When I returned to my hometown during my pregnancy,
an old classmate would often visit me with
her ten-month old baby.

I’m going to be a mother soon!

I would tell her about my nervousness
over soon becoming a mother and bombard her with questions,
and sometimes we would chat about our memories of our schooldays.
It was a very fulfilling and enjoyable time.

After a few days of this, I noticed something strange.
Although my friend gave the impression of being
an extremely capable woman, whenever she
visited me, she always seemed to leave something behind.

A gauze handkerchief with a pink border
The baby’s rattle.
A single tiny sock.
The bag in which she kept the baby wipes.
Her cell phone.
・・・

After this had happened several times, one night I sat
down and tried to work out why she, a mother now,
could be so forgetful.
And then I came to two conclusions that seemed more convincing
than her simply being absent-minded.

1. Mothers with infants up until the age of one-year old have a lot to carry.

The bags that mothers carry tend to be
filled with lots of things.
What does one actually need to have in order to take care of a baby?

Diapers and baby wipes.
The baby’s bottle, rusks and towels.
Sometimes jars of baby food and spoons.
A plastic bag for soiled articles, and favorite toys and books.
And, a blanket just in case the baby goes to sleep while out…

Add to this the things a mother needs to carry for herself,
and it’s not surprising that her bag is always filled to overflowing.

2. New mothers are constantly being pushed to their limits.

Even when visiting familiar places, a mother is
burdened with countless anxieties in the same way as if she was
visiting the place for the first time. This is particularly true when the baby is small.
What should she do if the baby won’t stop crying?
What should she do if there is no access for the baby carriage?
What should she do if the baby suddenly falls ill…?
Her nerves are stretched to breaking-point
at all times.

My ways of doing things up until now no longer work.
I was now working full-time in the job of “child-rearing”,
and I crawled between the sheets utterly exhausted every night.
I am now painfully aware of the reason why
“my friend was so forgetful”.

Through the haze of my exhaustion, I began to think.

There must be a way to reduce the amount of things a mother needs to carry.
I hope for mothers to have a little more relaxation time.

I was provided with my first hint when I saw just how fascinated
my son was by my cell phone, and thought that a cell phone
incorporating a baby’s toy would be a great idea.
I decided then and there that I wanted to make one,
and discussed the matter with my husband.

Cell phones have become an indispensible
part of everyday life.
If the function of a baby’s toy could be incorporated
into something that the mother always has with her,
it would reduce the number of articles she has to tote around.
And, wouldn’t it be great if both mother and child could have fun with it?
Even if, just for awhile.
It was this that led me to the decision
to create a baby’s toy out of an iPhone.

A group of friends agreed with me on this,
and we got together as a team to work out the details.
My son, who was not yet one year old at that time,
joined the meetings and provided us with a valuable test bed.
The result of repeated discussions and prototypes
was uncompromising and contained the determination of all members.
And, this led to the birth of a brand new toy that is excitingly
attractive and created through the cooperation of many people.

A fun new toy that can be used anywhere at any time,
and that produces smiles on the faces of both mother and baby.
A warm and gentle toy that has not existed up until now.
An amazing toy conceived from the variations and concepts
that can only be found in this digital age.

But, what exists today is not the end product.
This new toy is a magical toy that will continue to grow
and evolve with the times.
We are already standing by with an upgrade and a new model.
It is my dearest wish that the use of this application
will provide fun and enjoyment for both mothers and fathers
and help increase the number of times a smile appears
on their faces during their everyday lives.
There is no other joy than this.

I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude and thanks to the people
who gave physical form to magic.
Atsushi Katsumoto of Realize Mobile Communications
All of the people involved in the mounting procedures.
to-i Sound Director, Tomoyuki Kato
Designer, Chihiro Kyozuka
And Art Director, Yoichi Kimura

March 2009 Satoko Hirano

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baby@to-i.net