Baby Trends: Check Out the Smart Diaper

Wouldn’t you love it if your baby’s diaper could just talk to you? Think back to all those times when she was crying and you did not know if she was hungry or wet. Hmm… she just ate, so she must be wet, right?  You check and she is not.

New parenthood is much like trying to work your way through a fog. You know that you must go through it, but you are not sure how. It certainly would help to know when your baby is wet so that you can get her changed faster.

This way, she is happier and you can get more work done. You can also help avoid many health issues, such as rashes, dehydration, and urinary infections. Diaper brands have invested billions of dollars into upgrading their products.

A diaper today is a multi-layered marvel of technological achievement. MIT has recently announced that they have been working on smart diapers with Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) that are low-cost and disposable.

Smart Diapers To-Date

You might have used diapers for your baby that have wetness indicators in the form of strips printed on the outside. These typically change color when wet.

However, to check if it is wet, you will need to remove the outer clothing. This does not exactly free you from having to constantly monitor the baby.

To make life easier for you and your baby, you might have also tried diapers with sensors. These are wireless or Bluetooth-enabled and are attached to the outside of the diaper.

However, these require bulky batteries and have portability and hygiene issues. You will need to remove the sensor from the soiled diaper, clean it, and then attach this to the new diaper. You are not exactly saving much time here.

What Are RFID Diapers?

Now, researchers at MIT have developed a moisture sensor that can send a signal when the diaper is wet. The diapers that incorporate these have low-cost and disposable RFID tags embedded in them.

An RFID tag has an antenna for sending out and receiving radio waves with an RFID chip. The chip stores the information of the device that it is attached to.

RFID tags work by picking up energy from the RFID reader nearby and respond with information about the diaper. This information is then relayed to the connected phone or laptop device.

They have substituted the antenna in the RFID with a hydrogel that is used in diapers to soak up moisture.

Since these RFID tags are disposable, you will not need to remove and attach them to the new diaper. These do not require batteries, so you can check those batteries off your grocery list.

Such a diaper is especially useful for nurses working in neonatal units who need to care for multiple babies at the same time. These are also of tremendous use to caregivers in assisted-living facilities.

Why Do I Need an RFID Smart Diaper for My Baby?

Keeping your child is dry and clean can help avoid urinary tract infections (UTIs). Most UTIs are not serious but some can lead to a chronic kidney infection.

This can cause permanent damage such as poor kidney function and high blood pressure later in life.  You can also monitor your baby’s urine output level and keep track of their renal health.

It will also be easier to keep an eye on your child’s hydration levels when they are sick. These smart diapers are safe because the RFID tags are separated from the child’s skin by the diaper’s absorbent core.

Takeaway

The use of smart diapers can help alert caregivers early on to any health issues in babies. Over time, smart diapers can hopefully be made to identify health problems such as signs of incontinence and constipation.

These diapers can help improve care for patients who have limited mobility and are unable to take care of themselves as well.

Smart diapers are the perfect assistant to new and busy mothers who want the best for their baby. A dry and clean baby is a healthy and happy child. So, why not check out the smart diaper for your little one?