OT Chair Designs Pillow to Aid Infant Development

Anne Zachry, chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy, above right, designed a pillow to help babies better tolerate time on their stomach.

As a pediatric occupational therapist, Anne Zachry, PhD, OTR/L, has been a strong advocate of the importance of tummy time for the development of neck and shoulder muscles and motor skills in infants.

The chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at UT Health Science Center and the author of two books on infant development, Dr. Zachry has designed a pillow or wedge to help babies better tolerate time on the stomach.

The Tummy Time Trainer is a wedge tailored to support a baby in a prone position and lift the chest to help strengthen the neck, back, and shoulder muscles. This promotes an infant's ability to eventually roll over, crawl, and pull up. Special contours allow a baby to support weight on the elbows, arms, and hands. The wedge is positioned so the baby's weight is shifted toward the hips, making it easier to hold the head up.

"I had worked with so many babies that disliked tummy time, and so I started trying to make a wedge that would help the babies tolerate tummy time better," Dr. Zachry said. After designing the pillow, she received a grant through the UT Research Foundation (UTRF) to do a pilot study to see if it was effective. "It did show that babies tolerated tummy time better and longer without crying," Dr. Zachry said.

UTRF submitted a patent application, which was approved.

That's where Nathan Wilson comes into the picture. Wilson, 27, was pursuing a dual master's in business administration and mechanical engineering at UT Knoxville. He was taking an entrepreneurship class and searched the listing on the UTRF website for available technologies to commercialize.

He and his wife, Megan, 27, had recently had a baby, and the Tummy Time Trainer caught his eye. "I wanted to see how it worked on my child," he said.

Wilson reached out to Dr. Zachry, who sent a prototype for the baby.

"Before the Tummy Time Trainer, within 10 seconds, he would be crying," said Wilson. "With the Tummy Time Trainer, he would last significantly longer without crying or screaming."

The Wilsons are in the process of forming a corporation so they can enter into a licensing agreement with UTRF to market the Tummy Time Trainer.

"Just in our circle of friends, a lot of friends have been having babies, and tummy time is the worst," Megan Wilson said. "We just want to get this product out to as many parents as possible."

"Tummy time is so important for infant development," Dr. Zachry said. "My hope is that once the Tummy Time Trainer is on the market, tummy time will become an enjoyable experience for infants and parents."

This story initially ran in the Spring 2024 issue of Health Professions Magazine. Check out the magazine for more stories from the College of Health Professions.

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