Daniel John slips his arms through the straps of his souped-up baby carrier, settles the harness against his chest and eases a newborn-sized doll behind the smoky blue–tinted window velcroed into the fabric. He checks the fit and smiles, confident that his medical sling will help turn a long-stalled idea into something tangible — and wearable — for parents who lack access to care for a common and readily reversible condition of early life.
Known as BiliRoo, this lightweight carrier is designed to treat neonatal jaundice, a condition that affects roughly 60 percent of newborns and 80 percent of preemies. It occurs when bilirubin — a yellow pigment in