Garment

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6393612
  • Patent Number
    6,393,612
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, April 26, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 28, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
A garment for swaddling a baby. The garment includes an elongate shell having an outer surface and an inner surface defining an interior volume for receiving the arms, legs and trunk of a baby therein. The garment also includes a pair of internal restraints positioned inside the interior volume of the shell. Each of the restraints receives one of the arms of the baby to retain the respective arm within the interior volume of the shell.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates generally to garments for babies, and more particularly to a garment for swaddling a baby.




Conventionally, parents wrap or swaddle babies in one or more sections of cloth or a blanket. It is believed swaddling adds to a baby's comfort by holding a baby tightly, much as a baby would feel in its mother's womb or a parent's arms. By imitating this feeling, a swaddle may act to calm and soothe a baby, helping it to rest more peacefully.




This is especially important for babies having trouble resting comfortably on their backs. Because of the increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) for babies sleeping on their stomachs, it is desirable to place babies on their back for sleeping. However, when babies have difficulty resting and sleeping on their backs, some parents alter the sleeping position of the baby to its front or side to calm the baby even though this is inadvisable due to an increased risk of SIDS. Swaddling may help babies rest more comfortably on their backs so they are less likely to be placed in an inadvisable sleeping position.




However, swaddling presents potential health risks for babies. First, conventional swaddles are usually constructed from strips of cloth which are wrapping around the baby and tucking inside the swaddle. Over time the swaddle may become loosened as the baby moves within the swaddle, and the baby may become entangled in a loose strip thereby inhibiting its breathing. Second, if a baby frees itself from a swaddle, it may rollover thereby increasing its risk for SIDS. Finally, conventional swaddles wrap around the entire baby including its legs, and hold the legs in an extended position. It is believed the incidence of hip dysplasia increases when the babies legs are tightly swaddled in an extended position because the legs cannot flex or abduct to their natural position within the swaddle.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




Among the several objects and features of the present invention may be noted the provision of a garment which comforts a baby without inhibiting breathing; the provision of a garment which remains in place on the baby; and the provision of a garment which does not adversely inhibit leg movement.




Generally, the present invention includes a garment for swaddling a baby. The garment comprises an elongate shell having an outer surface, and an inner surface opposite the outer surface defining an interior volume for receiving the arms, legs and trunk of a baby therein. The shell has a head end, a foot end opposite the head end, lateral sides extending between the head end and the foot end, and a neck opening at the head end for receiving a neck of the baby. The garment also includes a pair of restraints positioned inside the interior volume of the shell adjacent the lateral sides. Each of the restraints receives one of the arms of the baby to retain the respective arm within the interior volume of the shell.




In another aspect, the shell of the garment includes a body portion adjacent the head end sized and shaped for enclosing the arms and trunk of the baby and for holding the arms of the baby in close proximity to the trunk of the baby. The shell also includes a leg portion adjacent the foot end sized and shaped for enclosing the legs of the baby with sufficient space to permit flexure and abduction of the hips of the baby within the interior volume of the garment.




In yet another aspect of the present invention, the shell has a longitudinal opening extending from the neck opening for providing access to the interior volume of the shell. The longitudinal opening has an open position for inserting the baby into the interior volume and removing the baby from the volume, and a closed position for retaining the baby in the interior volume. Further, the shell has an unstretched circumference measured around the inner surface of the shell when the longitudinal opening is in the closed position between about fifty percent and about 75 percent of a corresponding nominal girth of the baby measured around the trunk and arms of the baby.




In still another aspect, the shell applies a pressure to the baby when the longitudinal opening is in the closed position between about one half centimeter of water and about three centimeters of water.




Further, the present invention includes a method of swaddling a baby comprising the steps of placing a baby in an interior volume of an elastic shell having a longitudinal opening for providing access to the interior volume of the shell, and adjusting a girth of the shell so that when the shell is wrapped taut around the baby without stretching the shell, the longitudinal opening of the shell has a width selected to apply a predetermined approximate pressure to the baby when the longitudinal opening is closed. The method further includes the step of closing the longitudinal opening to stretch the shell around the baby and secure the shell about the baby.




In another aspect, the method comprises the steps of securing each arm of the baby to the shell to retain the respective arm in the interior volume of the shell.




Other objects and features of the present invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a front elevation of a garment of the present invention having a baby therein;





FIG. 2

is a front elevation of the garment in partial section to illustrate interior features thereof;





FIG. 3

is a rear elevation of the garment; and





FIG. 4

is a front elevation of the garment with a longitudinal opening in an open position to illustrate proper sizing of the garment.




Corresponding parts are designated by corresponding reference numbers throughout the drawings.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring now to the drawings and in particular to

FIGS. 1-3

, a garment of the present invention is designated in its entirety by the reference numeral


10


. The garment


10


generally comprises an elongate shell


12


having an outer surface


14


and an inner surface


16


(

FIG. 2

) opposite the outer surface defining an interior volume, generally designated by


18


(FIG.


2


), sized and shaped for receiving the arms, legs and trunk of a baby B (FIG.


1


). The shell


12


also has a head end


20


, a foot end


22


opposite the head end, and lateral sides


24


extending between the head end and the foot end. Further, the shell


12


has a neck opening


26


at the head end


20


for receiving a neck of the baby and a longitudinal opening


28


(

FIG. 4

) extending from the neck opening for providing access to the interior volume


18


of the shell. The longitudinal opening


28


has an open position as illustrated in

FIG. 4

for inserting the baby B into the interior volume


18


and removing the baby from the volume, and a closed position as illustrated in

FIG. 1

for retaining the baby in the interior volume. Although the shell


12


may have other dimensions without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the shell has an overall length of about twenty inches, a width at the head end


20


of about 11.5 inches, a width at the foot end


22


of about 7.5 inches and a width approximately midway between the head and foot ends of about 11 inches.




A closure, generally designated by


30


, is disposed along the longitudinal opening


28


for selectively closing the longitudinal opening and securing the baby B inside the interior volume


18


of the shell


12


. Although the longitudinal opening


28


and closure


30


may extend along other faces of the garment


10


without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment they extend along the front of the garment as shown in FIG.


1


. Further, although the closure


30


may have other configurations without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the closure includes a conventional zipper


32


and a neck strap


34


adjacent the neck opening


26


. The neck strap includes a snap fastener


36


(

FIG. 4

) for releasably fastening the strap across the longitudinal opening


28


of the garment


10


to cover a zipper pull


38


(

FIG. 4

) of the zipper


32


when the opening is in the closed position. Other conventional closures (e.g., snaps, Velcro® fasteners, ties and hooks) are also contemplated for closing the longitudinal opening


28


of the shell


12


.




As illustrated in

FIG. 2

, the garment


10


includes a pair of restraints


40


(only one of which is shown) positioned inside the interior volume


18


of the shell


12


adjacent the lateral sides


24


. Each restraint


40


is sized and shaped for receiving one of the arms of the baby B to retain the respective arm in the interior volume


18


of the shell. Although it is envisioned that the restraints


40


may have other configurations without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment each restraint is tubular. Further, it is envisioned that the lower end of each restraint


40


may be open or closed without departing from the scope of the present invention. Still further, it is envisioned that each restraint may be releasably or permanently attached to the inner surface


16


of the shell


12


without departing from the scope of the present invention. In one embodiment, the restraints


40


are fastened to the inner surface


16


of the shell


12


with snap fasteners


42


.




As further illustrated in

FIG. 2

, the garment


10


also includes adjustment elements, generally designated by


50


and


52


, disposed along the shell for adjusting the size and/or shape of the interior volume


18


of the shell


12


. The adjustment elements


50


,


52


allow the garment


10


to be adjusted to fit babies B of differing sizes and shapes and allow the interior volume


18


of the shell


12


to be adjusted to fit a baby as it grows. In one preferred embodiment, the first set of adjustment elements


50


is positioned along the lateral sides


24


of the shell


12


for adjusting a girth of the shell to accommodate babies of differing sizes, and the second set of adjustment elements


52


is positioned at the foot end


22


of the shell for adjusting a length of the shell to accommodate babies of differing lengths.




The first set of adjustment elements


50


comprises several fasteners arranged in longitudinal rows along the lateral sides


24


of the shell


12


. Although other fasteners may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the fasteners include two rows of male snap fasteners


54


(

FIG. 2

) arranged on a front of the shell


12


, two rows of female snap fasteners


56


(

FIG. 3

) arranged on a back of the shell. In addition, the adjustment elements


50


may include a zipper


58


extending along each lateral side


24


of the shell


12


. The rows of male snap fasteners


54


and female snap fasteners


56


may be snapped together to reduce the size of the shell


12


as illustrated in

FIG. 4

to fit a smaller baby B. Similarly, the fasteners


54


,


56


may be disengaged to increase the girth of the garment


10


to accommodate babies as they grow. The material between the snapped male and female fasteners


54


,


56


may be folded inside the interior volume


18


of the shell


12


before the fasteners are connected. The girth of the interior volume


18


of the shell changes depending on which male and female snap fasteners


54


,


56


are connected. For example, the outer-most fasteners


54


,


56


on only one side


24


of the shell


12


may be connected to slightly reduce the garment girth, or the inner female fasteners may be connected to the outer male fasteners on both sides of the shell for a greater reduction in girth, or the inner-most fasteners on each side of the shell may be connected for an even greater reduction in girth. Other types of adjustment elements


50


besides snaps and zippers (e.g., Velcro® fasteners, hooks, ties and hooks) are also contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention.




The garment


10


should be snug around the baby's B arms and trunk to provide comfort but be looser around the legs to avoid causing hip dysplasia. The adjustment elements


50


extending along the lateral sides


24


of the shell


12


are only positioned along a body portion


60


of the shell adjacent the head end


20


for covering the arms and trunk of the baby B. A leg portion


62


of the shell


12


adjacent the foot end


22


for covering the legs of the baby B is substantially free of adjustment elements


50


for adjusting the girth of the garment. Consequently, the adjustment element


50


permits the body portion


60


of the shell


12


to be sized and shaped for enclosing the arms and trunk of the baby B and for holding the arms of the baby in close proximity to the trunk of the baby, but ensures the leg portion


62


of the shell is appropriately sized and shaped for providing the legs of the baby with sufficient space to permit the baby to flex and abduct its hips within the interior volume


16


of the garment


10


.




The second set of adjustment elements


52


comprises multiple fasteners arranged across the leg portion


62


of the garment


10


to allow the foot end


14


to be rolled and fastened to the shell


12


between the head end


12


and the foot end


14


. The adjustment elements


52


preferably include male snap fasteners


66


arranged along the front of the leg portion


62


and female snap fasteners


68


arranged along the back of the leg portion. When none of the snap fasteners are fastened (as shown in FIGS.


2


and


3


), the shell


12


is at its maximum length. To shorten the shell, the leg portion


62


is rolled upward (as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 4

) and the male and female snap fasteners


66


,


68


, respectively, are connected to secure the leg portion


62


in a shortened position. In one embodiment, the garment includes three pairs of male snap fasteners


66


on the front of the leg portion


62


and three pairs of female snap fasteners


68


on the back of the leg portion, providing three shortened positions and allowing the garment


10


to be adjusted to four different lengths.




The shell


12


of the garment is preferably formed from an elastic material, such as a material comprising spandex fibers. Other materials exhibiting similar characteristics are also contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention. Further, the material used to form the shell


12


is preferably breathable to allow the baby to regulate its temperature without becoming overly hot or cold.




To use the garment


10


, the baby B is placed in the interior volume


16


of the elastic shell


12


. Each arm of the baby B is slipped into one of the restraints


40


in the shell


12


to thereby secure the arm in the shell and to retain the respective arm in the interior volume


16


of the shell. A girth of the shell


12


is adjusted by fastening the appropriate combination of fasteners


54


,


56


so that when the shell is wrapped taut around the baby without stretching the shell, the longitudinal opening


28


of the shell has a width W selected to apply a predetermined approximate pressure to the baby when the longitudinal opening is closed. Preferably, this pressure is as small as needed to calm the baby B. Larger than needed pressures should be avoided to prevent the garment


10


from interfering with breathing. Although other pressures may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the approximate pressure is between about one half centimeter of water and about three centimeters of water. Although the width W may be defined in other ways without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one way the width is defined as a distance between two spaced anatomical features of the baby B such as the distance between the shoulders or the distance between the nipples of the baby. Once the girth of the shell


12


is so adjusted, the longitudinal opening


28


is closed by zipping the zipper


32


to secure the shell around the baby. When the longitudinal opening


28


is closed, the shell supplies a comforting pressure to the arms and trunk of the baby B. The length of the shell


12


may also be adjusted to correspond to a length of the trunk and legs of the baby B as explained above.




Preferably, the method of adjusting the girth of the shell


12


described above provides the body portion


60


of the shell with an unstretched circumference measured around the inner surface


16


of the shell between about fifty percent and about 75 percent of a corresponding nominal girth of the baby B measured around the trunk and arms of the baby. More preferably, the method provides the body portion


60


of the shell with an unstretched circumference of about sixty percent of the corresponding nominal girth of the baby B. Further, the leg portion


62


of the garment


10


described above has an unstretched circumference measured around the inner surface


16


of the shell greater than about 200 percent of a corresponding nominal girth of the baby B measured around the legs of the baby.




In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.




When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.




As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.



Claims
  • 1. A garment for swaddling a baby, said garment comprising:an elongate shell having an outer surface, and an inner surface opposite said outer surface defining an interior volume for receiving the arms, legs and trunk of a baby therein, said shell having a head end, a foot end opposite said head end, lateral sides extending between the head end and the foot end, and a neck opening at the head end for receiving a neck of the baby; and a pair of restraints positioned inside the interior volume of the shell adjacent the lateral sides, each of said restraints surrounding a central axis extending longitudinally with respect to the shell for receiving one of said arms of the baby to retain the respective arm within the interior volume of the shell.
  • 2. A garment as set forth in claim 1 wherein the pair of restraints is releasably attached to the inner surface of the shell.
  • 3. A garment as set forth in claim 2 wherein each restraint of the pair of restraints is tubular.
  • 4. A garment as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a longitudinal opening in the shell extending from the neck opening for providing access to the interior volume of the shell to insert the baby into the interior volume and remove the baby therefrom, and a closure disposed along the longitudinal opening for selectively closing the longitudinal opening and securing the baby inside the interior volume of the shell.
  • 5. A garment as set forth in claim 4 wherein the closure extends along a front of the garment.
  • 6. A garment as set forth in claim 4 wherein the closure is a zipper.
  • 7. A garment as set forth in claim 1 further comprising at least one adjustment element disposed along the shell for adjusting at least one of a size and a shape of the interior volume of the shell.
  • 8. A garment as set forth in claim 7 wherein the adjustment element comprises at least one zipper.
  • 9. A garment as set forth in claim 7 wherein the adjustment element comprises at least one snap fastener.
  • 10. A garment as set forth in claim 7 wherein the adjustment element is positioned along at least one of said lateral sides of the shell.
  • 11. A garment as set forth in claim 10 wherein the adjustment element comprises fasteners arranged in longitudinal rows along the lateral sides of the shell for adjusting a girth of the garment thereby accommodating babies of differing sizes.
  • 12. A garment as set forth in claim 7 wherein the adjustment element is positioned at the foot end of the shell for adjusting a length of the shell thereby accommodating babies of differing lengths.
  • 13. A garment as set forth in claim 12 wherein the adjustment element includes at least one fastener arranged to allow the foot end to be rolled and fastened to the shell between the head end and the foot end.
  • 14. A garment as set forth in claim 1 wherein the shell comprises a stretchable material.
  • 15. A garment as set forth in claim 14 wherein the stretchable material includes spandex fibers.
  • 16. A garment as set forth in claim 1 wherein the shell comprises a breathable material.
  • 17. A bag-type garment for swaddling a baby comprising an elongate shell having an outer surface, and an inner surface opposite said outer surface defining an interior volume for receiving the arms, legs and trunk of a baby therein, said shell having a head end, a foot end opposite said head end, lateral sides extending between the head end and the foot end, and a neck opening at the head end for receiving a neck of the baby, said shell including a body portion adjacent the head end sized and shaped for enclosing the arms and trunk of the baby and for holding the arms of the baby in close proximity to the trunk of the baby, and a leg portion adjacent the foot end sized and shaped for enclosing the legs of the baby with sufficient space to permit flexure and abduction of the hips of the baby within the interior volume of the garment.
  • 18. A garment as set forth in claim 17 wherein the body portion of the shell has an unstretched circumference measured around the inner surface of the shell between about fifty percent and about 75 percent of a corresponding nominal girth of the baby measured around the trunk and arms of the baby.
  • 19. A garment as set forth in claim 18 wherein the unstretched circumference of the body portion is about sixty percent of the corresponding nominal girth of the baby.
  • 20. A garment as set forth in claim 17 wherein the leg portion of the shell has an unstretched circumference measured around the inner surface of the shell greater than about 200 percent of a corresponding nominal girth of the baby measured around the legs of the baby.
  • 21. A garment as set forth in claim 17 further comprising at least one adjustment element disposed along the shell for adjusting at least one of a size and a shape of the interior volume of the shell.
  • 22. A garment as set forth in claim 21 wherein the adjustment element is positioned along at least one of said lateral sides of the shell for adjusting a girth of the shell thereby accommodating babies of differing sizes.
  • 23. A garment as set forth in claim 21 wherein the adjustment element is positioned at the foot end of the shell for adjusting a length of the shell thereby accommodating babies of differing lengths.
  • 24. A garment as set forth in claim 17 further comprising a pair of restraints positioned inside the interior volume of the shell adjacent the lateral sides, each of said restraints for receiving one of said arms of the baby to retain the respective arm within the interior volume of the shell.
  • 25. A garment for swaddling a baby comprising an elongate shell having an outer surface, and an inner surface opposite said outer surface defining an interior volume for receiving the arms, legs and trunk of a baby therein, said shell having a head end, a foot end opposite said head end, lateral sides extending between the head end and the foot end, a neck opening at the head end for receiving a neck of the baby, and a longitudinal opening extending from the neck opening for providing access to the interior volume of the shell, said longitudinal opening having an open position for inserting the baby into the interior volume and removing the baby from the volume, and a closed position for retaining the baby in the interior volume, the shell having an unstretched circumference measured around the inner surface of the shell when the longitudinal opening is in the closed position equal to between about fifty percent and about 75 percent of a corresponding nominal girth of the baby measured around the trunk and arms of the baby.
  • 26. A garment as set forth in claim 25 wherein the unstretched circumference is about sixty percent of the corresponding nominal girth of the baby.
  • 27. A garment for swaddling a baby comprising an elongate shell having an outer surface, and an inner surface opposite said outer surface defining an interior volume for receiving the arms, legs and trunk of a baby therein, said shell having a head end, a foot end opposite said head end, lateral sides extending between the head end and the foot end, a neck opening at the head end for receiving a neck of the baby, and a longitudinal opening extending from the neck opening for providing access to the interior volume of the shell, said longitudinal opening having an open position for inserting the baby into the interior volume and removing the baby from the volume, and a closed position for retaining the baby in the interior volume, wherein the shell applies a pressure to the baby when the longitudinal opening is in the closed position between about one half centimeter of water and about three centimeters of water.
  • 28. A method of swaddling a baby comprising the steps of:placing a baby in an interior volume of an elastic shell having a longitudinal opening for providing access to the interior volume of the shell; adjusting a girth of the shell so that when the shell is wrapped taut around the baby without stretching the shell, the longitudinal opening of the shell has a width selected to apply a predetermined approximate pressure to the baby when the longitudinal opening is closed; and closing the longitudinal opening to stretch the shell around the baby and secure the shell about the baby.
  • 29. A method as set forth in claim 28 wherein said width equals a spacing between the nipples of the baby.
  • 30. A method as set forth in claim 28 wherein the predetermined approximate pressure is between about one half centimeter of water and about three centimeters of water.
  • 31. A method as set forth in claim 28 further comprising the step of adjusting a length of the shell to correspond to a length of the trunk and legs of the baby.
  • 32. A method as set forth in claim 28 further comprising the step of securing each arm of the baby in the shell to retain the respective arm in the interior volume of the shell.
  • 33. A method of swaddling a baby comprising the steps of:placing a baby in an interior volume of a sleeveless, tubular shell; and securing each arm of the baby to the shell to retain the respective arm in the interior volume of the shell.
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