GB2252724A

GB2252724A - Cot bumper

Info

Publication number: GB2252724A
Application number: GB9203019A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Irena Czapska
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-02-13
Filing date: 1992-02-13
Publication date: 1992-08-19
Also published as: GB9203019D0; GB9103054D0

Abstract

A cot bumper has three padded sides (12, 14, 16) and an undersheet (20; 40, 42, 46) connected to the bottoms of the three sides. It is installed in a cot (22) with the undersheet beneath a mattress (30). Thus a baby cannot get trapped beneath a side of the bumper. The undersheet may be unitary (20) or be three separate panels (40, 42, 46) on individual bumper sides (12, 14, 16). The panels may be releasably connectable. The padded sides may be separated by ventilation strips (18). <IMAGE>

Description

COT BUMPER The present invention relates to cot bumpers. A cot bumper is a bedding accessory for a baby's cot that is used to provide padding of the upright sides of a cot at one end, intended as the head end. It also reduces draughts. A conventional cot bumper is a large flat cushion, heavily wadded, that is placed in a cot so as to extend across the head wall and partly along the side walls. it stands on the mattress, and may have ties for securing it to the cot's sides.

But cot bumpers are known to be dangerous, even fatal. Babies have been known to wriggle under cot bumpers, sometimes trapping themselves, They have been known to remove badly sewn, overlong ties. A bumper may flop over onto a baby, with a risk of suffocation.

According to the present invention there is provided a cot bumper having a bumper portion adapted to extend in use around at least parts of three sides of a cot so as to provide an end wall portion and two opposed sidewall portions; and an undersheet portion which is connected or connectable to lower regions of the end wall portion and of the two side wall portions. In one type of embodiment the undersheet portion is a unitary element. In another type of embodiment the undersheet portion is provided by separate portions which are connected or connectable to respective ones of the wall portions and are preferably dimensioned so as to be mutually overlapping in use.

Desirably the bumper portion comprises an outer covering and filling means therefor , the covering defining three individually fillable and emptiable compartments corresponding to the end wall portion and the two side wall portions. Preferably the compartments are connected by fabric hinge portions which are porous to allow the passage of air.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig 1 is a perspective view of an end region of a cot containing a first embodiment of the cot bumper: Fig. 2 is an elevation of a second embodiment of cot bumper in opened-out state; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the second embodiment disposed as in use.

The two illustrated embodiments have similar bumper portions 10, each in the form of three flat cushions 12,14,16 connected to provide an end wall portion 14 and two sidewall portions 12,16. The cushions have outer coverings and filling means, suitably in the form of pads of plastics foam, of nursery mattress grade. Preferably there is one pad per cushion, and the pads are removable for cleaning. Thus the coverings may have openings in their bottoms or sides preferably with releasable closures such as zippers, portions of engaging fabric such as Velcro (trademark), poppers or hooks-and-eyes The cushions 12,14,16 are connected via flexible fabric portions 18 2.5cm wide, devoid of filling.These comprise porous, venting material such as mesh, gauze or muslin so as to provide ventilation to and air circulation around the face of a baby in a cot in which the bumper is installed.

In Fig. 1 the bumper has an undersheet 20 which is a rectangle of fabric (e.g. composed of one or more of cotton, polycotton, polyester, and nylon webbing). It is secured to the underside of each of the cushions to, 14,16+ This may be effected by stitching.

Alternatively the connection to one or more of the cushions may be releasable, e.g. employing a zipper, Velcro, poppers or hooks-and-eyes.

As shown in Fig. 1, conventional cot 22 has a bed base 24, side walls 26 and a head wall 28. A mattress 30 is supported by the base 24 and is closely spaced from the walls. The cot bumper is installed so that the undersheet 20 underlies the mattress 30, and the cushions 12,14,16 lie against respective walls 26,28, embracing the mattress. The cushions extend high enough to protect a baby in the cot from bumping against the cot walls and to cut down drafts, but they stop substantially beneath the level of the top of the cot walls. The side wall cushions 12,16 have short adjustable ties 32 by which they are connected to bars of the side walls 26. Since the integral undersheet is taken down the side of the mattress, a baby is not able to work his or her way under the cot bumper and therefore cannot become entangled and seriously injured.

Figs. 2 and 3 show a second type of cot bumper in which the undersheet is formed as three separate panels 40,42,46 connected to respective cushions 12,14,16. Thus the cushion can be unfolded into a straight array as shown in Fig. 2. The assembly can be folded almost flat, with the cushions in a Z-array. For use the cushions are arranged as in the first embodiment, and the sheet panels 40,42,46 then Overlap. They may have releasable mutual connections such as those referred to above, e.g. strips of Velcro 48. In a variant, the panels may rely on the weight of the mattress to keep them in place, in which case they need not all overlap.

Claims

1. A cot bumper having a bumper portion adapted to extend in use around at least parts of three sides of a cot so as to provide an end wall portion and two opposed sidewall portions; and an undersheet portion which is connected or connectable to lower regions of the end wall portion and of the two side wall portions.

2. A cot bumper according to claim 1 wherein the undersheet portion is a unitary element.

3. A cot bumper according to claim 1 wherein the undersheet portion is provided by separate portions which are connected or connectable to respective ones of the wall portions.

4. A cot bumper according to claim 3 wherein the separate portions are dimensioned so as to be mutually overlapping in use.

5. A cot bumper according to claim 4 wherein at least some of the overlapping portions have releasable mutual engagement means.

6. A cot bumper according to any preceding claim wherein the bumper portion comprises an outer covering and filling means therefore; the covering defining three individually fillable and emptiable compartments corresponding to the end wall portion and the two side wall portions.

7. A cot bumper according to claim 6 wherein the filling means comprises foam pads dimensioned to fit respective compartments

8. A cot bumper according to claim 6 or 7 wherein the compartments are connected by fabric hinge portions which are porous to allow the passage of air.

9. A cot bumper substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

10. A cot bedding assembly comprising a cot mattress and a cot bumper according to any preceding claim wherein an end region of the mattress overlies the undersheet portion and is embraced by the bumper portion.