This disclosure describes a wearable blanket and an accessory for swaddling an infant. More particularly, this disclosure describes an accessory attachable to a wearable blanket for use in swaddling an infant.
A wearable blanket is commonly used in lieu of a blanket to keep an infant warm while sleeping in the blanket-free environment currently recommended by pediatric experts and experts in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). A wearable blanket is a garment that fully encloses both legs in one compartment or “bag” and has a sleeveless design to eliminate bulky sleeves that could, when placed proximate to the face, cause a microenvironment for rebreathing exhaled carbon dioxide. Rebreathing (i.e. the inhalation of carbon dioxide) is thought to be a possible cause of SIDS. The sleeveless design also eases the task of putting on and taking off the wearable blanket. An example of a wearable blanket is the SleepSack™ wearable blanket available from Halo Innovations, Inc. of Plymouth, Minn.
Swaddling of infants has been a common practice around the world for thousands of years. Swaddling, which is wrapping or binding around an infant, has traditionally been practiced using a blanket or strips of cloth which are tightly wrapped around the infant.
It is believed that this wrapping or binding comforts an infant and allows them to sleep more soundly. The reasons for this may be many. The snugness of the swaddle may feel, to an infant, like the snugness of the womb they left, giving them a greater sense of security. The swaddle, when used to bind the arms, may also prevent an infant's startle reflex from waking them up. The chest and abdominal pressure generated by the swaddle may even relieve colic which is thought to cause a “fussy” baby. Prior to the use of cribs and a safe nursery environment, a swaddle would also keep an older baby from crawling away when a caregiver was not watching.
The importance of a swaddle today is even greater with the advent of the Back to Sleep™ campaign which encourages parents and caregivers to place babies to sleep on their backs (i.e. supine position), a position which has been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS. Many infants do not tolerate this sleep position well, but tolerate it better when swaddled. In this case, the gentle chest pressure generated by the swaddle may be comforting to them similar to if the infant is sleeping on their stomachs (i.e. prone position).
While many infants tolerate swaddling, there are many that do not. One does not know until they try it. Further, while there is a “right” way and a “wrong” way to swaddle, most parents are left to learn this on their own, as most hospitals fail to teach proper swaddling to the parents of newborns.
There are, however, risks to swaddling. If swaddled improperly, an infant can easily work out of the swaddle, creating a loose blanket which has been shown to increase the risk of SIDS or strangulation. If they do not completely free themselves, the swaddle may migrate over their face, creating an equally dangerous situation. Even the best-swaddled infants will eventually free themselves as they get older. Further, if bound too tight, a swaddle can inhibit chest wall movement, compromising an infant's ability to breathe normally. In addition, if the swaddle binds the infant's legs preventing them from flexing and abducting normally, this may lead to the development of hip dysplasia.
A swaddling accessory attachable to a wearable blanket for use in swaddling an infant. The wearable blanket can be used with or without the swaddle, and gives the caregiver the option of using the wearable blanket without the swaddling accessory depending on how well the infant tolerates swaddling.
The swaddling accessory and wearable blanket are equipped with fasteners that allow the swaddling accessory to be detachably secured to the wearable blanket. In one embodiment, the fasteners are positioned to allow the swaddling accessory to be attached in either a “high” or “low” position relative to the wearable blanket. When at the “high” position, the swaddling accessory is positioned to enclose the arms of the infant. When at the “low” position, the swaddling accessory will enclose only the torso of the infant, leaving the arms free. The fasteners are positioned to prevent the swaddling accessory from being wrapped too high on the infant's body where it could potentially cover a portion of the mouth or nose.
The swaddling accessory has a maximum width and a maximum length. The maximum width is chosen so that the swaddling accessory will primarily cover the torso and/or arms of the infant (depending upon whether the swaddling accessory is in the high or low position), while leaving the legs free to flex within the wearable blanket which helps prevent hip dysplasia. The length of the swaddling accessory is selected so that the swaddling accessory is long enough to fully and securely wrap the infant, with large enough fasteners to securely keep the swaddling accessory in place and securely close the swaddle to provide a snug and secure fit.
In one embodiment, the wearable blanket is provided with a hole near the base thereof and positioned in-line with a closure mechanism, such as a zipper. When in a hospital environment or at home, a number of tubes and/or wires from monitoring mechanisms may be attached to the infant. Those tubes or wires can be run inside the wearable blanket to help keep the tubes or wires in place. The hole allows the passage of tubes and wires to the outside of the wearable blanket. By positioning the holes near the base of the wearable blanket, interference from the swaddle accessory is avoided. Further, because the hole is in-line with the closure mechanism, the wearable blanket can be removed from the infant without having to disconnect the tubes or wires.
A wearable blanket for an infant and a swaddling accessory attachable to the wearable blanket are provided. The wearable blanket is provided with one or more fasteners that allow the swaddling accessory to be detachably attached thereto. Preferably, the fasteners permit the swaddling accessory to be connected to different locations on the wearable blanket. Further, a wearable blanket is also provided with at least one hole therethrough that allows passage of tubes and/or wires connected to the infant. Preferably, the hole is positioned to allow the wearable blanket to be put on and taken off the infant without having to disconnect the tubes or wires.
The swaddling accessory is provided with one or more fasteners for detachable connection with the fastener(s) of the wearable blanket. The swaddling accessory is also provided with fasteners at the ends thereof to enable the ends to be detachably connected when the swaddling accessory is wrapped around an infant.
With reference now to
The wearable blanket can be made of a number of materials suitable for an infant, for example cotton or fleece.
A hole 30 is provided adjacent the closed bottom edge 18 in-line with and at the termination of the closure mechanism 28. As shown in
As shown in
The loop patches 34a, 34b have a width “Wb” and a height “Hb”. The width Wb is selected to help achieve secure connection with the swaddling accessory 12. For example, the width Wb can be between about 4.0 inches and about 5.0 inches. The height Hb is also selected to help achieve secure connection with the swaddling accessory 12 and also to allow adjustment of the height of the swaddling accessory 12 on the blanket 10. For example, the height Hb can be between about 3.0 inches and about 4.0 inches.
With reference to
The accessory 12 is generally oval in shape, with rounded end regions 40, 42 and a portion 44 between the end regions 40, 42 with the maximum height A. The widest portion 44 is positioned generally to the left of a vertical centerline, CL, of the accessory 12, and a portion 12a of the accessory to the left (when viewing
The accessory 12 has a fastener 46 positioned to cooperate with the fastener 34 on the blanket 10 for detachably connecting the swaddling accessory 12 to the blanket 10. For example, the fastener 46 comprises a pair of hook patches 46a, 46b forming part of a hook and loop fastening connection between the blanket 10 and swaddling accessory 12. Although separate patches 46a, 46b have been illustrated, it is to be realized that the fastener 46 could comprise a single hook patch, or the two patches 46a, 46b could be combined into a single larger hook patch. In addition, the hook and loop patches could be reversed, with the patches 34a, 34b being hook patches, and the patches 46a, 46b being loop patches.
The loop patches 46a, 46b have a width “Ws” and a height “Hs”. The width Ws is approximately equal to the width Wb. However, the height Hs is less than the height Hb. For example, the height. Hs can be between about 1.0 inch to about 1.5 inch. With reference to
By adjusting the position of the swaddling accessory 12 relative to the blanket 10, the position of the swaddling that occurs on the infant can be changed as shown in
Returning to
The fastener 48 comprises, for example, a pair of hook panels 48a, 48b, while the fastener 50 comprises a loop panel. If desired, the hook and loop panels would be reversed, with the fastener 48 comprising the loop portion and the fastener 50 comprising the hook portion.
The panels 48a, 48b are long and narrow and the panel 50 preferably has a length greater than the length of the panels 48a, 48b. This allows adjustment of the swaddle accessory 12 around the infant.
An instruction panel 52 can also be provided on the accessory 12 providing instructions on how to swaddle an infant using the accessory 12 and other instructions on using the accessory 12.
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WO 0201975 | Jan 2002 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20070056098 A1 | Mar 2007 | US |