Working mums will be able to keep an eye on their children while they are at nursery thanks to a revolutionary product invented by a Baildon woman.
Debbie Frankland, 32, has launched her own company to market the innovative web-based SeeMyBaby product.
It gives parents access to a high-security web site which takes live feed from a camera installed at their child's nursery.
Today Miss Frankland said the product had received a warm welcome from dozens of nurseries which were keen to sign up.
She came up with the idea two years ago while working as a careers consultant.
Miss Frankland had become concerned about the morale of some of the young mothers she dealt with who were returning to work after their maternity leave.
"I've seen the distress parents go through when they have to leave their little ones while they go to work," she said. "This product has the capability to ease their concerns and know for a fact their child is being well looked after."
She suggested the idea to her partner Craig, who works for Leeds-based Weston Commun-ications, and he said the technology was available.
Weston then came up with an 18-month product development programme, investing more than £250,000 in state-of-the-art web-based security systems, including measures similar to those used in internet banking, with parent passwords, encrypted codes and key fobs to make the SeeMyBaby website secure.
The company even invited experts in encrypted security to try to hack into the system. But none could crack the codes.
"For the first time ever, SeeMyBaby allows parents to do that one thing they always say they can never achieve: be in two places at one time," explained Miss Frankland.
Once SeeMyBaby is fully up and running later this year, nurseries will be able to register and have the system installed and managed by Weston Communications.
Each member nursery will be allocated its own web page which will be accessed by parents. They will only be able to view the cameras in the specific room where their child is playing.
Managing director Darren Weston said he was convinced the product was "the way forward" for child care.
"We recognise the fears some people may have about intrusion, but these are greatly outweighed by the benefits of monitoring," he said.
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