Infant training devices and methods for the use thereof are disclosed herein. A benefit to the devices and methods herein can be the effective training of an infant to develop the suck-swallow-breathe pattern of nutritive and non-nutritive sucking required for feeding from an infant bottle, or for self-soothing with a pacifier. A further benefit to the devices and methods herein can be providing versatile devices for the use of vibration therapy as an infant training aid for feeding from an infant feeding bottle, or as an infant soothing pacifier.

A teat for a milk bottle is provided. The teat comprises an attachment portion for attaching the teat to a milk bottle. A breast portion of the teat extends from the attachment portion, the breast portion including a compressible material. A nipple portion of the teat extends from the breast portion. The nipple portion is narrower than the breast portion and includes an outlet. A milk-flow pathway extends through the breast portion, the compressible material and the nipple portion for the passage of milk from a milk bottle attached to the attachment portion to the outlet. The breast portion includes a flexible skin fully enclosing the compressible material, the flexible skin separating the compressible material from the milk-flow pathway.

A hygienic oral feed-bottle nipple includes an opening skirt to expand and rotate in the buccal vestibule. As the child completes the suckling cycle, the mouth portion is distorted, the skirt extended to provide cleaning, stimulation, and a bumper to deny extensive pronation. The flanges and skirt may be covered with a textured surface, or bristles, that provide mechanical brushing of oral surfaces. Hard pads set along a superior surface of the nipple are compressed against the maxilla palate and provide upwards and/or lateral force to encourage lateral expansion of the palate. The nipple may be bifurcated into left and right opposing lobes which can split laterally to enhance lateral force on maxilla.

A system and method for fitting pacifiers and other implements to a particular child. One or more images of the child are used to determine anthropometric data that can be used to properly size a pacifier bulb and properly fit other implements.

A hygienic oral pacification device includes a fluid-filled bladder. The bladder includes a nipple and alveolar ridge-mating flanges. The bladder is dynamically shaped and allows for pressures provided by the suckling child to re-shaping the bladder and flanges. A bite-block extends into the bladder to maintain a fluid path from nipple to flanges. As the child completes the suckling cycle, the bladder nipple is depressed and fluid is forced in the engorging flanges. The flanges thus cover the alveolar ridges and fill the vestibules. Hard pads set along a superior surface of the nipple are compressed against the maxilla palate and provide lateral force to encourage expansion of the palate. The nipple may be bifurcated into left and right opposing lobes which can split laterally to enhance lateral force on maxilla.

Oral devices such as a pacifier, bottle cap, teething tools and toys, and methods for using the same are provided. An oral device includes a bulb portion configured to be disposed inside a mouth of a user and a wider neck portion coupled distally to the bulb portion and configured to be held by user's lips. The neck portion is configured such that, when it is sucked on by the user, the neck portion moves in the lateral direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the oral device from a first, unexpanded configuration to a second, expanded configuration such that a lateral contact area of the neck portion with the user's lips increases. The oral device can include one or more expansion accommodation features that facilitate expansion and retraction of the neck portion.

A food pouch spout and lid apparatus equipped with a lip stopper is described. The apparatus is designed to augment or replace the existing food pouch spout of a conventional food pouch in order to prevent speech and development issues. Such issues are known to be prevalent among children who frequently use sippy cups and food pouches which are not equipped with a lip stopper. The lip stopper of the present invention ensures that the child is unable to place the spout of the food pouch or straw into the mouth beyond the lips, ensuring the prevention of normal speech, palate, and alveolar development. One embodiment posits the integration of the lip stopper and capper apparatus into the spout of a food pouch at the point of manufacturing, eliminating the need for additional accessories.

A system and method for fitting pacifiers and other implements to a particular child. One or more images of the child are used to determine anthropometric data that can be used to properly size a pacifier bulb and properly fit other implements.

A teether includes a body, and a teething member. When the teether is frozen, the teething member is positioned within the teether providing rigidity to the teether. The teething member is moveable within the body as the frozen material within the body melts. The teether may include a cylindrical body, a nipple, and a cap with the teething member providing rigidity to the nipple. The teether may also be formed from a flexible membrane with at least one acute edge. An insulative storage container for the teether has an internal structure sized to hold multiple teethers.

A method for producing a pacifier teat, and a pacifier teat with a teat section which forms a hollow space and which is adjoined by a stem, wherein an elastic hollow body comprising the teat section and the stem is injection molded or pre-formed by a dipping method, and opposite wall sections of the pre-formed hollow body are connected to each other in the region of the stem.