Sharon Rogone

Main menu

“Whatever you needed to do, you had to make up for yourself, because there weren’t products out there.”
Sharon Rogone

As a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse for more than 25 years, Sharon Rogone understood the needs of premature babies. Standard infant medical supplies were impractical for her tiny patients, so Rogone began inventing specifically for preemies. She started Small Beginnings in 1995 to create and market masks, diapers, pacifiers, and additional necessities that she and other nurses invented.

archivescenter-rogone-sharon-ac0940-0000080-750-inline-edit.jpg

Advertising card depicting four products for preemies developed by Sharon Rogone and her company, Small Beginnings, Inc. Clockwise from upper left: Bili-Bonnet phototherapy mask, Bebeonkers oral suction device, Lil’ and Nu’ Pacee pacifiers, and Cuddle Buns Diapers preemie and ultra-preemie. The mask and suction device are pictured in use on babies, the pacifiers stand on their own, and a woman’s hands hold a diaper.

Advertising card for Sharon Rogone’s “Fantastic Four” products for premature babies, undated. Records of Small Beginnings, Inc., Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0940-0000080. © Smithsonian Institution

Bili-Bonnet

Rogone designed a mask that protected babies’ eyes from the harsh lights used to treat jaundice caused by high levels of bilirubin, a yellow-colored pigment in blood. The Bili-Bonnet was made of soft foam with an attached stretchy cap that prevented the mask from slipping during treatment.

archivescenter-rogone-sharon-ac0940-ac0940-0000088-450-inline-edit.jpg

Illustration of a baby wearing a Bili Bonnet, undated. Records of Small Beginnings, Inc., Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0940-0000088. © Smithsonian Institution

artifacts-rogone-sharon-bili-bonnet-2007-0022-26-AHB2010q45709-750-inline-edit.jpg

A small eye mask for an ultra-preemie baby. The mask is made of gray foam with Velcro tabs and a rolled up gauze bonnet.

Ultra-Preemie BiliBonnet phototherapy mask, around 2000. Gift of Small Beginnings Inc. © Smithsonian Institution; photo AHB2014q052658

archivescenter-rogone-sharon-ac0940-ac0940-0000082-750-inline-edit.jpg

A pink piece of paper, about 8.5 inches wide and 3.25 inches high, with instructions for placing the mask over a baby’s head and eyes. An illustration of a teddy bear is in the upper right corner.Text includes: Small Beginnings . . . Products conceived and developed by nurses. . . . “Warning: Products should be applied by trained professional. Slippage of mask could result in exposure of eye to light or possible nasal obstruction. Continued observation of infant is necessary.”

Records of Small Beginnings, Inc., Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0940-0000082. © Smithsonian Institution

Diapers

As late as 1990, there was not an acceptable diaper on the market for extremely premature infants. Nurses were forced to cut diapers in half to accomodate ultra-premature infants. Rogone and Small Beginnings developed a line of disposable diapers in a range of sizes for preemies.

artifacts-rogone-sharon-diapers-ahb2010q45690-ahb2014q052669-750-inline-edit.jpg

Side-by side photos of disposable diapers for premature infants. On the left is Sharon Rogone’s prototype d.aper and a commercial version from 2007 is on the right. Both show an inner absorbent layer surrounded by soft gauze-like material.

Sharon Rogone’s first prototype disposable diaper for premature infants, 2003 (left) and a disposable diaper for premature infants, 2007. © Smithsonian Institution; AHB2010q45690 and AHB 2014q052669

Pacifiers

The buttlerfly-shaped "Lil' Pacee" pacifier for premature infants was developed by four neonatal nurses and nurse practitioners. The Lil' Pacee pacifier is made of soft medical grade silicone and has six ventilation holes. Testing ensured that the products were safe. The force required to pull a suspended, weighted pacifier through the opening in the metal frame seen below, for example, was evaluated to eliminate choking hazards.

artifacts-rogone-sharon-pacifiers-ahb2014q52801-ahb2014q052802-750-inline-edit.jpg

Side-by-side photos of the “Lil' Pacee”15A pacifier for premature infants, in its original packaging. The text on the package image on the right reads, in part, “Patent #4,909,253 . . . Developed by 4 neonatal nurse practitioners, this newborn pacifier is made of 100% silicone and is designed for the pre-term infant 24 weeks gestation to 32 weeks gestation.” The pacifier is visible through the packaging in the second image.

“Lil' Pacee”15A pacifier for premature infants, around 2000. © Smithsonian Institution; AHB2014q52801 and AHB2014q052802

artifacts-rogone-sharon-pacifiers-ahb2014q52688-750-inline-edit.jpg

A metal platform attached to 4 spindly legs lays on its side on a table. To the right is a green pacifier attached by wire to a 5-pound blue barbell. In use, the pacifier would be placed above the opening in the stand’s platform, with the barbell suspended below. If the weight of the barbell caused the pacifier to fall through the opening, it was deemed a choking hazard.

Pacifier choking test stand, around 2000. The force required to pull a suspended, weighted pacifier through the opening in the metal frame seen here was evaluated to eliminate choking hazards. © Smithsonian Institution; AHB2014q52688

Listen to a two-part podcast with Sharon Rogone >>

Source for quote above: “Prototype Online Podcast: Sharon Rogone Invents for Preemies, Part 1,” Lemelson Center, 2007, https://invention.si.edu/podcast-sharon-rogone-invents-preemies-part-1-2.