SWADDLING DEVICE
Devices and methods for swaddling of an infant are provided. A swaddling device includes a fabric sleeve having a first opening and a second opening, the fabric sleeve comprising a breathable, four-way stretch material configured to conform to an infant's body while restraining limb movement of the infant.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/317,763, filed on 4 Apr. 2016. The entire teachings of the above application(s) are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUNDSwaddling is a process by which an infant is wrapped snuggly in a blanket or garment with the purpose of preventing or limiting limb movements of the infant. Swaddling is typically performed to soothe the infant and prevent the infant from being disturbed by its own startle reflex. Swaddling is also regarded as an effective technique to promote sleep in infants.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is generally directed to devices and methods for swaddling an infant.
In some embodiments, a swaddling device includes a fabric sleeve having a first opening and a second opening. The fabric sleeve can comprise, for example, a breathable, four-way stretch material configured to conform to an infant's body while restraining limb movement of the infant. In addition, in some embodiments one or any combination of the following applies: (a) the fabric sleeve further includes a protruding region configured to conform to a backside of the infant; (b) the fabric sleeve is a breathable, four-way stretch material, e.g., comprising a blend of polyamide yarn and elastomer fiber, wherein the material comprises a polyamide yarn content of about 80% to about 90%, optionally wherein the polyamide yarn is nylon and the elastomer fiber is at least one of spandex and Lycra®; (c) the breathable, four-way stretch material comprises a nylon content of about 80% to about 90% and a spandex content of about 10% to about 20%; (d) the breathable, four-way stretch material comprises a warp-knit material; (e) the breathable, four-way stretch material comprises a powernet material; (f) the breathable, four-way stretch material has a stretch capacity of about 30%; (g) a diameter of the first and second openings is of about 10 cm to about 30 cm, optionally about 15 cm to about 25 cm; (i) a length of the cylindrical fabric shell is of about 45 cm to about 70 cm, optionally about 50 cm to about 65 cm; and (k) the device further comprises a secondary fabric overlying the cylindrical fabric shell.
In some embodiments, a method of swaddling an infant includes positioning the infant within a fabric sleeve having a first opening and a second opening. The fabric sleeve can comprise, for example, a breathable, four-way stretch material configured to conform to an infant's body while restraining limb movement of the infant. Positioning the infant within the fabric sleeve includes pulling the first opening of the sleeve up over a body portion of the infant. Further, in some embodiments one or any combination of the following applies: (a) positioning the infant includes positioning the backside of the infant into a protruding portion of the fabric sleeve such that legs of the infant are bent up and out from its body; (b) the method further comprises twisting or folding excess fabric of the sleeve extending from the body portion of the infant and tucking the twisted or folded excess fabric; and (c) the method further comprising placing an overwrap about the cylindrical fabric shell.
In other embodiments, a garment for an infant includes a fabric sleeve comprising a breathable, four-way stretch material configured to conform to an infant's body while restraining limb movement of the infant and an overwrap configured to be worn over the fabric sleeve.
The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of example embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating embodiments of the present invention.
A description of example embodiments of the invention follows.
Swaddling an infant with a blanket is a complicated process requiring several steps of folding the blanket over and around portions of the infant's body. Flailing limbs of the infant can make swaddling even more difficult and more likely for the swaddling to be performed incorrectly. When not swaddled correctly, infants are prone to breaking out of the applied blankets. To provide more secure swaddling of infants, specialty garments can be used. Some garments can involve placing the extremities of the infant (i.e., arms, legs) into designated sleeves or extensions of the garment and/or manipulation of several fasteners (e.g. straps, snaps, buttons, zippers, buckles, hook-and-eye closures, etc.) located in or on the garment. However, similar to blanket-swaddling methods, some specialized garments can also involve complicated and time-intensive application procedures. In addition, some specialized swaddling blankets can be insufficiently attractive for some applications, e.g., for situations where a caretaker or professional wishes to, for example, photograph the infant.
An additional shortcoming of some blanket-swaddling methods and specialized swaddling garments is that access to the infant is limited once the infant has been swaddled. For example, to change a diaper or reposition an arm or leg of the infant, the blanket or garment must be completely or entirely undone, after which point the caretaker or professional must go through the process of reswaddling the infant.
Accordingly, some embodiments of the present invention are directed to devices and methods for swaddling an infant that are easy to apply and that provide for easy access to the infant. Additionally, some embodiments of the present invention are effective in preventing infants from breaking out of the swaddling device, while permitting for ergonomically correct placement of the infant's extremities.
In one embodiment, a swaddling device is a fabric shell 100 having a substantially cylindrical shape, as illustrated in
The cylindrical fabric shell 100 can be formed from a continuous, tubular piece of fabric 106, as illustrated in
As used herein, the term “cylindrical” with respect to cylindrical fabric shells/sleeves includes shells/sleeves having substantially cylindrical or tubular shapes notwithstanding any ridging due to seams, fabric irregularities, or the like. It should be appreciated that other shapes can be used. For example, a shell can comprise an elongated hollow shape, having a central axis through the hollow shape. Axial sections of the shape can be closed loops, for example, circles, ellipses, eccentric circles, etc., and these loops can be either uniform or different in type or dimension along the length of the central axis. For example, if the loops are circles and are of uniform diameter along the length of the central axis, then a cylinder will result. If the loops are circles and the diameter varies smoothly, the shape could be, for example, a frustum. A variety of conic sections can be used. In some embodiments the opening of one end is larger than the opening of the other end, e.g., by about 10%, 25%, 50% or 100%. In some embodiments, the shell has a bulge or constriction in a central portion of the shell, e.g., an hourglass shape (constriction), or the converse (bulge). As the shell materials can be deformable, it should be appreciated that the shapes can be described by reference to shapes that the material is capable of forming (e.g., in an unstretched condition wherein the material is positioned to maximize symmetry (e.g., point group symmetry) of the shell. It should be further appreciated that shells can be described as being “approximately” another shape, meaning, for example, that the shape deviates from an ideal shape by less than a certain degree, e.g., less than 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, as can be calculated, for example, as an average percent deviation from ideal over a dimension, e.g., average percent deviation of shell radius from ideal over the length of the shell axis.
As used herein, the term sleeve means a shell, including, without limitation a hollow cylinder, hollow frustum, hollow approximate cylinder, hollow approximate frustum, and can be open, for example, on one or two ends.
In another embodiment a swaddling device is a cylindrical fabric shell 200 that includes a protruding region 220 located between a first opening 202 and a second opening 204. The protruding region 220 is configured to conform to a backside of an infant to provide additional area in the cylindrical fabric shell to accommodate the positioning of the legs and feet of the infant at approximately the same level as the back and buttocks (
A swaddling device including a protruding region can also be formed from a continuous piece of fabric, as illustrated in
During assembly, the fabric piece 801 can be sewn or stitched along each edge, as illustrated in
Any seams included a cylindrical fabric shell can be flat seams to prevent irritation to a wearer of the device. Seam 812 can be, for example, a flat stitch, such as a flat zig zag multistitch, as illustrated in
Top seam 816 and bottom seam 818 can also be flat seams. To provide maximum stretch at either opening 802, 804 of fabric shell 800, seams 816 and 818 can be serged seams, as illustrated in
Swaddling devices of the present invention comprise breathable, four-way stretch material. The material is capable of stretching sufficiently such that the device may be placed onto an infant and conform to the infant's body, while also providing a sufficient amount of compression to restrain limb movement of the infant.
In one embodiment of the invention, the breathable, four-way stretch material comprises a blend of polyamide yarn and elastomer fiber. Examples of polyamide yarns include nylon, capron, dederon, silon, and perlon. Polyamide yarns are typically durable, lightweight, and naturally resistant to mold. Examples of elastomer fiber include spandex and Lycra® (Du Pont, Wilmington, Del.). Elastomer fibers provide stretch and recovery to the fabric. The four-way stretch material can comprise a polyamide yarn content of about 70% to about 90%. A remaining amount (e.g., about 10% to about 30%) of the content of the material can be elastomer fiber, and, optionally, other material(s), such as cotton gauze to provide a more pleasant feel to a wearer of the fabric. In a particular embodiment, the breathable four-way stretch material comprises a nylon content of about 80% to about 90% and a spandex or Lycra® content of about 10% to about 20%.
The breathable four-way stretch material can be a warp-knit fabric, such as tricot, powernet, satinet, weftlock, and the like. Warp-knit fabrics, in addition to being stretchable and supportive, are resistant to runs and relatively easy to sew. In a particular embodiment, the breathable four-way stretch material is a powernet fabric, such as, for example Shaper Power Net high density mesh fabric. Powernet fabric is a warp-knit fabric that typically comprises about 10% to about 20% elastomer fiber (e.g., spandex or Lycra) and about 80% to about 90% polyamide yarn (e.g., nylon). In a particular embodiment the powernet fabric comprises 20% spandex and 80% nylon. Powernet fabric has high elastic and compressive properties. Additionally, powernet fabric is highly breathable, hypoallergenic, antimicrobial, and durable. Due to its high breathability, the fabric minimizes the risk of skin irritations and helps maintain the feeling of fresh/dry skin.
In one embodiment the breathable, four-way stretch material has a stretch capacity of about 20% to about 40%, or of about 25% to about 35%. In a particular embodiment, the breathable, four-way stretch material has a stretch capacity of about 30% (e.g., 28.5%, 29%, 29.5%, 30%, 30.5%, 31%, 31.5%).
Swaddling devices of the present invention are configured to be placed on an infant. Typically, swaddling devices will be placed on infants of about 0 months to about 3 months of age, although some infants may be swaddled at ages greater than 3 months old (e.g., 4 months, 5 months, or 6 months old).
In one embodiment, a cylindrical shell 100, 800 has a length L and a diameter D (
In further embodiments, swaddlers of the present invention are sized based on the age and/or weight of the infant. Example lengths and dimensions of swaddling devices are provided in Table 1.
Swaddling devices of the present invention can be easily placed onto an infant, for example, by stretching the fabric up and over the body of the infant. As illustrated in
Legs and feet of an infant can be appropriately positioned within swaddling devices of the present invention. For example, as shown in
Depending upon the age, weight, and relative size of the infant to a swaddling device, a protruding region 220 may not be necessary for proper placement of the infant's legs and feet in the device. Nonetheless, protruding region 220 can be included for ease of application of the device to the infant, even if there is adequate space in a cylindrical shell 200 without a protruding region 220 to place the infant. Protruding region 220 may also serve as a reminder to a person applying a swaddling device to an infant to ensure that the infant's legs and feet are properly bent up and out from its body.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an overwrap is placed about the cylindrical fabric shell of a swaddling device 500, as shown in the photograph of
Embodiments of the present invention are particularly useful for applications involving photography. Swaddling an infant can be helpful to calm and soothe a baby during a photography session, and also enable a photographer to obtain photos of the infant while it is in a peaceful state. However, as previously described, blanket-swaddling methods can be difficult and time-intensive to apply, and some infants can easily escape from their swaddling. As such, swaddling an infant with a blanket is often impractical in a photography setting. Additionally, some specialized swaddling garments can be unattractive and cumbersome, and are thus also unfit for use in a photography setting. Some embodiments of the present invention advantageously allow an infant to be easily swaddled for a photography session, while also allowing for the easy application and removal of one or more decorative overwraps. As the overwraps are applied and/or removed, the infant remains swaddled in the cylindrical shell of the swaddling device. The bottom opening (e.g., opening 104, 204) also allows easy access to reposition the infant's feet or check the infant's diaper without requiring full removal of the swaddling device.
A method of swaddling an infant for a photograph session can include, applying a swaddling device to the infant and applying or fastening an overwrap over the swaddling device. The method can further include removing the overwrap without removing the swaddling device, and applying a different, second overwrap.
Overwraps can be applied to swaddling devices and fastened by a variety of means. For example, the overwrap can be fasted by snaps, ties, hook-and-loop closures, buttons, hooks, safety pins, garment or toupee tape, zippers, or the like. Alternatively the overwrap can be maintained in place over the swaddling device by surface tension between the sleeve fabric and the overwrap fabric.
In some embodiments, the overwrap is permanently or semi permanently attached to the sleeve. In some embodiments, the sleeve itself is decorated or patterned in an attractive manner. Customization, e.g., with embroidery, can be applied to either the sleeve or the overwrap, e.g., with the infant's name, or with pictures, animals, cartoon characters, icons, patterns, and the like.
In another embodiment, a kit comprises a swaddling device and one or more overwraps. The kit can further include permanent or reusable fasteners for affixing the one or more overwraps to the swaddling device.
In some embodiments, a photographer places an infant in a sleeve, adds a first overwrap, and takes photographs. The photographer can then remove the first overwrap, add a second overwrap without removing the sleeve from the infant, and then takes additional photographs. If the infant requires a diaper change during the photo session, in some embodiments, the diaper can be changed without removing the sleeve from the infant.
Embodiments of the present invention are also useful for typical, everyday swaddling of an infant, for example, at home. Flexible cylindrical shells of swaddling devices of the present invention can be dyed various colors or patterns to provide a stand-alone garment for an infant. Alternatively, or in addition, a second layer of fabric (e.g., an overwrap 600) can be included on the device. For example a second layer of material can be applied to the cylindrical shell to provide additional warmth for the infant or to provide a particular look, color, or texture. The second layer of material can be any material (e.g., cotton, wool, polyester, or any other wearable fabric). The second layer of material can be sewn to the cylindrical shell, for example, at seams located about the perimeter of openings 102, 104, or along other seams (e.g., seams 112, 114) of the garment.
In another embodiment, swaddling devices of the present invention can be used during nursing. By providing secure swaddling of an infant during nursing such that the infant's hands and arms do not become unswaddled, nursing can be performed without, for example, the infant disengaging a nipple shield.
The teachings of all patents, published applications and references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to example embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A swaddling device comprising a fabric sleeve having a first opening and a second opening, the fabric sleeve comprising a four-way stretch material configured to conform to an infant's body while restraining limb movement of the infant.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the fabric sleeve includes a protruding region configured to conform to a backside of the infant.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the fabric sleeve is a breathable, four-way stretch material comprises a blend of polyamide yarn and elastomer fiber, wherein the material comprises a polyamide yarn content of about 80% to about 90%.
4. The device of claim 3, wherein the polyamide yarn is nylon and the elastomer fiber is at least one of spandex and Lycra®.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the breathable, four-way stretch material comprises a nylon content of about 80% to about 90% and a spandex content of about 10% to about 20%
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the breathable, four-way stretch material is a warp-knit material.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the breathable, four-way stretch material is a powernet material.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the breathable, four-way stretch material has a stretch capacity of about 30%.
9. The device of claim 1, wherein a diameter of the first and second openings is of about 10 cm to about 30 cm.
10. The device of claim 1, wherein a diameter of the first and second openings is of about 15 cm to about 25 cm.
11. The device of claim 1, wherein a length of the fabric sleeve is of about 45 cm to about 70 cm.
12. The device of claim 1, wherein a length of the fabric sleeve is of about 50 cm to about 65 cm.
13. The device of claim 1, further comprising a secondary fabric overlying the fabric sleeve.
14. A method of swaddling an infant comprising:
- positioning the infant within a fabric sleeve having a first opening and a second opening, the fabric sleeve comprising a breathable, four-way stretch material configured to conform to an infant's body while restraining limb movement of the infant, wherein positioning the infant within the fabric sleeve includes pulling the first opening of the shell up over a body portion of the infant.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein positioning the infant includes positioning the backside of the infant into a protruding portion of the fabric sleeve such that legs of the infant are bent up and out from its body.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising twisting or folding excess fabric of the sleeve extending from the body portion of the infant and tucking the twisted or folded excess fabric.
17. The method of claim 14, further comprising placing an overwrap about the cylindrical fabric shell.
18. A garment for an infant, comprising:
- a fabric sleeve having a first opening and a second opening, the fabric sleeve comprising a breathable, four-way stretch material configured to conform to an infant's body while restraining limb movement of the infant; and
- an overwrap configured to be worn over the fabric sleeve.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 21, 2016
Publication Date: Oct 5, 2017
Inventors: Kirsten P. Spencer (Orange, MA), Jennifer R. Gibson (Roseburg, OR)
Application Number: 15/216,604