INFANT SLEEPING SYSTEM
Field of the Invention The present invention relates to infant sleepwear which allows an infant to sleep on its back, but prevents it from rolling over onto its stomach or moving about the crib and becoming entangled or lodged between the crib railings.
Background of the Invention Newborn babies are accustomed to the close, warm, secure environment of their mother's womb prior to birth. Newborns and young infants are commonly wrapped in swaddling type blankets to provide warmth and comfort, which simulates the cocoon-like state of the mother's womb. Swaddling mimics the pre-birth experience resulting in a comfortable and content newborn.
Swaddling also helps settle the developing nervous system of the infant since newborns are overwhelmed by novel feelings and sensations in their nerves; swaddling places an infant's muscles and joint position sensors at rest.
Swaddling has been shown to calm babies with colic and fussiness. Swaddling especially settles the startle reflex in preventing the flailing of the infant's arms and thus helps the infant feel more secure.
In addition to providing comfort and warmth, parents and caregivers must provide protection from danger in an infant's sleep environment. This is generally achieved through safe positioning of infants so that they are prevented from getting into awkward positions and either harming themselves or waking themselves unnecessarily.
A general problem for positioning infants for sleep is the risk that a blanket or bedding will be loosened and/or re-positioned during sleep. In the case of the blanket being moved off the infant's body, there is a risk that the infant will become chilled from exposure to cold air and in the case of the blanket being moved over the infant's face, there is the risk of the infant suffocating from lack of oxygen.
Swaddling, if done properly, reduces the risk that an infant will become uncovered or that the swaddling blanket or bedding will come loose. However, swaddling alone cannot eliminate these risks. This is especially true for infants that are more than six weeks old, when they are stronger and more active than newborns. Furthermore, many parents and caregivers have difficulty properly swaddling infants. To obtain a proper swaddle and to achieve the desired result, the blanket must be snug enough to immobilize the infant's arms and, to a certain degree, its legs, but loose enough that it is still comfortable.
Many parents experience difficulty with swaddling due to unfamiliarity with swaddling folds; it is difficult to effectively swaddle an infant in a rectangular or square-type blanket. If not swaddled correctly, the infant often wriggles free of the swaddle, resulting in the arms being freed and vitiating the desired effect. An infant wriggling free of the swaddling blanket also is exposed to a serious risk of suffocation or SIDS related issues due to loose bedding and unrestricted positioning of the infant. Even when swaddled correctly, infants can potentially roll, becoming entrapped in the swaddling blanket or trapped faced down while still wrapped in the blanket.
The difficulties with current swaddling blankets, sleep garments, and sleep safety devices include: a propensity to come undone and become loose in the crib, putting the infant at risk of suffocation; difficulty of proper and effective application;
and an inability to prevent the infant from rolling into a prone position, thus potentially becoming trapped face down in the blanket creating a serious safety issue.
Other available swaddling implements on their own may be sufficient to swaddle and position an infant during the six week post-partum stage when the infant lacks the strength and developmental capacity to roll or break free. However, after the newborn stage and still within the period of time an infant is at risk for SIDS and/or other sleep-related hazards, many implements do not properly restrain the infant's arms, do not stay on the infant's body, and do not prevent the infant from rolling into a face-down position.
In light of recent research on SIDS, it is recommended babies be placed on their backs for sleeping for as long as the infant will tolerate this position during the infant's first year. Unfortunately, presently available infant positioning implements have difficulties related to functionality and safety. Examples include, but are not limited to, positioning wedges, foam apparatus and rolled pieces of fabric.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,513 discloses a fitted sleeping sac that is attached to a sheet. The arms of the infant are not restrained, thereby allowing the infant to move freely and to escape the sleeping sac. Furthermore, the sheet is simply a fitted sheet with a band that passes around the mattress, which is likely to be shifted by the movements of the infant, thereby exposing it to risk of injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,576 discloses a body conforming blanket that forms a pouch by using flaps that are wrapped and secured by using a hook and loop fastening system. With this design, the infant is not prevented from rolling over or from wriggling free or kicking its way out of the blanket.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,729 discloses a pocket type bedding device that secures an infant between a sheet and the mattress cover. It does not restrain the infant's movements, the infant is not prevented from rolling over, and the infant can escape as easily as from regular bed sheet or blanket.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,631,528 discloses a crib sheet with a blanket sewn on it to wrap around the infant to retain the infant in a supine position. This device does not swaddle the infant, rather, it simply wraps around the baby's torso leaving the arms and shoulders free. Because the infant's arms remain free, this design allows a baby a great deal of mobility. In practice, an infant is still able roll onto its stomach within the apparatus, exposing the infant to a risk for SIDS and suffocation. In addition, since the crib sheet is fastened about the mattress, it is likely to be shifted by the movement of the infant, thereby potentially loosening bedding and bringing the infant closer to the edge of the bed/crib.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,048 discloses an infant restraining device with a bottom sheet tied to a mattress with ropes or ties and a sleep pouch attached to the bottom sheet by a material pivot and with a piece of hook and loop material. It is suggested in the '048 patent that the material pivot allows the infant to move, without allowing it to rollover. However, in practice, it is unnecessary and simply increases the risk that the baby will rollover and/or become entangled. Furthermore, the device of the '048 patent leaves the infants arms free, which significantly increases the risk that the infant will be able to escape. In particular, the device has Velcro shoulder straps that are fastened on the front of the infant within easy reach of the infant's hands. The infant can, therefore, easily undo the straps with its hands, effectively defeating the purpose of the device. In addition, having long, thin straps so close to a child's neck presents an unnecessary hazard. These straps pose a risk of chafing and/or strangulation if they were to come undone.
The apparatus of the '048 patent uses a bottom sheet that is a "half-sheet mattress cover" attached to a mattress with straps going underneath to the other side. The infant's movement can cause the entire blanket, device and infant to shift over to the edge of the bed, thereby defeating the purpose of the device.
Thus, there remains a need in the art for an infant bedding product which functions to restrain an infant's movements, keeps an infant warm, prevents the infant from escaping, prevents an infant from moving from a supine or side-lying position to a dangerous prone position, and prevents an. infant from shifting or loosening the bedding.
SZJMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the defects inherent in known swaddling and positioning devices by providing a novel sleeping garment and crib sheet which, when used together, position the infant safely in a supine position in the sleep environment.
The present invention consists of a crib sheet with a minimum of two attachment points, (preferably six) used to attach to the crib rails or bed frame. The crib sheet attachment points may take the form of secure locking clips, heavy-duty snaps, or other suitable fasteners. Attachment to the crib frame or bed frame, rather than the mattress, eliminates the risk that the infant's movements can cause the crib sheet to move or shift. Two attachment points lie on opposite edges of the crib sheet and on either side of a connector, for attachment of a sleep garment to the crib sheet.
The crib sheet is used in combination with an infant sleep garment that attaches to the connector of the crib sheet by hook and loop mechanism. The sleep garment restrains movement of the infant's arms, preventing the infant from using its arms to move itself about the crib or bed, and its hands to escape the sleep garment. The sleep garment also acts to swaddle the infant and prevents the infant from waking itself by reflexive movement of its arms.
The sleep garment is equipped with a Velcro type hook and eye loop fastener on the backside of the garment to lock into the Velcro connector on the crib sheet. The Velcro on the crib sheet and sleep garment are positioned to ensure the infant cannot break free from the Velcro by moving its body around.
Brief Description of the Drawings Further features and advantages will be apparent from the following Detailed Description of the Invention, given by way of example, of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a plan view of the crib sheet;
Figures 2(a-c) show three different views of the sleepwear garment; and Figures 3(a-d) show the sleepwear garment and its components.
Detailed Description of the Invention Figure 1 shows the crib sheet 10 of the present invention.
The crib sheet 10 has strips 20 of reinforcing material sewn between two layers of fabric. The strips 20 of reinforcing material form six attachment points 30 for attachment to the crib bars (not shown). The attachment points 30 extend beyond the outer edge of the crib sheet 10, are adjustable in length, and have a locking clip mechanism in order to connect to crib bars or bed frames of different sizes and configurations. In an alternative embodiment, a locking clip can be used to connect a separate strap 40 which may then be clipped, for example, to a bed frame instead of a crib. The attachment points 30 can be used to attach various travel straps for affixing the crib sheet to articles other than a crib. The crib sheet can have any number of desired locking clips or strips of reinforcing material greater than 6. In the preferred embodiment, the crib sheet has a strip 20 of reinforcing material extending from each of the 4 corners of the crib sheet and, as is discussed further below, a horizontally oriented strip of reinforcing material 50 is preferably positioned at the level of the torso or shoulders of the infant (i.e. the infant's point of greatest strength and leverage).
A connector 60, preferably made of hook and loop material, (Velcro) is approximately centrally positioned on the crib sheet 10, at the center of the crossing point of the strips 20 reinforcing material, thereby placing the infant's back at the most secure position. A lower portion 70 of the connector 60 preferably keeps the lower portion of the sleep garment (see Figs. 2(a-c)) secured to the crib sheet 10. The infant still has room to kick and move its hips within the sleep garment, but is prevented from pulling the entire bottom portion of the sleep garment up, putting pressure on the connector 60 at the shoulders.
Although in the preferred embodiment the crib sheet incorporates strips 20 of reinforcing material, alternate embodiments will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art that do not include such strips. For example, the need for such strips would be eliminated if the crib sheet 10 itself is made of sturdier material. In such an embodiment the attachment points 30 would simply form part of the edge of the crib sheet or would be connected thereto.
The connector 60 may have any one of a number of possible configurations, provided the back of the infant is centrally situated between the attachment points 30, (i.e. in the preferred embodiment at the crossing point of the strips 20 of reinforcing material) and the lower portion of the sleep garment is securely affixed to the crib sheet 20.
In an alternate embodiment, the crib sheet has only two attachment points located opposite one another on either side of the connector 60. Although six attachment points ensures that the crib sheet will not be shifted or moved by the movements of the infant, two attachment points, provided they are positioned such that they are aligned with the torso (preferably the shoulders) of the infant, can be sufficient. It is essential that the placement of the crib sheet be fixed in a way that resists the infant's movements at its point of greatest leverage (i.e. the torso or shoulders).
In a further alternate embodiment, the crib sheet may be a fitted sheet or a sheet similar to a pillow-case, having an inner cavity to receive a mattress, pillow or cushion.
Referring to Figs. 2a-c, three views of the sleep garment 80 of the present invention are shown: (a) front, closed; (b) back; and (c) front, open. The sleep garment 80 zips up in the front with a locking zipper 90 that may open at the top or bottom.
Figure 2(b) shows the placement of hook and loop strips 100 on the back of the sleep garment 80. The strips 100 are placed such that when they are engaged with the connector 60 of the crib sheet (see Fig. 1) the infant's back is secure. The Velcro strips 100 may be placed in several different configurations, so long as the infant's back and the lower portion of the sleep garment 80 are secure.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2(b), in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Velcro strips 100 are placed on the sleep garment 80 in several vertical strips from the upper shoulders down to the lower leg area. There is also a horizontal strip of Velcro at the level of the infant's lower legs running almost the entire width of the back of the sleep garment 80. The connector 60 of the crib sheet 10 has three portions: a square of Velcro to secure the torso portion of the sleep garment 80, and two horizontal strips 70 to secure the lower body and leg portions of the sleep garment 80. The positioning of the connector 60 and the Velcro strips 100 are intended to achieve the following:
a) attach the infant's torso or shoulders (i.e. the infant's point of greatest strength and leverage) to the crib sheet;
b) attach the infant's torso or shoulders to the crossing point of the crossing point of the strips 20 of the crib sheet; and c) attach the lower portion of the sleep garment to the crib-sheet in a manner that allows some movement of the infant' s legs .
Figures 2(c) and 3(b) show the sleep garment 80 with the zipper 90 open so that the sleeves 110 on the inside of the sleep garment 80 can be seen. The sleeves 110 are preferably sewn directly into the side seam of the sleep garment 80. The sleeves 110 may alternatively be sewn to the back portion 120 of the sleep garment 80, or to both the side seam and the back portion 120. The infant is placed in the sleep garment 80 with its back against the back 120 of the garment and with its arms placed in the sleeves 110 instead of through the arm holes 130.
Once the sleep garment 80 is zipped up, the infant is effectively swaddled.
The sleep garment 80 has a narrowed torso 140 to facilitate a snug, secure feeling for the infant. In addition, the sleep garment 80 has a wide lower portion 150 at the infant's feet to enclose the infant's legs while at the same time allowing leg movement.
The sleep garment 80 of the present invention is designed to be comfortably worn, having a form fitting torso area 140, and a wide lower portion 150. Preferably, the garment 80 has no straps on it. The sleep garment 80 may have a quilted back to add extra comfort for the infant while sleeping on the crib sheet 10. With this design, there is no chance that the baby's skin or body will come in direct contact with the Velcro of the connector 60 on the crib sheet 10.
Referring to Figs. 2(c) and 3(a)-(d), several different embodiments of the inner sleeves 110 are shown.
Referring to Figs. 2(c), 3(a) and 3(b), two sections of fabric, formed into tubes 200 are sewn along the inside and back portion of the sleep garment 80 to make inner sleeves 110.
Fig. 3(a) shows an alternate embodiment wherein each inner sleeve 110 is a tube 200 of fabric that closes along its length with longitudinally oriented hook and loop strips 115. With the strips 115 the width of the inner sleeves 110 can be adjusted.
Fig. 3(b) shows that the upper portion of the inner sleeves 110 are angled to accommodate the infant's shoulders. Fig. 3(b) also shows the sleeves 110 sewn onto the back portion of the sleep garment 80, however, it is preferred that they be sewn into the side seam of the sleep garment 80 for ergonomic and durability reasons.
The sleeves 110 may also be fully enclosed, with or without a wrist cuff. The inner sleeves 110 may also be sewn to the sleep garment 80 so that they are connected to the sleep garment 80 only at their upper ends, such that the sleeves 110 may be reversed and pulled out of the armholes 130 of the sleep garment 80 to form outer sleeves (not shown) that may be used for warmth, once the infant is older and no longer at risk for SIDS, etc.
Referring to Fig. 3(c), in an alternate embodiment, a single panel of fabric 210 with angled upper quadrants 220 may be sewn onto the inside back portion of the sleep garment 80 leaving the upper portion of the panel 210 open for the infant's arms to be placed securely. The panel 210 is sewn along its edges 230, 232, 234 and 236. The edges 238 are left unsewn so as to form openings for the infants arms. "Sleeves" are formed naturally by the weight of the infant's torso on the panel 210 once the arms are placed underneath or behind the panel.
Alternatively, stitching may be placed vertically, parallel to the infant's torso and adjacent arm and leaving enough room for the arms to be positioned comfortably, to form sleeves. The angle of the edges 238 is necessary to inhibit the bunching of fabric under the infant's armpits.
Referring to Fig. 3(d), a further alternate embodiment, having a "manta ray" shaped panel of fabric 240 is shown. The panel 240, which can be considered to be a "blanket within a blanket", may be sewn into the inner, back portion of the sleep garment 80 using centrally disposed lines of stitching 250.
Each side of the panel 240 ends in a tapered section 260 and has a hook and loop fastener 270. When in use, the infant is placed in the sleep garment 80 such that its back lies on top of the stitching 250, each section 260 of the panel is folded around the outside of a respective one of the infant's arms, then the hook and loop fasteners 270 of the arms are connected to one another behind the infant's back. In this manner inner sleeves are formed that are adjustable in size.
Referring to Figs. 2(c) and 3(a-d), the inner sleeves 110, the panel fabric 210, and the "manta ray" 240 are three alternate embodiments of arm restraint mechanisms that effectively and comfortably restrain the infant's arms within the sleep garment 80. The arm restraint mechanisms are not intended to immobilize the infant's arms, which would cause discomfort. Rather, the arm restraint mechanisms ideally allow some movement but prevent the infant from bringing its arms up to its chest. This degree of restraint allows the infant to remain comfortable while preventing use of the arms to roll over or to move about within the sleep garment or the crib. In addition, it prevents reflexive or startled movements of the infant's arms from, for example, striking the infant's face.
In contrast to prior art devices, (see, for example, the '048 patent) in the preferred embodiments of the present invention, there are no straps. Such straps present a choking hazard if loosened or unfastened.
In an alternate embodiment of the invention the ends of the inner sleeves may be sealed so that there is no hole from which the infant's hands can emerge.