Project Description: 

1 in 10 babies born in the United States are prematurely taken from their warm and cozy environment of the womb to a noisy NICU environment. These babies, some less than 23 weeks old, are still developing their auditory processing system. Without the mother’s womb, they have no protection from these high frequency noises, and are introduced to the world at a painful and faster rate than they are ready to process. Our team measured the various noises in the NICU and sound levels can get as high as 80 dB. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommended level is only 45 dB. Due to this environment and stressors, these babies are at risk of developing language, auditory processing, and other cognitive disorders. The NICU Superheroes has created a solution that is comfortable for babies to wear, stays in position, is easy for nurses to use, and reduces noise by an average of 30 dB which is 6x more than our competitor! Introducing Halo Hats: our hat comes with inseam pockets and is innovative as we fit a set of gel inserts with different material combinations around the ear that vary in sound attenuation as the baby ages to coincide with natural womb development. Our novel use of gel in the inserts allows for maximum comfortability as it can conform to the baby’s soft ears and is compliant for different sleeping positions, which competitor products and previous solutions lacked being bulky, and non-adhering proving ineffective. Our testing indicated that these gel inserts would not break under the pressure of the baby’s head or the forces that nurse handling would create. Our reusable, washable hat is a cute product that the baby can use throughout their stay at the NICU, allowing them to experience less stress and more positive growth.