The Beginning of the Sooother™

... proof necessity is the mother of invention.

Ken Bloemer is the proud Father of twins, Aaron & Jessica. Unfortunately, they were born very prematurely at 24 weeks gestation. Ken & Jeanne were ecstatic when their twins finally arrived home after 101 days from Good Samaritan Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ecstasy soon turned to sleepless nights and high anxiety since the twins, like most preemies, suffered from colic.

Seemingly endless crying and general restlessness sent the parents searching for literally any product or routine that claimed to pacify babies, including swings, vibrating seats, wire frame bouncers, whole crib vibrators, sound generating devices (Mom’s heartbeat, rainstorms, lullabies, etc), rubbing warm oil on the babies’ bellies, night time drives ... nothing worked consistently.

One night, Ken recalled that the best NICU nurses who successfully calmed the twins always used a gentle, vertical bouncing motion. Aaron & Jessica just happened to be swaddled in typical "pumpkin seats" with a carrying handle. Ken tried the vertical bouncing motion manually and was thrilled when each child immediately stopped crying. When he stopped, the wailing began again, when he started again – peaceful contentment.

In the days and months that followed, Ken noted the basic characteristics/parameters of the motion (now captured and fully protected in multiple granted US Patents) and set out to find any commercially available product that provided this motion. Nothing was available.

Ken realized that this was one of the "mother" of all unmet parental needs and recruited Ed Westerkamp and Dan Meiser to help make this product a reality. In the summer of 2005 the first Sooother™ prototype was ready just as Ken & Jeanne had their third child, Nicholas. The Sooother™ proved its remarkable infant pacification attributes. In addition, it also provided a way to help get Nicholas on a regular sleep schedule.

The Sooother™ is a "must have" product for busy parents who need a respite from constant baby demands.

The Sooother™ has now been rigorously tested, with 100% success, in one of the most renowned infant testing labs in the world and with numerous babies through BMW, LLC. This motion has been proven through the ages; however, the device that delivers this motion is truly a "new to the world" innovation.