Will Howard ’s family is eternally grateful that he was a lousy sleeper as an infant.
Ohio State’s starting quarterback became the inspiration for an invention – Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit – that became his family’s business.
“I like to joke around and take credit for it,” Howard said with a laugh. “But no, that was all my parents.”
Will is the oldest of Bob and Maureen’s four kids. Maureen is a pediatric physical therapist who used to work in the NICU unit at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She was an expert at getting babies to sleep.
But Will was a challenge. He was a big baby and quickly outgrew what his parents used as a swaddle.
“I’d lay him down for naps, and he’d wake up in like 30 minutes,” Maureen said. “I knew he needed more sleep. He was grumpy. I was grumpy.”
She fashioned a sturdier outfit that provided the support that allowed Will to sleep better.
“Bob and I joked that this is like a magic sleep suit, never thinking of creating a (commercial) product at that point,” Maureen said. “We were just really happy that he was sleeping, we were sleeping and everyone was happier.”