EP1557117B1

EP1557117B1 - Unit for supporting a baby

Info

Publication number: EP1557117B1
Application number: EP05009319A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Philip Owen
Original assignee: Sprog Ltd
Current assignee: Sprog Ltd
Priority date: 1999-06-23
Filing date: 2000-06-23
Publication date: 2008-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 2020-06-23
Also published as: EP1557117A1; DE60020125T2; GB9914694D0; ES2313145T3; DE60020125D1; AU5551300A; ATE295104T1; EP1202654B1; DK1202654T3; WO2001000064A1; PT1202654E; ES2241617T3; ATE405192T1; DE60040027D1; EP1202654A1

Abstract

A unit (22) for supporting a baby. The unit includes a supporting surface. The surface is shaped so that when a baby is supported on the surface, the baby's normal anatomical cervical spine curvature is maintained. The supporting surface may have first and second parts, the first part being adapted to accommodate the head, and the second part being adapted to accommodate the remainder of the body of the baby. The first and second parts my be disposed relative to one another so as to support the back of the baby's head in a position posterior to the upper part of the remainder of the baby's body. The first part may define a cavity. The supporting surface may be surrounded by a peripheral wall. The unit may be a mattress but could also be a chair. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a unit for supporting a baby and particularly to a seat.
Conventional seats and mattresses for babies are basically scaled down adult versions. It has been realised, however, that such seats and mattresses can adversely affect a baby's health. This is because the skull of a baby is disproportionately large in relation to the remainder of its body compared with the skull of an adult. A consequence of this is that when a baby is placed on its back on a flat surface its chin is pushed towards its chest or its head rotated to one side. The same occurs when a baby is placed in a conventional chair, for example a car seat. The forcing of a baby's chin towards its chest can cause a number of problems including restriction of airflow into the baby's lungs, restriction of upper chest movement and pressure being placed on the back of its skull, especially the occipital bone. Problems associated with rotation of a baby's head include stretching of one side of the neck musculature, pressure being exerted on one side of the skull and on blood vessels in the neck. The above problems can potentially adversely affect the health of a baby as well as cause the baby to feel discomfort which can lead to the natural process of relaxation being impeded.
The present invention has been made in realisation of this problem, which it aims to solve, or at least reduce.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a unit for supporting a baby, comprising: a supporting surface having first and second parts, the first part being adapted to accommodate the head of the baby and the second part being adapted to accommodate the remainder of the baby's body, the second part including a backrest portion adapted for supporting the baby's back, the backrest portion having a direction of elongation; characterised in that the unit comprises a seat adapted for supporting a baby while travelling; in that the supporting surface is sized and shaped so that, when a baby is supported on the surface in a supine position, the baby's normal anatomical cervical spine curvature is maintained; and in that the first part comprises an elongate channel formed in the supporting surface, the elongate channel extending transverse to said direction of elongation.
The second part comprises a base and backrest portions. In this arrangement it will be appreciated that the distance between the first part and the base portion of the seat will need to be varied to accommodate bodies of different size. This can be achieved by placing an appropriately sized booster cushion on the base portion of the seat so that the head of a body being supported on the seat will be accommodated by the first portion. The seat may be adapted for fitment to a vehicle.
Units according to the invention are used to correctly support a more comfortable position. Sleep patterns also appear to benefit.
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1: shows a baby supported on a conventional chair;
Figure 2: shows a baby supported on a chair according to the invention; and
Figure 3: shows a booster cushion for use with the chair of Figure 2;

Referring to Figure 1, when a baby 10 is supported on a conventional chair 11 because the baby's head 12 is disproportionately large compared to its body it is thrown forward so that the baby's chin is pushed toward its chest.
Referring to Figure 2, a chair 13 according to the invention comprises a supporting surface comprising a base portion 14, a backrest 15 and a legrest 16. The supporting surface can be divided into two parts, the first part being indicated by the reference numeral 17, and the remainder being the second part. The first part 17 comprises a recessed portion, defining a cavity 18 to accommodate a baby's head 19. Particularly, it accommodates the back of a baby's head so that it is thrown forward, as with the conventional chair shown in Figure 2. The first and second parts are in fact so arranged that the baby's head is supported relative to its upper body so that normal anatomical cervical spine curvature is maintained.
The dimension 20 will clearly depend upon the size of baby to be supported. In order to accommodate growth of a baby a booster cushion, or several booster cushions, possibly of different sizes, are provided. One such cushion is illustrated in Figure 3. This can be placed onto the base portion 14 of the chair to raise a baby so that its head is accommodated in the first part 18. As the baby grows a smaller booster cushion may be employed and ultimately removed.
The chair and booster cushion may take any suitable form and be made from any suitable material. The chair could have provision for reclining the back rest and could be a car seat or high chair.
The chair enables a baby to be supported with its head in the correct position which can confer numerous health advantages, as mentioned herein, as well as helping a baby to become more relaxed and comfortable than with conventional chairs and mattresses.
The above embodiments are described by way of example only, many variations are possible without departing from the invention.

Claims

A unit (13) for supporting a baby, comprising:
a supporting surface (14-17) having first (17) and second (14-16) parts, the first part (17) being adapted to accommodate the head (19) of the baby and the second part (14-16) being adapted to accommodate the remainder of the baby's body, the second part including a backrest portion (15) adapted for supporting the baby's back, the backrest portion having a direction of elongation;
characterised in that the unit (13) comprises a seat (13) adapted for supporting a baby while travelling;
in that the supporting surface (14-17) is sized and shaped so that, when a baby is supported on the surface in a supine position, the baby's normal anatomical cervical spine curvature is maintained;
and in that the first part (17) comprises an elongate channel formed in the supporting surface (14-17), the elongate channel extending transverse to said direction of elongation.
The seat of claim 1, wherein the elongate channel has a 'C' shaped cross-section, wherein the ends of the 'C' lie in the plane of the backrest portion.
The seat of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a booster cushion.
The seat of any of claims 1 to 3, adapted for fitment to a vehicle.