Patent Application
20160174619
The instant disclosure relates to apparatuses with improved air flow and comfort. In particular, the instant disclosure relates to baby swaddles with improved air flow, comfort, and securement.
The present disclosure relates to baby swaddles and other child usable objects. Swaddling refers to the practice of wrapping infants in blankets or fabrics to restrict the movement of the infant's limbs. Many parents find swaddling to have a calming effect on the baby, and therefore employ swaddling as a means to reduce crying and to assist the baby in sleep. In addition, swaddling can be used to keep the baby in the supine position during sleep to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Conventional swaddle techniques utilize a square blanket folded into triangular shapes to hold the baby within. The blanket is folded into a triangular shape and the baby is positioned near the center of the triangle long edge. The triangle point to the left or right of the baby is laid across the baby and tucked under the baby, and then the opposite triangle point is then wrapped over that and tucked in to the pre-wrapped portion of the blanket. This way, the baby's arms are locked into place. The parent can elect to have the baby's arms down, or up near the baby's mouth. Oftentimes, the third point of the triangle located at the baby's feet is folded up prior to the wrap of the left or right triangle point. Experts caution that the legs should remain free to move to lower the risk of developmental hip disorders.
There are several issues in properly swaddling a baby. First, the swaddle should be secure enough so that the baby cannot wiggle out of the swaddle. This not only improves the experience for the baby, but ensures the baby won't fall out during transport. Second, the swaddle should laterally secure the baby, but also allow the baby's legs to move freely.
Third, for preferred breathing conditions, no part of the swaddle material should be in contact with the baby's face. Infants usually breathe through their nasal passages. However, during crying or in the event their nasal passages are blocked, infants may breathe through their oral cavities. Mechanical resistance suffocation takes places when respiration is interrupted if these passages are both blocked externally by an object. When respiration is interrupted, CO2 levels in the blood rise. The body's response to this elevation in CO2 levels is to attempt more rigorous respiration. If the agent of suffocation is not removed, the incident may be fatal after two or three minutes. Further, breathing CO2 or other dangerous gases may be a possible cause of SIDS. Conventional swaddle designs may attempt to keep extraneous portions of the swaddle garment away from the baby's face, but even they do not adequately address mechanical resistance and buildup of CO2. A need exists for a swaddle that reduces the risk of suffocation in the event the swaddle material comes in contact with the face of the baby.
Although the exact causes of SIDS remain unconfirmed, overheating is another suspected cause. Overheating may be caused by over-bundling, too much bedding material, or the wrong kinds of materials in an infant's bedding. Additionally, some infants sweat heavily during the deepest part of their sleep cycles and can wake up wet from the accumulation of sweat. Babies spend more time in the deepest part of the sleep cycle than do children or adults, and are therefore more susceptible to waking up wet. Heat coupled with accumulated moisture can be a cause of heat rash and/or prickly heat. Currently available swaddle garments do not adequately address overheating and sweating. Therefore, a need exists for a swaddle design that reduces the risk the overheating, and allows for sweat to evaporate from the body.
Finally, because swaddles are mostly used to promote sleep in a baby, they should avoid components prone to awaking the baby, such as hook and loop fasteners or snaps. For at least these reasons, a need exists for a new swaddle garment that addresses breathability, heat regulation, and peacefulness.
The present disclosure is directed to a swaddle for a baby. According to one embodiment, the swaddle comprises a pocket for receiving a baby. The pocket may be stitched near the top two corners, or it may have stitching only located in the middle region of the left and right sides. Stitched seams, according to one embodiment, travel down the sides of the left or right side. In one embodiment, stitching along the left side is higher than the stitching along the right side. In one embodiment, the swaddle has left and right wings for wrapping the baby, with the left wing shorter and more rounded than the right wing.
In one embodiment, there is presented a closure apparatus for securing the swaddle garment around a baby. The closure apparatus may take many forms such as a button hole, closure loop, D-Ring, or two-slit design. In addition, the closure apparatus may be relocatable on the swaddle garment itself. In one embodiment, multiple closure apparatuses allow the caregiver to select the optimum fit for different sized babies.
The swaddle garment, according to the present disclosure, is fashioned from breathable mesh material. This material can be, for example, a one ply perforated Birds Eye fabric of 165 grams per square meter (gsm) with brushed inside texture and a smooth outer texture. In another example, the swaddle garment includes a wicking liner. Certain embodiments include breathable mesh material with multiple layers.
In one embodiment, the baby swaddle comprises a rear garment section having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein at least a portion of the rear garment comprises a breathable mesh material, and a front garment section having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein a portion of the front garment is stitched to a portion of the rear garment to create a pocket for receiving a baby, and wherein at least a portion of the front garment comprises breathable mesh material. The pocket may comprise an upper edge, lower edge, left edge and right edge, wherein the upper and lower edges have no seams. In one embodiment, the swaddle further comprises a stitched seam along the pocket left edge. In yet another embodiment, the stitched seam has a length shorter than the length of the pocket left edge. In one embodiment, the swaddle comprises a stitched seam along the pocket right edge, and the seam may be shorter than the length of the pocket right edge.
The swaddle, according to the present disclosure may contain a left outer wing and a right outer wing. One embodiment has the left outer wing shorter than the right outer wing. Both wings can be triangular in shape, with the right outer wing having a more acute angle. The right outer wing, therefore, is well suited for drawing through a closure apparatus, which is provided in one embodiment. The closure apparatus can take several forms, such as a button hole, a D-ring strap, a loop closure, or a two-slit design. One embodiment has multiple closure apparatuses to allow for better fit of different size babies. In another embodiment, the D-ring strap or the loop closure is relocatable, for example by buttons, snaps, or hook and loop.
In one embodiment, the entire swaddle takes a triangular form, with the lower point slightly cut off to form the pocket. The baby swaddle may contain one or more darts along the upper edge of the rear garment section. The darts provide guides for placing the baby in the swaddle garment. The darts also slightly curve the upper edge to provide a better fit around the neckline of the baby. In one embodiment, the swaddle may contain water resistant material near where a baby's bottom area would be placed within the swaddle.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims herein. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present designs. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the designs disclosed herein, both as to the organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:
Disclosed herein are various embodiments of a breathable baby swaddle. According to the embodiment shown in
In one embodiment, front garment section 146 has an alternate front garment section upper edge 148 extending from the left side of swaddle garment 100 to the bottom of seam 114.
Swaddle garment 100 may contain darts 120. Darts 120 alter the line of upper edge 140, adding slight arcs or curves in the line to assist in wrapping swaddle 100 around the baby's neckline or shoulders. In addition, darts 120 can serve as points to assist the caregiver in lining up the baby in swaddle 100 prior to wrapping the baby.
According to the embodiment shown in
To swaddle a baby, swaddle garment 100 is laid flat on a surface with front garment section 146 upwards, as shown in
Because pocket 130 is longer than the lower portion of the baby, the baby's feet are not bunched up and are allowed to move freely within the space provided at the bottom of pocket 130. Next, left outer wing 150 is wrapped over the torso of the baby and tucked underneath the baby's left shoulder as seen in
Because swaddle garment 100 is fastened using button hole 122, no hook and loop fasteners or snaps are required. Therefore, a caregiver wishing to unswaddle a baby would not risk awakening her with loud noises.
It is contemplated that swaddle garment 100 can be reversed to present a longer left outer wing 150, with the corresponding button hole 122 then being on the left side as well. In one embodiment, left outer wing 150 and right outer wing 152 are equal in proportion. In one embodiment, front garment section 146 is attached to rear garment section 144 along lower edge 142 with a constant seam. In one embodiment, front garment section 146 is folded up so lower edge 142 of pocket 130 is closed by breathable mesh material but has no seam. In another embodiment, however, no seam along lower edge 142 is provided. Pocket 130 remains in place because of at least attachment at seam locations 110 and 112, but the lower portion of pocket 130 remains open. This allows a caregiver to change a baby's diaper without unswaddling the baby.
As mentioned, babies are particularly susceptible to respiratory problems, in part because they have not yet developed the motor skills to clear breathing passages. Therefore, it is important to reduce the risk that a baby's breathing passages are blocked. According to the present disclosure, swaddle garment 100 comprises a breathable mesh-type material.
In one embodiment, the fabrics of rear garment section 144 and front garment section 146 may include any of a variety of mesh-type materials that provide breathable functionality. Breathable functionality refers to the ability of the material to allow air to substantially move effectively therethrough. As used herein, when air is indicated as substantially moving effectively through a material, it is meant that the material includes openings (e.g., mesh openings, open-framework, spaces between elements thereof, or even those that may not be visually perceivable openings but still allow a breathable function to occur) that do not impede air movement to an extent that would prevent a human being from breathing through (e.g., when a human's respiratory openings are indirect contact with a material) such a material in order to prevent suffocation and further that such openings are too small to permit an infant to insert a finger or toe therethrough.
In one embodiment, swaddle garment 100 includes rear and front garment sections 144 and 146 that each are fashioned from a single fabric layer. Both rear garment section 144 and front garment section have an outer surface 104 and an inner surface 103, as seen in
In one embodiment, either of front garment section 146 or rear garment section 144 is fashioned from multiple layers of fabric. For example, the garment sections may comprise a two-ply design with the inside surface made from lightweight liner mesh and the outer surface made from breathable mesh described above. In one embodiment, padded mesh is contemplated in certain areas. In addition, rear garment section 144 may contain a liquid resistant section near the baby's bottom area to help protect for diaper blowouts.
In the event that a baby's oral or nasal orifices come in contact with swaddle fabric, Carbon Dioxide (“CO2”) buildup is a concern. For conventional swaddles that do not employ breathable fabric, a baby may suffocate. The breathable mesh fabric herein contemplated for the present swaddle disclosure mitigates this risk by allowing CO2 to disperse. The Carbon Dioxide Dispersal Test is a study of CO2 retention during simulated breathing cycles, where breathable mesh fabric exhibited the ability to disperse CO2 more effectively than conventional fabric when the conventional fabric was positioned so gases could move through it. In addition, the mesh fabric of rear and front garment sections 144 and 146 did not contribute significantly to the retention of CO2 because gases can easily pass through the mesh fabric. Such findings indicate that the ability of the mesh fabric to disperse CO2 is a safety advantage that can limit the likelihood of CO2 rebreathing for infants in comparison to the conventional swaddles evaluated.
The RAM Consulting Virtual Child Suffocation Hazard Assessment Model assesses suffocation hazards of various fabrics. In one embodiment, the breathable mesh material has a suffocation resistance level of less than about 15 cm H2O as determined by the RAM model.
Under the ASTM D1518 Thermal Transmittance of materials test, the thermal resistance, in a value referred to as TOG, is equal to 10 times the temperature difference (in ° C.) between two faces of a material when the flow of heat is equal to one Watt/m2. The thermal transmittance is largely a function of (1) the thickness of a garment and (2) the amount of material in a garment. The mesh fabric of rear and front garment sections 144 and 146 release excess body heat keeping the body warm. By contrast, in conventional fabrics used for swaddling, a baby's body can overheat if excess body heat cannot escape through the fabric walls. The TOG value for rear and front garment sections 144 and 146 of this example is less than other non-breathable fabrics because of the ability to allow for relatively easy movement of air through the fabric, which will also influence the retention of heat and moisture. Embodiments presented herein provide a balance of both heat retention and airflow, which prevents overheating.
The ASTM E96 Water Vapor Transmission rate (WVTR) test is typically dominated by the amount of material and the thickness of a garment because such tests measure the rates of thermal and molecular diffusion through the materials. Breathable mesh fabric allows for more moisture evaporation than non-breathable fabrics generally used in swaddles. In addition, breathable mesh fabric provides superior wicking properties to non breathable materials, where moisture is wicked away from the skin of the wearer. Likewise, excess body heat can escape through the open pores of the mesh fabrics and evaporate quickly, keeping the body dry and comfortable and preventing a wet, sweaty skin. Because of the porosity of the fabric(s) used, garment 100 does not trap excess heat, thereby minimizing overheating and sweating. This is unlike other conventional fabrics used to keep the body warm, where the fabric does not release the excess heat and entraps the wetness, which can cause medical issues.
Fabrics that can be used include, but are not limited to cotton, silk, polyester, nylon, and the like. In fact, one embodiment is made of 100% polyester fabric, polyester being versatile enough to be manufactured into the mesh fabric configurations described above. It should be noted that the scope of embodiments is not limited to any particular value for mesh size, thickness, thermal transmission, carbon dioxide dispersion, water vapor transmission, air permeability, and the like. Various embodiments include fabrics that provide breathability, even when placed over an infant's mouth and nose, but do not include holes in the mesh that are large enough to it a finger or other appendage. In fact, any garment providing a breathable thermal mesh outer surface, a mesh or brushed inner surface, or even an inner liner that wicks moisture, is contemplated.
It will be recognized that the thickness of any of the materials may vary, as well as for other materials described herein. For example, more padding may create a softer more plush effect with slightly different breathability/ventilation properties, whereas less padding may create more breathability, more thermal transmittance, and less weight.
Additionally, any of the mesh-type materials herein may be configured as a breathable integrated mesh material in combination with one or more other material layers. For example, a mesh material may be used in combination with one or more layers of other material adjacent thereto. Such additional layers may be layers of cotton material, knit jersey material, and/or the like. Such additional material layers may provide additional benefits such as, for example, thermal properties with breathability.
Other apparatuses to secure the swaddle are contemplated. For example,
In one embodiment, D-Ring 126 and/or loop closure 128 can be relocated on swaddle 100 by the caregiver. For example, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, or snaps are employed in one embodiment to relocate said closures 126, 128 to another position on swaddle 100. In one embodiment, one or more horizontal strips of loop material are placed in the upper central region of the back side of rear garment section 144, as represented in
In another embodiment, loop closure takes the form of a breathable mesh ring, having a separation and reattachment means, such as hook and loop or snaps. Two holes are provided in rear garment section 144 at or near the location where loop closure 128 is attached in
Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the design as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the present disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.
