[By Katerina Kyselica] In the Czech Republic, one of every ten infants is born prematurely. They can fit into the palm of your hand. They need special attention and care. They should receive a welcome gift like other newborns, if not something more special. However, Czech parents of prematurely born babies often walk out of the hospital empty-handed.
This rather unfortunate approach to welcoming premature newborns might be coming to an end. That is because a Czech non-profit organization, Nedoklubko, which raises public awareness about medical complications of premature babies, called upon Czech designers to design a hat, a spoon and a pacifier. All for the smallest ones.
The winning design of the spoon is playful, yet sensual. Designer Zuzana Labudova created an S-shape, elongated curve that extends the handle of the spoon for more comfortable feeding. It ends on one side with a small size spoon just right to fit the small mouth. An abstracted flower sits on the other side of the curve – it attracts the attention of the baby during feeding.
A baby hat must not only protect and stabilize the baby’s body temperature, but it must fit well without being too tight. For premature newborns, the hat has to also allow for the possible attachment of live-saving equipment. The winning design of the hat by Blazena Ostrovska – currently a resident in the prestigious Prague Academy of Art and Design – creates a positive perception of the premature baby wearing it. It gives the parents a sense of acknowledgement that society is aware of their problems and thinks about their baby.
Although Nedoklubko is still looking for funding to manufacture the winning designs, I hope their approach to design and understanding of the role in design inspires not only other institutions and organizations but designers themselves.
the winning design of the spoon by Zuzana Labudova
the winning design of the hat by Blazena Ostrovska, photo: Michal Aichinger
the winning design by interior designer Petr Mikosek
the first runner-up for the design of spoon, design by Petr Mikosek
Filed under: Design, Prague Tagged: | Baby, Design, Prague, Product
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