The Wallaby blanket is a device that is used to treat newborn jaundice at home, allowing the infant to be held and fed during phototherapy treatment. Newborn jaundice is condition in which elevated levels of bilirubin are present in the newborn's blood. If left untreated, this condition may cause brain damage.
Loose Bowel Movements
Babies who are undergoing phototherapy with a Wallaby blanket may have more frequent bowel movements that are loose and green in color.
Unstable Temperature
The heat given off by the lights in the Wallaby blanket may raise the baby's temperature. It may be difficult to dress a baby using a Wallaby blanket, and the lack of appropriate clothing may lower the baby's body temperature.
Dehydration
Babies undergoing phototherapy treatment with a Wallaby blanket may become easily dehydrated. Avoid this by making sure the baby is fed often and monitor the urine output by counting wet diapers.
Skin Discoloration/Rash
The Wallaby blanket may cause a rash or skin discoloration, but this is not harmful. The baby's skin will return to its normal color as the bilirubin levels return to normal.
Not sure what they are talking about heat from the lights since it is in the particular spectral wavelength that is pure with no heat through a fiber optic delivery system. During testing no dehydration were found and no skin discoloration occurred unless the count was abnormally high where phototherapy would be ineffective. Over heating of the baby was probably due to over wrapping the child with to many blankets or not using the disposable diaper on the mylar reflective panel that could capture and reflect the babies natural temperature increasing it with direct skin contact. If this occurs the user was not trained properly. The disposable panel cover need to be used to prevent direct contact to babies skin.
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