Comments on: Building a Skinner Air Crib

By: AMULLINS

AMULLINS — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:21:17 +0000

I was doing some reseach for a psyc paper on B.F. Skinner & decided to google “air cribs” and came across your blog. I had never even thought about the concept fitting into today’s world but when I have kids I’m seriously thinking about making one of these. I seems like it would become a safe & familiar place for a baby or toddler to be. I think it would definitly put them at ease. Thanks for publishing your ideas!

By: Cierra

Cierra — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 05:47:11 +0000

LOL! I second Thanna! You don’t want to put a baby in a “Skinner Box”! “Baby Box” or “Air Crib” is the proper term. Thristy rats were taught to pull a lever for water or in other experiments, shocked until they pulled the lever. I doubt you want to make the association between the two, even though they were both created by Skinner.

Baby Box = Babies
Skinner Box = Rats

By: Marty

Marty — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:10:59 +0000

MWG, yes, that “mattress” is exactly that, a fabric that’s like a very soft screening. It’s laced firmly to a frame.

We had screened openings in the lower part of the box, and a fan in an upper corner to circulate air throughout. It was actually a very simple set-up — the main thing is that you want to make sure that air flows in and out freely.

Good luck with your plans! I’m still (25 years later) amazed and thrilled with how drudgery-free my baby’s first years were as a result of the Skinner Box. It really put the focus back on the baby, right where it belonged.

By: MWG

MWG — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:54:55 +0000

Hi! My husband and I are expecting our first child this fall, and one of our friends raised his kids in air cribs. We’d like to build one ourselves as well, but I’m not totally clear on some of your building instructions, specifically how the humid air travels. Is the baby basically sleeping on a soft netting that allows air flow? Thanks!

By: Marty

Marty — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:09:39 +0000

Not at all — it was an absolutely wonderful thing! It was fantastic to spend all the time I would have spent on laundry with my daughter, and so neat to always greet her at eye level. When she woke up in the middle of the night, she’d become a baby gymnast, too, gleefully bouncing and exercising, and playing much more physically than she could have if she had worn sleeping bags, pjs, or bed clothes — or been covered with blankets. She was one really happy baby, and the Skinner box was definitely part of the reason she thrived and grew the way she did.

By: kjc

kjc — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:57:59 +0000

you are nuts if you put your kid in there nuts i tell u nuts

By: Marty

Marty — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 02:17:27 +0000

Hi, Michelle — I don’t see why it couldn’t be adapted for an adult. One change I’d make would be to reduce the mattress height so that it is optimized for easier entry and exit. With a baby, you really want it at waist height, but for an adult, you’d want feet to touch the ground easily.

An attentive care-giver would be essential — but, presumably, already is! And you’d want to do careful testing for weight, etc. — even a small adult is considerably larger than the average under-3 baby.

Sketches? Maybe one day, but I’m afraid that’s not in the cards right now for me. I keep hoping someone else who has built a Skinner Box will turn up with plans. At one time, several sets were available.

Thanks for your comment.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 20:32:05 +0000

It would be absolutely perfect for my grandmother, if the idea could be adapted to a small (5 foot maybe) elderly woman with alzhiemers and bad back problems. She is always either too hot or too cold and isnt getting the sleep she needs. Will there ever be sketches? I learn best with pictures AND instructions, helps me sort it out better. Thanks again for the instructions!

By: Marty

Marty — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:52:27 +0000

Thanna — you’re quite right about “Skinner box” referring to the boxes used for lab tests. It’s probably smarter to call the Baby Box an Air Crib, but for those of us who were in on the joke, “Baby Box” just seemed to be the right name.

For the record, though, our boxes had nothing to do with behavioral experimentation — they were just a great place to sleep and to play (briefly) before sleep.

Great suggestion for the thermostat!

Gail Rae — Your suggestion about nursing homes and hospitals is really interesting. Anyone who’s ever been hospitalized and lived to tell the tale probably has vivid memories about the terrible linens and how difficult it is to keep either warm or cool enough while in a hospital bed.

I wonder how much kinder a soft mesh would be on skin, too, and if it would reduce bed sores. I have to suspect that the air circulation through the mattress would be a real plus.

An Air-Crib-like hospital bed might be hard to sell on an emotional basis, but practically speaking, there might be lots to recommend the idea.

Thank you both for your comments.

By: Thanna

Thanna — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:19:51 +0000

Thank you! FYI, “Skinner Box” usually refers to the experimental boxes that rats go in–levers and shock pads and so on. I wouldn’t bring it up, except that if you tell people that you’re putting your kid in a Skinner box they’ll look at you kind of funny.

The easiest place nowadays to get this type of thermostat is probably a store that caters to reptile owners. We have a similar set-up (temperature-control-wise) for our boa constrictor.