Ford's concept crib simulates a soothing car ride to put baby to sleep

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,256   +192
Staff member

As any parent will tell you, trying to get an infant to fall asleep can be an exercise in futility. One possible solution to the situation, as odd as it may sound, is a car ride. Plop the kid in a car seat, cruise around the block a few times and with any luck, they’ll be fast asleep when you pull back into the driveway.

Of course, that’s easier said than done for a variety of reasons. Maybe it’s raining or really late at night and you’re too tired to get behind the wheel (or perhaps you don’t own a car – not uncommon in a densely populated area like New York City).

Whatever the reason, they’d all be irrelevant should Ford bring its latest concept to market.

The automaker has developed a baby crib that simulates a soothing car ride. Dubbed the Max Motor Dreams, the bassinet-sized cot features a gentle rocking motion to simulate the movement of a vehicle, LEDs to simulate passing street lights and even artificial engine noise.

As Engadget notes, motion and engine noise data is pulled from an accompanying mobile app which gathers real-life data from your own vehicle (after all, your kid is used to your car, not some generic simulation).

Unfortunately for sleep-deprived parents, Ford has only built one Max Motor Dreams so far. Given enough interest, however, I suspect they might change their tune.

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It may seem stupid and all, but it (the car ride) actually works. That was the most efficient technique for my parents to put us to sleep when we were babies; even part of my mom's common anecdotes. Even up to when I was 5/6 years old it kept doing the trick, and that I can remember. It seems like far more people noticed the same thing and worked for them too.
 
It may seem stupid and all, but it (the car ride) actually works. That was the most efficient technique for my parents to put us to sleep when we were babies; even part of my mom's common anecdotes. Even up to when I was 5/6 years old it kept doing the trick, and that I can remember. It seems like far more people noticed the same thing and worked for them too.

It's not stupid at all. I've always thought of it as a common tactic.
 
I'm not arguing with the results but the sound of traffic would drive me nuts which beats the point of making the baby sleep if I can't at the same time.

Ask me again in 2 months, (or sooner) and I might be begging for something like this however as my first is due on the 26th April....
 
This is actually kind of brilliant. Of course, putting on a documentary show at low volume also works great. Anything where the narration is at a pretty constant volume, pace and intensity. If you can blank the screen while its playing, all the better.
 
I'm not arguing with the results but the sound of traffic would drive me nuts which beats the point of making the baby sleep if I can't at the same time.

Ask me again in 2 months, (or sooner) and I might be begging for something like this however as my first is due on the 26th April....

Enjoy the prodigy Taurus !

And congrats.
 
This is really REALLY bad.
Sleep is a skill babies need to learn. Sure first few days it can help getting your child to sleep faster using a car, but if your child doesn't learn to go to sleep alone, you need to get a fuel budget for sleepy time.
just get one of those audio/video thingies to help your child go to sleep for the first few months, as first skill to teach is to go to sleep without moving/rocking/any kind of vibration, then you get rid of the sounds and any other stuff that help the child to go to sleep.
ONCE your child learns to go to sleep alone, you will be rewarded with good night sleep. Simply suffer for the first 6 months or so and you will be rewarded.
I didn't do all of that, and it took about 2 years to be able to get decent sleep at night....
 
I'm not arguing with the results but the sound of traffic would drive me nuts which beats the point of making the baby sleep if I can't at the same time.

Ask me again in 2 months, (or sooner) and I might be begging for something like this however as my first is due on the 26th April....
Congrats.
I don't envy you for the first few years but in the long run, I'm certain you'll find all the hassle, lack of sleep and effort was well worth it.
My eldest granddaughter turn 10 on 26 April.
 
Congrats.
I don't envy you for the first few years but in the long run, I'm certain you'll find all the hassle, lack of sleep and effort was well worth it.
My eldest granddaughter turn 10 on 26 April.
Thanks, the general consensus seems to be the first year or two are very up and down. Hard and stressful yet very rewarding at the same time.
MIght find me commenting on here more often due to sleepless nights lol
 
ROFLMAO ..... and let's not forget the value of an old Ford Truck and a pot hole filled road when it's time to deliver that new baby. More bounce for the ounch and kiddo appears! PS: don't stray too far from the hospital .....
 
Thanks, the general consensus seems to be the first year or two are very up and down. Hard and stressful yet very rewarding at the same time.
MIght find me commenting on here more often due to sleepless nights lol
It's different for everyone, no two experiences are the same. You'll adapt. You have no option.
 
I worry that this trend can be dangerous. AFAIK no research have been made to people that fall asleep while driving, but you can just think about the consequences we might face when we teach little humans that the sound and movements of cars means go to sleep. It might go well for the majority, but for some it might be dangerous when they grow up and are themself driving a car... We have many that do fall asleep while driving, and WHY is it so? Can things like this be one of the reasons?
 
This is really REALLY bad.
Sleep is a skill babies need to learn. Sure first few days it can help getting your child to sleep faster using a car, but if your child doesn't learn to go to sleep alone, you need to get a fuel budget for sleepy time.
just get one of those audio/video thingies to help your child go to sleep for the first few months, as first skill to teach is to go to sleep without moving/rocking/any kind of vibration, then you get rid of the sounds and any other stuff that help the child to go to sleep.
ONCE your child learns to go to sleep alone, you will be rewarded with good night sleep. Simply suffer for the first 6 months or so and you will be rewarded.
I didn't do all of that, and it took about 2 years to be able to get decent sleep at night....


Totally agree with you... But different from you... My son is 7 months old and he sleeps from 21h to 6h everyday since he was 4 months old, I don't use any medications for it, we just try to give him enough attention and keep him calm and relax when it's close to bedtime. It's a daily routine (eating/bath/sleep) and habits...

But back on the subject... I agree with you... Sure it's really nice to have this feature on a crib when it really is needed (when you simply can't stand on your own feets anymore, is sick, or the baby is sick...), but as any other artificial method, the potential for abuse is tremendous... I have really hard nights when my son was 2 months old, and I had to learn how to make he sleep, and also had to endure when he couldn't sleep...
This is a deep learning exercise that will hardern the bonds of parent and child, making you know better your son and yourself...
I know there's lot of people and situations that at one time or other that's not possible, but having a easy solutions like this could lend to lot of unassisted children sleep on motor humming cribs...

Even worse if you consider that there is a percentage of babies that die while sleeping, and only close attention can avoid it. If he sleeps like an angle and it hides a sickness, that could end in the babies death.

It's a nice feature.. But also an heart rate sensor, breath meter, temperature, this kind of monitoring would also be really nice, and as this crib already have a lot of tech onboard, they could expand it further to also give parents and children a safer night of sleep.
 
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