Steadifeed, Hospital Size Nursing Unit
date: label: date made
content: 1950s
label: patent date
content: 1950-07-04
label: trademark registered (Steadifeed)
content: 1948-12-14
name: label: maker
content: Searer Rubber Company
notes: label: Description
content: Four- ounce glass infant feeding bottle with plastic cap, rubber nipple, and embossed graduated scale along the side. The bottle has an oval base but is hexagonal in shape to help prevent rolling when on its side. The paper sleeve label is white, light blue, and dark blue, and has an image of a baby drinking from the bottle. There are also illustrations of the bottle with the nipple facing in and out. Text on the label reads: WITH THE Counter Colic NIPPLE THAT "B-R-E-A-T-H-E-S." On another side the label reads: "CONVENIENT / LIGHTENS / MOTHER'S / WORK [. . . ] The whole days' feedings may be prepared at one time to save mother work."
label: Description
content: The nursing bottle nipple is patented: No. 2,513,896, Searer Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, issued July 4, 1950. The patent is for an improved method of venting nursing nipples to prevent air being swallowed by the infant during feeding - which often results in "colic." The design also prevents the nipple from collapsing due to differential air pressure within and without the bottle. From the patent: "The chief objects of this invention are to provide in an improved manner for venting nursing nipples. More specifically, the invention aims to provide for the admission of air to the interior of the bottle as suction is applied to the nipple, in such a manner that said air not be trapped, in the form of bubbles, in the stream of liquid being withdrawn from the bottle through the nipple. A further object is to admit air to the bottle as soon as differential air pressure is established between the interior and exterior of the bottle, without requiring said differential pressure to attain such magnitude as is necessary to collapse the nipple or otherwise to actuate valve mechanism associated with the nipple. Another object is to avoid causing colic due to the swallowing of air while nursing from a bottle."
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Ohio, Akron
topic: label: Subject
content: Infant & Children's Products - Pediatrics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Sara Jean Binder
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2016.0384.23
label: catalog number
content: 2016.0384.23
label: accession number
content: 2016.0384
label: patent number
content: US2513896A
objectType: label: Object Name
content: infant feeder
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: cardboard (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic, rubber (cap material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (insert material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 5 1/2 in x 2 3/16 in x 1 3/4 in; 13.97 cm x 5.588 cm x 4.445 cm