CA3040080A1

CA3040080A1 - Toddler sleep suit

Info

Publication number: CA3040080A1
Application number: CA3040080A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Andrea L. Galambos
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-04-12
Filing date: 2019-04-12
Publication date: 2020-10-12

Abstract

This invention provides an improved option for toddlers (children between the ages of one and three) who are prone to climbing from their cribs or who are able to remove their sleep sacks or clothing. This invention has a triangle shaped wedge of fabric sewn between the legs and zips up the back of the sleep suit.

Description

TODDLER SLEEP SUIT
This invention provides an improved option for toddlers who are prone to climbing from their cribs or who are able to remove their sleep sacks or clothing. Existing options include the sleep sack and a crib tent. The Toddler Sleep Suit is designed for toddlers between the ages of 12 months and 3.5 years of age who are able to walk.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Sleep Sacks are often used while babies and toddlers are sleeping in cribs. A
Sleep Sack is a "Sleep Bag" that a small child or infant is zipped into. It resembles a sleeping bag used for camping, except it typically has holes for the arms to go through so it stays with the child if they move at night.
Crib tents were designed to prevent a child from climbing and falling from a crib or pen-structure and sustaining an injury. They consist of a "canopy" that is secured to the top of the crib or pen-structure creating a "roof' or cover to the baby's crib or pen-structure.
EXISTING PATENTS
= United States Patent 2919978 - Infant Calming/Sleep Aid, SIDS Prevention Device, and Method of Use by HAPPIEST BABY INC. (KARP, HARVEY NEIL, BERLIN, MATTHEW R., GRAY, JESSE V., WASHABAUGH, BILL WALTER & ROY, DEB KUMAR) is a calming device for infants. It is not suitable for toddlers.
= United States Patent 2795733 - Breathable Garment and Method of Use by WATERS, SUSAN MARIE & WATERS, DALE RICHARD is a sleep sack for babies made from a breathable fabric. It does not address the issue of climbing or disrobing.
= Canadian Patent, 2683107 (ATTACHABLE BABY & TODDLER BLANKET by ROBBINS, DAVID J.) is a baby blanket that attaches to the carseat, stroller or crib. It does not address the issue of climbing or disrobing.
= Canadian Patent 2585254 (FIVE IN ONE BABY BLANKET by ARMSTRONG, JENNIFER) is another adaptable baby blanket intended for use in multiple locations.
It does not address the issue of climbing or disrobing.
= United States Patent 2919978 - Infant Calming/Sleep Aid, SIDS Prevention Device, and Method of Use by HAPPIEST BABY INC. (KARP, HARVEY NEIL, BERLIN, MATTHEW R., GRAY, JESSE V., WASHABAUGH, BILL WALTER & ROY, DEB KUMAR), United States Patent 2795733 - Breathable Garment and Method of Use by WATERS, SUSAN MARIE & WATERS, DALE RICHARD, Canadian Patent, 2683107 (ATTACHABLE BABY & TODDLER BLANKET by ROBBINS, DAVID J.), and Canadian Patent 2585254 (FIVE IN ONE BABY BLANKET by ARMSTRONG, JENNIFER) are the inventions that come up under the search for baby or toddler blanket.
These inventions attach to other baby gear, or convert for other uses. All are blankets, not sleep suits. None address the issue of climbing or disrobing.
= United States Patent 2155079, Crib Cover Securing Device by Lamantia, Mark (Methuen, MA) provides a cover similar to a tent that secures to the top of the crib, thus preventing them from climbing. There have been safety concerns with crib enclosures (strangulation and suffocation) and this invention does not address disrobing.
= United States Patent 3014122 - Crib Accessory by Mallory, Kathryn Beck SZ
Childs, Louise Wingfield is similar to the invention by Lamantia (2155079), but it provides a flat cover over the crib rather than a dome shaped cover. It presents the same safety concerns and does not prevent disrobing.
= 486669 - Child's Sleeping Garment by Roy W. Wilson (country unknown) has a two-way zipper so children who are in a bed can go use the toilet at night. It does not address the issue of climbing or disrobing.
= 256145 - Sleeping Garment, by Frank W. Thomas (country unknown) is a sleeper with feet added to keep a child's feet warm. It does not address the issue of climbing or disrobing.
Though sleep sacks are a wonderful invention for many infants and children, there is a need for improvement for toddlers who are able to climb from their cribs or who are able to unzip, unsnap, or crawl out of their sleep sacks. There are currently no patents for toddler sleep suits designed to prevent climbing and disrobing. Existing crib tent models designed to prevent climbing are considered unsafe.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Most children do not have the cognitive development to understand why they need to stay in a bed until close to the age of three. Many young children learn to climb from their crib before this age OR learn to use zippers and snaps at an early age, allowing them to remove their sleep sack, clothing, and possibly diaper while in the crib. This can take a serious toll on their sleep since many young children will spend their time unzipping, unsnapping, or climbing rather than napping and sleeping well at night.
Toddlers also lack the cognitive development or motor skills to pull a blanket up over themselves until close to the age of three. When toddlers can't do something for themselves, they will often cry out for a parent to assist. This can be disruptive for the sleep of both the parents and the toddler.
To handle these toddlers who climb, families are often forced to move their toddlers out of the crib and into a bed at a young age. This often results in disrupted sleep, and a young = child loose and unsupervised in their room or throughout the house while the parents are sleeping.
Some families make alterations to their cribs by drilling a hole in the legs of the crib so they can lower the mattress. Any modifications made to cribs negate the safety standards with which the cribs were built.
Crib tents have been previously sold in the United States to assist with this challenge.
These were "tents" that could be secured to the top of a child's crib to prevent them from climbing. Crib tent models from Tots in Mind, Inc. (2155079 - United States Patent by Lamantia) were recalled in 2010 and 2012 following tent failures including one catastrophic brain injury, and one fatality. The dangers of these models were entrapment and strangulation, which could happen if the dome inverted inside the crib or play yard or became partially detached. Invention 3014122 (by Mallory & Childs) is similar to the Tots In Mind Crib tent which was recalled. Both inventions involve a cover going over the top of the crib to help prevent toddlers from climbing. Another concern with these inventions is airflow. A tent going over a crib or a cover over a crib doesn't allow for airflow and can lead to an extremely hot sleep environment.
Some toddlers enjoy the challenges presented by snaps, zippers and buttons, and spend their time taking off their sleep sacks, pyjamas, clothing, and diapers rather than sleeping.
As many children are not yet trained to eliminate on the toilet before the age of 3, a naked toddler in a crib presents another problem.
The Toddler Sleep Suit was designed to prevent toddlers from climbing by somewhat inhibiting their motor skills and preventing them from widening their legs enough to climb over the crib bars. The zipper in the back was added to prevent toddlers from removing the suit.
Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims. In addition, all optional and preferred features and modifications of the described embodiments are usable in all aspects of the disclosure taught herein. Furthermore, the individual features of the dependent claims, as well as all optional and preferred features and modifications of the described embodiments are combinable and interchangeable with one another.

FIGURES
Non-limiting examples of the toddler sleep suit are described with reference to the following figures. The same numbers may be used throughout the figures to reference like features and components.
Fig 1. is a graphical representation of the back view of the toddler sleep suit, showing the triangle wedge of fabric sewn between the legs and the zipper located in the back.
Fig 2. is a graphical representation of the front view of the toddler sleep suit, showing the triangle wedge of fabric sewn between the legs.
Fig. 3 . is a graphical representation of a sleep suit (back view) with sewn feet. The feet are optional. There will be an armless option for warmer climates and an option with full arms to provide more warmth in colder climates.
Fig. 4 . is a graphical representation of a sleep suit (front view) with sewn feet.
Fig. 5 . is a graphical representation of a sleep suit (back view) with arms and feet. The arms and feet are optional. There will be an armless option for warmer climates and an option with full arms to provide more warmth in colder climates.
Fig. 6 . is a graphical representation of a sleep suit (front view) with arms and feet.
Fig. 7. is a graphical representation of the toddler sleep suit (back view) with arms and without feet. Some parents may choose to use this as pyjamas and some may use this as an extra layer (replacing a blanket).
Fig. 8. is a graphical representation of the toddler sleep suit (front view) with arms and without feet.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
With reference to the drawings in FIG 1 & 2, the key feature of the toddler sleep suit is the wedge of fabric sewn between the legs of the sleep suit (1). The triangle of fabric will be between 6 and 12 inches (depending on the size of the sleep suit ¨ the bottom of the triangle will approximately match the shoulder width of the child). This allows toddlers to walk comfortably, but does not allow them to climb.
In the embodiment showed in FIG. 1, the zipper (4) is located on the back of the sleep suit starting at the foot, and zipping up to the neck. This zipper placement will help eliminate the possibility that a toddler can take off their sleep suit. The zipper zips to the shoulder =
rather than the back of the neck so that it will not provide discomfort for toddlers who sleep on their back.
As depicted in FIGS 1 & 2, the neck hole (2) is sized similar to a one-piece sleeper (one-piece pyjamas) or shirt rather than a traditional sleep sack. The neckline is the same at the front and the back of the suit, making the sleep suit reversible.
The sleep suit will be available with and without feet attached. FIG 1. & 2 are representations of a Toddler Sleep Suit without arms (5) and without feet (3).
This allows for better temperature control.
As depicted in FIGS 3 & 4, the Toddler Sleep Suit will be adaptable for seasons with optional feet (6).
As depicted in FIGS 5 & 6, the Toddler Sleep Suit will be adaptable for seasons with optional arms (7).
FIG's 7 & 8 show the Toddler Sleep Suit with arms (7) and without feet (3).
The toddler sleep suit is designed for toddlers who are able to walk independently and will be made in sizes 12 months, 2T and 3T. They will be made in summer-weight fabrics for the warmer climates and seasons, and in warmer fabrics for the cooler climates and seasons.
Existing toddler sleep sacks can easily be removed by toddlers with adept fine motor skills, and do not prevent active and alert toddlers from climbing from their cribs and potentially sustaining an injury. The toddler sleep suit was designed specifically to combat these two challenges.

Claims

The Embodiments Of The Invention In Which An Exclusive Property Or Privilege Is Claimed Are Defined As Follows:

1. The triangle wedge of fabric is sewn between the legs to prevent climbing by preventing the child from widening their legs more than a few inches wider than shoulder width.

2. The zipper is placed on the back of the sleep suit to prevent a toddler from disrobing.

3. The neck hole is sized similar to a one-piece sleeper or a shirt rather than a sleep sack. The narrower neck will prevent the toddler from climbing out of the neck hole while still maintaining safety standards.

4. The neckline is the same at the front and the back of the suit, making the sleep suit reversible.

5. The sleep suit will be available with and without feet attached, also making it reversible and suitable for various climates.

6. The sleep suit will be available with and without arms so parents may use this with or without pyjamas for their toddler and so the Toddler Sleep Suit can be used in various climates.