New mother whose baby had colic comes up with novel way of getting him to sleep

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Solution to sleepless nights! Mother who was at the ‘end of her tether’ because her baby son wouldn’t sleep without being held quits her job to develop £300 swinging cot

  • Suze and Kev Patel, from Solihull, struggled to get their baby Kaelan to sleep 
  • Kev’s parents brought back a traditional swinging cot from holiday in India
  • New parents were amazed when Kaelen started to sleep for four to five hours
  • They designed a £299.99 swinging cot designed to help lull babies to sleep

By Georgia Simcox For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

A new mother who felt she was ‘at the end of her tether’ because her baby son wouldn’t sleep unless he was being held has developed a swinging cot to help lull babies to sleep. 

Suze and Kev Patel, from Solihull, West Midlands, struggled to get young Kaelan to sleep as he would wake every couple of hours during the night and only nap while being held during the day.  

Suze said: ‘Kaelen had really bad colic and often would only go to sleep in my arms. It made me scared I’d fall asleep myself holding him. 

Suze and Kev Patel, from Solihull, West Midlands, struggled to get young Kaelan to sleep as he would wake every couple of hours during the night and only nap while being held during the day. Pictured, Suze with Kaelan as a baby 

Suze and Kev, who met while working at an accounting firm, were delighted when Kaelen started to sleep better in the cot and decided to quit their jobs and come up with their own model inspired by the design. The result is the £299.99 NiniPod, pictured

Suze and Kev, who met while working at an accounting firm, were delighted when Kaelen started to sleep better in the cot and decided to quit their jobs and come up with their own model inspired by the design. The result is the £299.99 NiniPod, pictured

‘I had post-natal depression so I was grumpy, sleep deprived and at the end of my tether which made life difficult.’ 

However things changed when her parents-in-law brought back a traditional swinging cot from their holiday to India. The cot was designed to let the baby swing back and forwards slightly, encouraging sleep. 

Suze and Kev, who met while working at an accounting firm, were delighted when Kaelen started to sleep better in the cot and decided to quit their jobs and come up with their own model inspired by the design. 

The result is the £299.99 NiniPod, which features a bassinet attached to a stand to create a gentle, bouncing pendulum style rocking motion.

Kev was out at work and Suze suffered from post-natal depression until Kev's parents brought back a traditional swinging cot from their holiday in India and the couple were shocked when Kaelan started sleeping for four to five hours at a time and napping in the living room

Kev was out at work and Suze suffered from post-natal depression until Kev’s parents brought back a traditional swinging cot from their holiday in India and the couple were shocked when Kaelan started sleeping for four to five hours at a time and napping in the living room

Their second son Lucas trialed the new cot when he was born, and now tries to climb on it when he sees it in boxes

Their second son Lucas trialed the new cot when he was born, and now tries to climb on it when he sees it in boxes

While a parent is lying in bed or sitting on the sofa, they can pull the pull strap to rock the cot, which can also be used for travel and can increase in height as it grows with the baby.

Their second son Lucas trialed the new cot when he was born and the NiniPod was launched in October last year.  

What is colic?  

Colic is when a baby cries for more than three hours a day, three days a week for at least one week but there’s no obvious cause. 

They may cry more often in the afternoon and evening. 

It may also be colic if it’s hard to soothe or settle your baby, they clench their fists, they go red in the face, they bring their knees up to their tummy or arch their back, their tummy rumbles or they’re very windy.

It can start when a baby is a few weeks old and usually stops by the time they’re six months old.

Source: NHS 

Suze said: ‘We still wanted to help parents, especially at a time when parents couldn’t get the support from friends and family that they’d normally get so we just decided it was now or never. 

‘With so many babies being born in lockdown, not being able to meet other family members, and parents not being able to get much needed support from those outside of their bubble, we are more determined than ever to get the NiniPod and its benefits out there.’ 

Suze said they are able to support parents in the way of ‘giving them extra sleep’ and their babies a decent, longer sleep which is crucial for their development.  

Suze and Kev, who are used to working together, have enjoyed spending time at home working on the family business. 

Suze added: ‘Family is a big thing for us and we’ve always said we’d rather be here watching them grow up rather than missing out. It’s not something you get to do again.’ 

Parents who’ve bought the product took to the website to praise the design, saying it has improved their babies’ sleep. 

One posted: ‘This is a beautifully designed crib that was really easy to assemble requiring no tools. We really like the swaddle that clips to either side, this keeps our baby secure and assures us that she won’t roll onto her front. Our baby also loves the gentle rocking and the long strap is very convenient for rocking.’

Another wrote: ‘Worth every penny! We had a moses basket with a rocking stand and it was so creaky. Our little one used to wake from the noise but clearly liked the movement too so we were a bit stuck. We saw the NiniPod on social media and after many sleepless nights decided to get it. Wish we’d done it earlier!’ 

Safety expert Sara Quayle said the NiniPod is a ‘lovely product that is well thought out’.