Baby Bunting to sell Adelaide entrepreneur’s creation tumbl.bear, hats to protect infants and babies from knocks and falls

An Adelaide entrepreneur has launched another new product, this time hoping to put a cap on child injuries caused by nasty knocks and falls.

Inspired by the birth of his daughter Olympia last year, Adelaide entrepreneur Mark Sellar has developed a new product to protect kids from nasty knocks and falls.

Mr Sellar has teamed with good friend Edward Cooper to launch tumbl.bear – a range of innovative hats and beanies offering extra head protection for kids.

They look like normal bucket hats and beanies but have a hidden layer of special foam – similar to that used in NFL helmets in the US – designed to absorb up to 50 per cent of impact force.

National retailer Baby Bunting has already placed its first order, with the hats set to hit the shelves this week.

Mr Sellar said the hats, designed to be worn every day, significantly reduced the risk of head injury.

Adelaide entrepreneurs Edward Cooper, left, and Mark Sellar with Mr Sellar’s daughter Olympia wearing a tumbl.bear beanie. Picture Dean Martin

“As a new father, I’m quickly becoming aware of how often babies and toddlers can bump their heads or tumble over as they attempt to find their feet,” he said.

“The idea for the tumbl.bear hats came to me while watching my three-year-old niece play over the past few years.

“In one minor incident while running around, she underestimated her height as kids do and ran into something, resulting in a nasty bump. When I posed the question as to how you could minimise the risk of injury in these everyday scenarios, the only answer was in the form of a helmet, which seemed far too extreme for what I call essential life learnings as kids grow and explore their surrounds.”

The hats and beanies come in a range of colours and are sold for $49.95.

Mr Sellar, a former builder, has led a series of inventions since he won $1m on Channel 7 reality TV show The Big Adventure in 2014.

His first business, Fantom Hardware, exports architectural doorstops and other building products across the world. He is also involved in several real estate projects, including with Melbourne developer Ross Pelligra.

Mr Sellar said his latest product aimed to reduce the number of child injuries, with Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data showing falls accounted for close to half of hospitalised injury cases.

“This isn’t about being over-protective,” he said. “Kids fall over, they hurt themselves – this is a fact of life. You can’t wrap your child in cotton wool. However, we’re here to provide kids with a layer of protection to minimise those occasional trips to the doctor for stitches or emergency department for a playground fall.”