The baby fleece inspired by kangaroos ... or was it the sci-fi film Total Recall?



Peekaboo! A model and baby wear the Peekaru fleece



Toasty warm, with bright little eyes blinking out at the world, this baby is as snug as a joey in the pouch.

And that's just what the designer of the Peekaru intended.

Melissa Radcliffe, 32, was inspired by the kangaroo's pouch when looking for a way to keep her baby daughter warm.

However, there is also a certain resemblance to the mutant rebel leader Kuato in the 1990 sci-fi film Total Recall which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone.

Towards the end of the movie Kuato is revealed to be part of the body of another character.

Mrs Radcliffe said she came up with the idea while living through freezing winter weather in Denver, Colorado.

The mother of three was fed up with leaving her overcoat undone in the cold weather while carrying the child in a normal baby sling.

'When my oldest son was a toddler, he would play while his newborn sister got very cold in my arms.

'I tried to wear my husband's jackets to keep us both protected, but I felt ugly and frumpy and it didn't do a very good job,' she said.

'I looked around and couldn't find anything better, so I went home, got on my sewing machine and made it myself.'

Her home-made fleece proved so popular with other mothers that Mrs Radcliffe went into business.

Did inspiration for the fleece come from this scene in the sci-fi film Total Recall or purely from a kangaroo carrying her joey?



'I got stopped so often by other mothers asking where they could get one that I decided to start making them for real,' she added.

'Before I did this I could barely even sew - I think I could just about sew a pillow case.'

Her firm now sells the Peekaru in 150 shops worldwide and online.

The company, TogetherBe, has also made waterproof and sunproof versions of the £55 fleece which can be used over a forward or backward-facing sling.

'It's been really wonderful to see people using them and enjoying them,' said Mrs Radcliffe.

'People say they are exactly what they've been looking for to protect their kids and I hope we can keep coming up with new ideas.'