Paalna Child Care Products | Indian Institute for Human Settlements
Description
Paalna was a participatory design project in collaboration with informally employed women in urban and peri-urban settlements in New Delhi and Rajasthan. In partnership with Rajasthan Mahila Kaamgaar Union (RMKU), the project focused on supporting infant care and sustainable breastfeeding practices among informally employed women.
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We developed communication materials and tools to help parents and caregivers understand the importance of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of their child's life. Through a co-creation process, mothers shared their unique experiences and proposed solutions to design a crib for their infants. The crib was light-weight, portable and designed to keep infants warm and safe.
Credits
World Health Organisation, SEWA Delhi, Rajasthan Mahila Kaamgaar Union (RMKU), Angshuman Das, Gautam Bahn, Antara Rai Chowdhury, Divya Ravindranath
Role
Lead Designer, Design Research Lead, Communication and Content Designer
Duration
2018 - 2020
We conducted research across five settlements in New Delhi and Rajasthan with parents, caregivers, union workers and health specialists. We used various participatory research tools and workshops to understand the unique challenges mothers face in caring for their infants. We conducted surveys, interviews and research with over 150 participants.
​The final design is a lightweight, crib that can be assembled without tools, easily cleaned, and folded down into a compact unit. It The crib was distributed through union and healthcare workers to 150 mothers in Jaipur and New Delhi.
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