Baby milk device has winning formula worth bottling
Innovation
A THERMOS-like device to keep water for baby formula at the ideal drinking temperature is being developed in South Australia.
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Whether it’s a shopping trip, a restaurant dinner or a simple visit to the park, how to keep your child’s bottle warm is a problem that has plagued parents for decades.
Daniel Lauterio’s Warm’n’Ready device that could prove a parent’s best friend when it comes to keeping bottle-fed babies happy when they are away from home.
Warm’n’Ready is a battery-powered thermos that keeps water warm at perfect temperature for up to seven hours and ready to mix with baby formula.
“Imagine this, it’s time to go to the playground, the kids are going crazy and it’s time to get out of the house. You simply pour in some water, you put it in your backpack, nappy bag or stroller and then when your child starts screaming because they are ready for a feed, you get out your Warm ‘n’Ready along with the child’s bottle with pre-scooped baby formula and you pour in the nice warm water, you give it a shake and you serve,” Lauterio says.
The father of two says more than 70 interviews with parents in recent months revealed three main pain points: trying to cool boiling water kept in a regular thermos; an inability to access warm water quickly when away from home; and, parents worried about using microwaves to heat bottles.
He says his product has an insulated stainless steel vessel, a built-in 12-volt lithium-ion battery and can be set to keep water at a constant pre-set temperature between 38 and 45C for up to seven hours.
“It features an easy to pour lid design so you can fill up your child’s bottle in any location – in a car, on a plane, on a boat or a train,” Lauterio says.
“There’s nothing like this on the market designed for parents – an everyday thermos keeps things hot. Babies don’t want hot. Babies want it nice and warm and they want it instantly. Warm’n’Ready gives you that – it eliminates the guesswork.
“We’ve built a working prototype and we’ve already warmed up our customers, we’ve got parents waiting and ready to buy.”
Pre-orders will be taken soon with the first units expected to be available early next year for $99 each.
Lauterio, pictured with Flinders University Vice-Chancellor Colin Stirling, has been part of the university's Venture Dorm program through its New Venture Institute. This week he won a pitch competition run by the New Venture Institute, which expose him to a number of opportunities to help him fast-track the product.
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