NEW Medela Baby

MEDIA RELEASE: 14 May 2021

Medela Introduces Category Expansion with New Baby Care Product Line Developed with Experts, called Medela Baby

  • Medela Baby Leverages Company’s Breastfeeding Expertise and Knowledge of Infant Suckling Behaviour to Launch New Soother Line
  • Medela Baby launch campaign ‘In love we grow’ emphasizes the precious bond between mother and baby, nurtured and deepened as they grow together
  • New Soother Collection Available for Purchase Around the World Through Retailers and ECommerce
Medela Baby soft silicone

Today Medela, the world’s leading breastfeeding advocate and partner for mother’s milk, announced the launch of Medela Baby, a new baby care category line offering a full range of soothers for infants through 36 months in Australia. This category expansion combines Medela’s 60 years of expertise on breastfeeding and 30 years of scientific research on the natural suckling behaviour of breastfed babies with the decades of experience in silicone manufacturing excellence of Bibi, based in Switzerland and acquired by Medela in 2019.

Following the acquisition of Bibi, Medela infused its years of knowledge on infant suckling behaviour with experts in silicone manufacturing to create an exclusive soother portfolio designed according to the highest standards in safety and quality, while delivering a soft, lightweight, gentle-on-skin feel. A soother, when used responsibly, can be complementary to the infant's well-being.1-2 Developed in cooperation with midwives, dentists, speech therapists, lactation experts, and ergonomist, the Medela Baby portfolio features a collection of newborn to toddler soothers in the optimal size, form, weight and characteristics for ideal tongue, lip and jaw movement. 3-4

"Medela has been an advocate for breastfeeding for nearly 60 years, and our new Medela Baby soother collection reflects all the insights and research we know about infant suckling behaviour,” says Annette Brüls, CEO of Medela worldwide. “We’re thrilled to introduce Medela Baby to the market as a natural extension of our company’s mission and commitment to support mothers and babies in a holistic approach.”

The soothers feature Medela Baby’s exclusive SensoPearlsTM for a gentle-on-skin feel and enhanced airflow, a symmetrical teat with a thin neck and reduced teat volume for healthy gum and jaw development,3-4 with a light and ergonomic shield to fit the contour of baby’s face. 5-6 The Medela Baby Collection includes four styles of soothers:

  • Soft Silicone, supports natural suckling with a one-piece super soft, lightweight and flexible design. Inspired by Medela’s Contact Nipple Shield, it is shaped to fit under the nose to not interfere with breathing and smelling the comforting scent of the mother.
  • Newborn, the smallest and lightest design, developed for babies under two months of age, features an extra light and small symmetrical teat to fit smaller babies’ mouth. Made of very soft and flexible silicone, allowing baby to easily squeeze at this early stage of tongue and muscle development.
  • Original, the perfect everyday soother available in 3 sizes (0-6 months, 6-18 months, and 18+ months), and in a variety of designs. A study shows that this soother was accepted by 9 out of 10 babies.7
  • Day & Night 24-hour 2-piece set, includes the Original soother and a Night soother that glows in the dark. The set is offered in 3 sizes: 0-6 months, 6-18 months, and 18+ months. A study shows that this soother was accepted by 9 out of 10 babies.7

Medela Baby soothers come with either a protection cap or Steribox for hygienic use and easy transport and storage. The collection is made from food-grade silicone without BPA or BPS, and produced in Switzerland, meeting the highest safety design and quality standards with the added benefit of Medela’s leading research-based commitment to supporting breastfeeding mothers and their babies.

In Australia, the full Medela Baby portfolio will be available for purchase through leading retailers and on e-commerce sites including Baby Bunting, Chemist Warehouse, Big W, Target, Woolworths, Amazon and Nursing Angel beginning June 2021, with products available for purchase between RRP $8.99 through to RRP  $13.99.

About Medela
Founded in 1961, Medela, headquartered in Baar (Switzerland) is one of the world's leading companies in the development of breast milk feeding products and solutions and medical healing technologies. In cooperation with renowned researchers, experts and universities, Medela conducts basic and exploratory research to improve future patient care and the quality of life of our customers with a portfolio of medical vacuum technologies, including award-winning breast pumps, and also breastfeeding accessories, nursing apparel and now Medela Baby. Medela has 21 subsidiaries across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Asia, and a sales network of independent partners in more than 100 countries. The company runs production and warehouse facilities in Switzerland, the US and China and employs over 1,800 people worldwide. www.medela.com

References

1 Lubbe W, Ham-Baloyi W ten. When is the use of soothers justifiable in the baby-friendly hospital initiative context? A clinician's guide. BMC.
Pregnancy. Childbirth. 2017; 17(1):130.
2 Rocha CR et al. Soother Use and Breastfeeding: A Qualitative Study of Postpartum Mothers. Breastfeed Med. 2020; 15(1):24–28.
3 Furtenbach M, Specht-Moser B, Adamer I. Myofunktionelle Therapie Kompakt I - Prävention:
Ein Denk- und Arbeitsbuch. Vienna: Praesens Verlag; 2013. ( vol 2). 235 p.
4 Schmid KM, Kugler R, Nalabothu P, Bosch C, Verna C. The effect of soother sucking on orofacial structures: a systematic literature review. Prog Orthod. 2018; 19(1):8.
5 Stüdeli T. Ergonomic criteria for the design of soothers. In: 5th International
Conference Ergonomics 2013, Zadar-Croatia.
6 Stüdeli T. Ergonomic recommendations for the design of soothers. In: Proceedings of 5th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics AHFE 2014.
7 Stellar Survey conducted for Medela, Jan 2020. 400+ babies, 0-16 months.