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Daddy Clay: Today in The Lab, I've got Chad Zunker, inventor of the Baby Shusher. Come
right on back and learn about this really cool new app. Today's episode is brought to
you by BabyBjorn, maker of the Travel Crib Light. It's hard to believe but sometimes
even using the most cleverly designed light and comfortable travel crib in the world,
you sometimes have to comfort the child before they'll go to sleep. Speaking of that, we're
joined by Chad Zunker, inventor of the Baby Shusher. Chad, explain to me exactly how this
magic app of yours works. Chad: Basically, what the BabyShusher app
does is it makes a loud rhythmic shushing noise. What that does is it reminds babies
of the noise they've constantly heard while they're inside the womb for 9 months to where
they yearn to be back to the comfort of where they were. And part of that is hearing this
loud blood rush flow noise. And so the Baby Shusher tries to recreate that and it ignites
a natural calming reflex in a baby. And helps them relax and go to sleep.
Clay: Okay, so traditionally, humans have tried to do this by shushing themselves right?
As you're rocking. So what's the advantage, why do we need an app for that?
Chad: My wife and I when we had our first baby were not fully prepared like most parents.
Had a very fussy first baby. Tried everything, wouldn't work. Came across this rhythmic shushing
technique and when I tried it with my Anna, it worked like a snake charmer. Problem was,
my wife Katie could not do it loud enough or long enough for it to work. The first full
week I had to play superhero every time swoop in every time Anna was fussy, which was ten
times a day. Shush, put her down, go back to life.
Clay: So it's a technique that not everybody can do you think?
Chad: That's right, yes. Right. Clay: And that's where the app comes in?
Chad: That's where the app comes in. So what I did was I got into my lab, which was my
car. Lay quiet and I recorded myself on a digital recorder shushing for 10 minutes.
Next time Anna was fussy, pulled it out, worked the same way as if I was holding her. So suddenly,
my wife was able to carry my shush with her everywhere she went. And it became the most
valuable tool in our arsenal. Clay: So is that the app? Is the app now you
shushing? Chad: So, basically, once we had so much success
with that tool and we tried it on our second baby and it worked just as well. And all the
baby nurses in the hospital were mesmerized by it, we went home and said how do we get
this into as many people's hands as possible. Came across this idea of doing an app. Recorded
myself shushing in a studio. Had it professionally mixed to what we felt like was the perfect
human shush. Put it into the app. Clay: You may be the only professional baby
shutter. I mean, are there others like you out there? You baby shushing freaks.
Chad: I don't know. My wife and I laugh every night thinking that there might literally
be thousands of babies that I'm shushing around the world.
Clay: Well that's a very interesting and satisfying line of work that you have.
Chad: It's very weird. Clay: But it does work. You've seen that it
doesn't just work on your children. It works on other people's children as well.
Chad: Yeah. Before we even set out with it, we had to decide is this just our kids or
will it work on others. So we tested it out with ten random babies around town. And every
single one of them had success. All of the moms came back and said this works great.
Some of them begged me at the door to keep the test recorder because it was the best
three days they had had with their baby. With the shushing technique, doctors recommend
that you're close enough to the baby within two feet so that they don't hear the peripheral
noise. You can use it in the crib. We actually recommend on our web site, an iPhone holder
that has an adjustable neck so that you could use it in car seat, you can use it in a stroller,
you can use it in a crib. Clay: So the iPhone is in there and the baby
in the crib, but what if somebody calls me and my Katy Perry ring tone is going off.
Is that gonna like upset the baby? Chad: That's a good question. And because
no baby should have to listen to Katy Perry, we prompted the app to first instruct the
user to turn it on silent mode or airplane mode.
Clay: And I also notice on of the things that's interesting about your application. It also
has a community feature. Chad: That's right. One of the things that
we really wanted to do around this whole shushing technique and equipping parents was get them
connected with other parents to share secrets, support each other.
Clay: Are you worried that you're gonna have like insomniacs, like a herd of zombies like
dragging themselves to your door hoping to be shushed by you?
Chad: I haven't thought about that Clay. And maybe now I should be worried. But my friends
have joked that twenty years from now, I could be walking to the mall and people hear my
voice and suddenly just start turning and following me.
Clay: That'd be creepy. Chad: Very creepy.
Clay: So tell me, where can we get the Baby Shusher?
Chad: Right now, you can go to the app store on iTunes and pick it up for your iPhone or
your new iPod Touch or your iPad. And in about a month, you'll be able to go and get it for
the Android version. Clay: Chad, thanks so much for joining us
here in the studio. You've got to check out the Baby Shusher. It it works for you or even
if it doesn't, come back to the community at DadLabs.com and tell us about it. We want
to hear from you. We also want to thank our sponsors BabyBjorn, maker of the Travel Crib
Light. Once that baby is calmed down ready for sleep, gotta put them right down in the
Travel Crib Light. It's the best. From BabyBjorn. We'll see you next time.