Category Archives: Blog

Counterfeits – the highest form of flattery or simply unethical?

Posted on by Leanne Guglielmi

While it’s all very nice to hear someone say ‘when your products are copied, it’s the highest form of flattery’, we’d rather just focus on what is right and wrong and what’s the best option for your child.

Cozy Dozee is an original Australian product and only product of it’s kind made with the integrity of backed in depth research and professional recommendation.  We are very aware of increasing numbers of counterfeit / copy type products being made and sold on various other websites such as Wish, Ebay and Amazon as well as home made products being sold by individuals.  We appreciate our community of Cozy Dozee fans often taking time to let us know when they are concerned about copy products here in Australia.

Sites such as those listed above (and others) are supplying some products to consumers that HAVE NOT BEEN CRASH TESTED.   Cozy Dozee is covered by a number of granted patents and any ungenuine products being sold have a greater potential for injuring your child.  These products bypass important Australian standard safety testing regulations and we advise customers to be wary of purchasing any such products.

All our designs are original and come with a trademark and patent protection.  Counterfeit and copy products have the potential for patent infringements.  However, more importantly, our product has undergone strict testing within the elements of its design and any untested, home made copies, or counterfeit products may cause serious injury.

Please remember, if the product you are considering does not come with our Cozy Dozee label and packaging, it is not one of our products.  Purchase at your own risk!

For more reading, head over here: How do you know if car seat accessory has integrity and is right for your family?

If you are aware of a counterfeit product, feel free to contact us using the contact form HERE.

Is Motion Sleep Good for your toddler?

Posted on by Leanne Guglielmi

motion-sleep-image

Are you wondering why babies tend to sleep faster when they are swayed? This is because rocking a baby encourages a burst of brainwaves that help babies to fall asleep faster. The quality of sleep when baby is swayed is called ‘motion sleep’. Though it helps babies fall asleep, there are arguments over whether this practice does more harm than good to your baby.

It is a mother’s instinct to rock her baby to sleep and by all means, enjoy this as they are little for such a short time.  Don’t you just love it when your baby falls asleep in your arms?! However, when the baby gets used to motion sleep all the time, she may find it difficult to fall asleep unless she carried and swayed. This is time demanding which is particularly true when caring for newborns who need an average of 17 hours of sleep a day. Just imagine always holding and swaying the baby to put her to sleep, even worse, having to perform this duty every 40 minute sleep cycle when the baby stirs.

On average, a baby who is a year older needs to sleep at least 14 hours.  As your baby grows older they’ll need at least 11 hours of sleep. These sleep times include nap times, as often as 2 to 3 naps in a day. It is critical to establish not only a sleep pattern for babies but also ensure the sleep quality they get.  It is easy to establish sleep patterns when you are just staying in the house, but there are times you need to go out and this might confuse the babies’ sleep pattern. This is why there are a lot of sleep aid devices available on the market to help toddlers sleep faster even when not carried or when they are on the go.

The most popular sleeping aid is the infant swings. Most mothers are fond of this because their babies seem to fall asleep on their own, thus more time for them to do other things. We’ve seen the rise of ‘white noise’ sound makers (same concept as putting a radio on static!).   Other very useful devices are strollers and car seats.  These are always recommended by sleep specialist and baby whisperers for witching hour when kids might only need a quick 40 min nap to help them through to the evening. Other times children are sleeping in their car seats are after a busy day out, or on a family road trip.

Yes, they can make life a lot easier for children’ sleeping time, but babies especially should not spend more than 2 hours sleeping in these equipment. This is according to Dr. Ben Hoffman of American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention. They are for napping only and not for longer periods of sleeping. The quality of sleep is not the same when babies are sleeping comfortably in a still cot where they reach REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep.

 

During the REM stage, there is random movement of the eye and this is when babies dream vividly. There are REM cycles, at the beginning of sleep which does not last long and then the following cycles last longer than the previous.  The bottom line is children don’t fall into a deep sleep in motion sleep.  So if you are wondering why they may wake up more cranky just think of yourself sleeping on a train with bobbing head to know what it’s like. This quality of sleep puts kids only in light sleep caused by motion stimulation.    This is according to Marc Weissbluth, pediatrician and the author of the book “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child”. He says that motion-induced sleep for children can be compared to the type of sleep an adult gets when riding an airplane.

We are not saying that car seats or strollers are bad at all. If your little one sleeps in a pram, the rocking motion can help develop her vestibular apparatus, which send out messages to the nervous system to help with a number of things like balance and speech.  Rocking can be very helpful (especially on unsettled days) but try not to make them an every sleep occurrence and ensure other naps and night time sleeps are appropriately long enough for your little ones age and development.

Here are some safety tips for when using strollers, car seat or bouncers:

  • Always remember that babies, regardless of age, should not be left unsupervised while sleeping in car seats or strollers.
  • Make sure that the baby sleeps flat on his back and the face is clear of anything that may cause suffocation.
  • Follow the car seat manufacturer’s instructions for a good seat/strap fit or seek professional advice if you need assistance.
    Read on below for an image with our essential top 10 tips for FORWARD FACING car seats!
  • Always keep an eye on your baby when they are put in these devices, regardless if they are sleeping or just sitting comfortably.

Remember if you are stuck in the car over nap time, or during a long holiday drive, Cozy Dozee can help make the best of motion sleep, by helping to support your child’s head and neck from persistent ‘yo-yo-ing’.  This improves sleep quality and comfort, to help your child wake up more refreshed, when there’s no other choice but sleeping in the car.  Find out more at www.cozydozee.com.au

On the Road with Kids – Car Essentials

Posted on by Leanne Guglielmi
08 Sep

Are you on the road with kids?  Whether it’s in and around town, or you are heading off on a holiday, these are the 10 car essentials you’ll want to pack.  My favourite is number 9!
 

  1. First aid kit (Band-Aids / antiseptic cream / wipes)
    Let’s face it, kids are always knocking, scraping, bumping and cutting themselves.  So it’s always good to keep some antiseptic cream and wipes and some Band-Aids on hand.  That way it doesn’t matter if you are out at the park, on the way to school or on a big road trip, you know it’s there to back you up!
  1. Plastic bags:
    Personally I grew up with sinus issues, so the amount of tissues I go through alone is one story, but with kids, rubbish does mount up, banana skins, yoghurt tubes that are leaking those last drops and more.  I always have a stash of plastic shopping bags to use as bins, great for an emergency sick bag, great for putting wet clothes in when there’s been an accident, emergency library bag for school if you forgot to pack one, or when you just realise you need to make life easier as you need to carry some things and you didn’t bring a stronger envirobag/canvas bag.
  2. & 4: Water + long life snack:
    There are always times when you get stuck in the car in traffic or caught up somewhere and you’re caught out with no snacks while the kids are begging for some food.  I always leave water (not in plastic bottles) and some corn crackers to snack on for emergencies.  Other ideas might be a packet of tiny teddies (for a special treat), a fruit tube or sultanas kept in a Tupperware.
  1. Season appropriate wear: Sunglasses/hat/suncream or Jumper/Umbrella:
    Who knows what this crazy weather is doing from day to day.  We recently experienced the coldest Winter’s day in 10 years in Australia, so I always like to have back up gear for each season.  If the sun decides to show it’s face and you decide to go to a park unexpectedly, your covered with Sunglasses, a hat and sun cream or if it’s chillier than you expected and you are caught out, a spare jumper for each of the kids is a must.  Don’t forget the umbrella either.  I keep a small foldable one which fits nicely inside the door.
  2. Restaurant or just hanging around busy bag:
    I came across the idea for a restaurant backpack a little while back and thought it was fantastic.  Pack a small bag for your children which has a few things they can do quietly if they are waiting around.  It doesn’t need to be restricted to going to a restaurant but how about when you are waiting at the Doctors (better than playing with those horrible ‘have they ever been cleaned toys!) or if your kids need to tag along to one of your appointments or waiting for a sibling’s class lesson to finish.  Don’t rely on an ipad.  Pack some activities such as colouring pencils and an activity book, perhaps some stickers, a small toy (that doesn’t have any sounds), a book or how about some ‘therapy’ putty (which is like play-do but not so messy and doesn’t dry out.  Put some little beads in there to hide and ask your kids to ‘find the treasure’. I’m sure you can think of some more ideas that your kids would love.
  3. Tissues and Baby Wipes:
    One can never have enough tissues and baby wipes which are great just to clean hands and faces and wipe up any spills and I’m not just talking on you!
  4. Extra clothes
    You’ve got your jumper already packed but how about a spare set of clothes, something light to cover you for all seasons, for example a pair of light cargo pants and short sleeved top.  That way you are covered in an ’emergency’ just to get you home if there have been any toilet accidents or getting absolutely covered in muck at the park.  If your kids are younger obviously don’t forget to pack the nappies too!
  5. Stickers
    One thing I like to do is a have a secret stash of stickers in the glove box.  I choose a theme for each of my boys (one likes cars, the other one animals) and if there is a disturbance of any kid you can pull out there stickers and get them to focus on choosing one (which leads to calming down) and where they are going to put it (big decision!).  Stickers are great in a traffic standstill, for major melt downs, bumped knees and don’t forget stickers for rewards when they have been quiet or good when you’ve asked them to be.  I often get a work call and have the boys in the car.  So I say, ‘this is a work call and I need absolute silence’ = sticker!  Just don’t over use them or they loose their value.
  6. Cozy Dozee
    Of course this one has to be thrown in as an essential. Cozy Dozee is an award winning, gentle head support for sleeping children in the car.  If your child is forward facing in their car seat, with a 6 point harness and you are:

– caught out and can’t make it home for nap time or
– on your way back from a big day out of fun or
– on a long road trip

for your own comfort and your child’s, have your Cozy Dozee in the ‘ready to use’ position permanently, so you are good to go for all of those unexpected, and expected, naps.

Leave a comment with your favourite essential or something else you’d like to share!

Drive safely!

How do you know if a car seat accessory has integrity and is right for your family?

Posted on by Leanne Guglielmi
20 Jun

Let’s take a look at what’s important when considering a car seat accessory for your family.

We all want to keep our children safe in the car and car seat manufacturers have been doing just that for decades now. So how can you know if that small addition to your car seat is a good choice for your family?

When you are looking at that cute car seat cover, the tray table, or that neck pillow there are some things you need to consider.  Has the product been crash tested?  How does it rate against the Australian standards?  Has it been developed and manufactured with an appropriate level of integrity?

The car seat accessories standard (AS/NZS8005:2013) was brought out mid-2013 and is voluntary. So to begin with you want to make sure that you are using a car seat accessory made by a company that has chosen to crash test, even though it’s not legally necessary.

The core point of the accessories standard is to ensure the performance and protection of the child restraint is not compromised.  So, has the accessories company stated this?  Can they say they have undergone duty of care with extensive crash testing to ensure there is no effect on the performance of the child restraint allowing the child restraint to deliver it’s un-compromised protection?

Most car seat Manufactures don’t own an in-house crash facility and therefore turn to and work closely with, accredited ones such as Crashlab and APV Tech Centre, Australia’s only NATA accredited facility.  This is where a third party accessory would also need to be tested. We don’t know of many third party accessories that have gone to this extent, after all it’s a voluntary standard and testing costs an exorbitant about of money.

The accessories standard requires the accessory to follow the core issue of not interfering with the performance or protection of the restraint but that’s not really enough.  This is an important point.  What about the effects on the child?  Does it introduce any injury for the child?

  • Can the tray table ‘whack’ their head? Remember forces in an accident can be up to 20 times the force of gravity, so when a car stops suddenly, objects inside keep moving meaning a 1L bottle of water could ‘pack a 20kg punch’.
  • Does the neck pillow push their head forward and outside of the protection zone, which could be a disaster for a side impact accident?
  • Has the accessory or car seat cover undergone flammability testing.

Ensure you buy from companies that have used reputable testing facilities, perhaps AWTA Product Testing or CSIRO.  For products under a mandated standard (AS/NZS1754), approvals are given by companies such as SAI global who audit the product, so it’s important to use accredited testing facilities.

Are you buying from a business that has gone above and beyond with testing, keeping your child’s well-being at the forefront of their mind?

What about you?  Does the accessory have benefits that assist parents?  Does your little one keep having a nasty poo explosion on the seat and would a wee guard mean you might have less washing and is worth considering?  Does that head support help you concentrate on driving, instead of turning around at every set of lights to lift up a floppy head?  A Monash University study found children are 12x more distracting to drivers than mobile phones.

So, is there an accessory that will actually help YOU feel less stressed and distracted in the car, so you can focus on safely driving from A to B.

Are there independent reviews on the product, by parents and experts in the industry (think Engineers, Safety experts, perhaps Physiotherapists for comfort products), that can offer you an honest and unbiased opinion?

Ensure you are doing your homework.  Research the company’s website and find out how they perform in an accident.  Making guesses where your kids are concerned can lead to poor outcomes. Look for the evidence and focus on the facts and let those results influence your decision if a car seat accessory is right for your family.

 

Why don’t car seat manufacturers recommend third party accessories?

Posted on by Leanne Guglielmi
18 Apr

This is a question we are often asked. So let’s take a deeper look at the reason behind it:

The short answer is: to cover themselves (for liability) and why wouldn’t they want to!

Everyone wants to do their own research so they can comment accurately from data and facts. Just as we have done with our products. There is no point claiming something if you can’t back it up with the proper evidence.

Continue reading →

Australian Child Restraint Resource Initiative’s Review of Cozy Dozee

Posted on by Leanne Guglielmi
02 Mar

The Australian Child Restraint Resource Initiative (ACRI), if you aren’t familiar with the name, is an organisation dedicated to supporting authorised child restraint fitting stations. It is one of the main bodies in Australia that trains our wonderful car seat fitters.

ACRI ‘car seat fitters’ are actually ‘child passenger safety technicians’ because they take a holistic approach to your child’s safety. It’s never solely about the restraint you’re using or who ‘fitted’ it that makes the difference in travel safety. They’re also regularly kept up to date with best practices, road rule and other changes that constantly occur within the industry.

Continue reading →

How watching the news made me reflect on a blade of grass

Posted on by Leanne Guglielmi
05 Jan

I have to admit, I rarely watch the news. It does keep me in a bubble which has both positive and negative effects. Watching the news mostly makes me feel that clichéd feeling of ‘the news is depressing’. The highlight of positivity is always that last minute at the end of the program, where you might find out a new gorilla has been born at the zoo.

Continue reading →

Who, What, Why???

Posted on by Leanne Guglielmi
05 Nov

 

It’s Cozy Dozee’s 2nd birthday in a few days (8th Nov 2015) and I’m feeling all sentimental and reflective. So, I thought I’d take a moment today to officially introduce myself for those of you that don’t know me and let you know why I want to be here…

My name is Leanne and I am the Owner and Founder of Cozy Dozee. The official title ‘Managing Director’ doesn’t quite give the I feel like, so I’m sticking with the former!

For me, Cozy Dozee is all about feelings. Feeling comfortable, feeling cozy, feeling less stressed, feeling relieved and just plain old feel’in the love! Hang on is that me, or Cozy Dozee?! Anyway moving on…

I’m Mum to two gorgeous boys. Ok yes I may be sllllightly biased and currently holding back my hand from pasting in a ‘baby photo’ here, but really I’m not, they ARE gorgeous little souls! The idea for the Cozy Dozee was conceived, around 5 years ago, when my heart would break every time I saw my son’s head flopping forward while he was sleeping. You feel the same, right! There was nothing out there to help.

I know that awkward, uncomfortable position only too well and I don’t know about you, but my nervous system starts firing up when I see it! My heart crumbles and my concentration on the road is suddenly broken, as I’m thinking about how to help them. Know what I mean?

Over the next 2 years, I developed the Cozy Dozee and worked alongside Doctors in the fields of Engineering (Biomechanics) and Road Safety. Cozy Dozee was crash tested to Australian standards and I am happy to say passed them all! You can read more about the nitty gritty of that here: Testing

That has been the really amazing (and fun!) part for me and I’ve learned so much. The great thing is now I can share that education with you. I’m passionate about my product and how it can help you and your family.

A lovely side ‘bonus’ has been that I have been able to help many special needs families too. A few of these precious kiddies are pictured here: Giving Back. Cozy Dozee wasn’t developed for that specifically, but it’s funny the way things turn out. It’s been such a wonderful surprise along the way, one that I feel really great about and extremely proud of!

Cozy Dozee won the Silver Ausmumpreneur award for Innovation in 2014 and is backed by Professionals in Physiotherapy,Osteopathy and Chiropractic (Their testimonials are here: Testimonials).

So you know when you shop with me at Cozy Dozee, you will always be greeted by someone who has been in your shoes and knows how you feel. I will greet you with a warm smile (even if you can’t see if from that side of the computer, I guarantee you’ll feel it!).

I genuinely want to help you and I know that I can, because we have done the research and back our product 100%. When using a Cozy Dozee, you will feel relieved, less stressed, and happier to see your little angel sleeping more comfortably. Then you can concentrate on what needs to be done, driving from A to B, safely!

All of my products are Australian made, so I really am offering our customers a beautiful, high quality item that has had a lot of research and love put into it.

I hope you can feel it too!

Remember, if you ever have any questions or feedback, I’m only too happy to listen and help. Otherwise I invite you to head over to the website for a look around at www.cozydozee.com

Hear from you soon!