P/00/012 Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 ORIGINAL COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Invention Title: "BABY SWADDLE" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: TITLE BABY SWADDLE FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 The present invention relates to bedding and coverings for newborn and infant children for use while sleeping. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a baby swaddle. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 10 Newborn and infant children are commonly swaddled using blankets or slings which enable the parents to carry the infant and/or provide a certain measure of security for the infant. Swaddling blankets provide warmth and mimic the close confines of the womb which the infant has just left. Swaddling blankets also provide a measure of control. There are many 15 reasons to control the position of the infant including prevention of sudden infant death syndrome, soothing an infant who has colic by applying pressure to the chest region, as well as keeping a clear line of sight between the infant and the caregiver. The have been many infant bed coverings, pouches and the like of 20 varying styles and designs developed over the years which either enable the caregivers to control the infant's position for sleeping at night or provide a transportation carrier for the child. The swaddling pouch can be in the form of an adjustable wrap in which the infant is placed within the pouch, aligning the baby's shoulders with the top of the pouch and then wrapping a wing or tail 25 portion around the pouch and securing the wing or tail to an opposite side for 2 a snug fit. The wing or tail is generally secured using a hook and loop fastener which can easily be unfastened. Alternative swaddling pouches comprise a pouch for securely holding a baby with an opening having a closure mechanism along a bottom edge for 5 fitting the baby into the swaddle. In this specification, the terms "comprises", "comprising" or similar terms are intended to mean a non-exclusive inclusion, such that an assembly and/or portable shower that comprises a list of elements does not include those elements solely, but may well include other elements not listed. 10 OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is a preferred object of the present invention to provide a baby swaddle which is adjustable from a baby swaddle into a sleeping bag configuration, that addresses or at least ameliorates one or more of the 15 aforementioned problems of the prior art. It is a preferred object of the present invention to provide a baby swaddle which is simple to assemble and easy to use. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 20 Generally, embodiments of the present invention relate to a baby swaddle. According to one aspect, although not necessarily the broadest or only aspect, embodiments of the present invention reside in a swaddle comprising: 3 a body portion having a closed bottom edge, a pair of side edges and a neck hole formed at a top edge; an opening on a front surface with a first closure mechanism that intersects the neck hole at the top of the body portion; and 5 an arm hole formed in each side edge of the body portion adjacent the neck hole; wherein each arm hole comprises at least one second closure mechanism for adjusting the arm holes between a closed configuration and an open configuration. 10 Preferably, the at least one second closure mechanism provided on each arm holes is a press stud. Preferably, the body portion is made of a stretchable material. Preferably, the first closure mechanism is a zipper. Preferably, the zipper is a two-way zipper. 15 Further features and forms of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into 20 practical effect, reference will now be made to embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference numbers refer to identical elements. The drawing is provided by way of example only, wherein: 4 FIG 1 is a front view of a baby swaddle according to embodiments of the present invention. Skilled addressees will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to 5 scale. For example, the relative dimensions of some of the elements in the drawing may be distorted to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 10 Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to a baby swaddle which is adjustable from a baby swaddle into a sleeping bag configuration. However, it should be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention can be used to provide a baby swaddle which can be used for various applications while handling an infant such as carrying, 15 nursing or the like. It will be appreciated that variations may need to be made as required. Referring to FIG 1, the baby swaddle 100 is provided in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. According to some embodiments of the invention, the baby swaddle 100 comprises a body portion 110 having 20 a closed bottom edge 111, a pair of side edges 114 and a neck hole 120 formed at a top edge 112 through which an infant's head and neck can extend. Preferably, the body portion 110 is in the form of a pouch which is designed to receive and securely hold an infant's body therein. Throughout the specification the terms newborn, baby, infant, toddler and child shall be 5 used interchangeably. However, it will be acknowledged that the baby swaddle is designed to be used with a young child at any one of the aforementioned stages. The baby swaddle is suitably sized to accommodate the infant having 5 a height or length sufficient to securely wrap the infant and width to cover the torso and arms of the infant while leaving the legs to flex within the swaddle. The baby swaddle 100 and in particular the body portion 110 can be provided for varying sizes depending on the age of the newborn, infant or toddler. Generally speaking, the size range of children from the ages of 0 to 24 10 months will vary depending on the specific monthly age of the child. The baby swaddle can be made of a number of materials suitable for an infant, for example cotton or fleece. Preferably, the baby swaddle is made of a stretchable fabric such as stretch organic cotton/spandex having a fabric weight of 220gsm. However, it will be acknowledged that any other suitable 15 material and fabric weight can be adopted. Another function of the baby swaddle 100 can be to provide for different insulation capabilities. Thus, the swaddle 100 will utilize various types of fabrics or materials including fleece, cotton, nylon, or other suitable materials which provide for the desired environmental temperature settings. For example, a fleece-type or heavy 20 down-type of material can be used for the swaddle 100 if the user is a resident in a cold climate, and inversely, a light cotton sheet can be used as the construction material or fabric if the user lived in a warm climate. In further embodiments of the present invention, different portions of the baby swaddle can be made from different materials. For example, an upper portion 6 of the body portion 110 can be made of a stretchable fabric for swaddling the torso and arms of the infant while a bottom portion can be made of a thicker padded material to provide warmth. A front surface 113 of the body portion 110 is divided into separate 5 portions 11 3a, 11 3b via an opening (not illustrated) on the front surface 113 through which the swaddle 100 is disposed on an infant. The opening on the front surface 113 has a first closure mechanism 130 that intersects the neck hole 120 at the top edge 112 of the body portion 110. The first closure mechanism 130 extends from the neck hole 120 to near the bottom edge 111 10 to connect the portions 113a, 113b together. Preferably, the first closure mechanism 130 is in the form of a zipper. Preferably, the zipper is a two-way zipper which enables access from the top and/or bottom of the body portion. In an alternative embodiment, the first closure mechanism could be in the form of press studs, hook and look fastening or any other suitable closure 15 means. Preferably, a safety zip cover 160 is provided at the top edge 112 where the zipper intersects the top edge 112. The safety zip cover 160 is in the form a flap which overlays the zip 130 to prevent the zip 130 from unfastening or scratching the infant's face. As illustrated in Fig. 1 an arm hole 140 is formed in each side edge 20 114 of the body portion 110 adjacent the neck hole 120 through which an infant's arm can extend. It is envisaged that the material forming the arm hole 140 is stretchable to allow for growth in the size of the infant's arms. Each arm hole 140 comprises at least one second closure mechanism 150 for adjusting the arm hole between a closed configuration as a swaddle and an 7 open configuration as a sleeping bag. Preferably, the baby swaddle 100 comprises at least two second closure mechanisms 150 such that the arm hole can be adjusted to better suit the size of the infant's arms. For example, an infant with small arms may only need one second closure mechanism 5 opened. However, an infant with bigger arms may need two or all the second closure mechanisms opened to use the full size of the arm hole 140. The second closure mechanism(s) 150 is preferably in the form of a press stud or 'popper'. The press stud is the preferred option because it will not unfasten easily in the closed configuration as a swaddle. However, it is 10 envisaged that any other suitable closure means can also be adopted. In a further embodiment of the present invention, a safety cover or flap can be provided to cover the second closure mechanism(s) 150 to protect the infant. As the infant grows and matures, the caregiver can slowly guide the infant to sleep in a normal sleeping habit with the arms out of the baby 15 swaddle such that the baby swaddle is adjustable to convert into a baby sleeping bag. Preferably, the infant is taught by opening one arm hole 150 at a time to release one arm at a time until their movements are controlled and they will not endanger themselves. Hence, the baby swaddle 100 of the present invention thus provides a 20 solution to the aforementioned problems of the prior art by providing a covering for a young child, such as a newborn infant, or toddler, which enables the child to stay warm in a comfortable position throughout the sleeping time, and provides a clear field for breathing. The baby swaddle enables the parent to place the child in a supine sleeping position, and 8 reasonably secure the legs and arms from a transverse movement, yet allowing room for movement within the pouch portion of the baby swaddle so that the child does not feel too constrained. Most importantly, as the infant gets older the baby swaddle can be converted into a sleeping bag in a 5 manner which slowly and safely guides the infant into a normal sleeping habit. Throughout the specification the aim has been to describe the invention without limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specific collection of features. Persons skilled in the relevant art may realize 10 variations from the specific embodiments that will nonetheless fall within the scope of the invention.