't good when she regularly got her arms and legs trapped in the bars(!), Karekot is totally soft-sided, breathable and washable and has a unique drop side that will help prevent injury to adults lifting heavy toddlers in and out. Thanks to the Innovate UK Women in Innovation award I am inching closer to bringing Karekot to market, so it's important I get views from attendees on colour for example, or whether to make it in white or solid wood, or any other colour for that matter. All your views are mega important too, so please feel free to share them?

11/08/2021

I've just found out that The Successful Founder published an article about me, and my reasons for creating Karekot, way back in May 2021. So, if you'd like to know more about my story, and why there is a random picture of Wonder Woman in this post, go to
https://www.karekot.com/a-little-bit-about-me/
and all will be revealed!....

Enjoy!

https://thesuccessfulfounder.com/f/meet-the-successful-founder-katharine-paterson

22/06/2021

Some research from the USA on the sensitive subject of sharing a bed with your baby that concludes that sharing a bed does not increase parental bonding,often one of the reasons given for doing it (along with ease of feeding and supporting nighttime waking).
However, it does encourage sharing a bedroom with your baby, for the first six months at least.

MONDAY, June 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Whether to share your bed with your infant at night has been the subject of heated debate: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises against it, recommending room-sharing but not bed-sharing, while others promote the practice as part of an idea called...

21/05/2021

I don't know who this guy is, but clearly he is an influencer. Take a look at how he has dressed the crib he has painstakingly made for his daughter. I want to scream!!!! Cot Bumpers!!! Really???

This is so sweet! ❤️