Abstract:
The present invention overcomes the lack of appropriate clothing for children being treated for hip dysplasia with a spica cast, Pavlic harness, or the like. A romper is disclosed that is sized to fit a child and sized to fit over a corrective device used to treat hip dysplasia. The romper of the present invention provides the convenience and neat appearance of infant clothing that is currently not available for children wearing a spica cast, Pavlic harness, or the like.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/945,427, filed Jun. 21, 2007 and entitled “ROMPER FOR USE OVER SPICA CAST,” the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to apparel, and more particularly, relates to a romper for wear over a spica cast. 
         [0004]    2. Background 
         [0005]    Development dislocation of the hip, or hip dysplasia, is a congenital disorder that affects about 1 out of every 1000 infants. Treatment for the disorder can include use of a Pavlik harness at birth and, if ineffective to resolve the problem, use of a spica cast between the age of 1 month up to 2 years of age. Both a Pavlik harness and spica cast keep the hips in a flexed and abducted state in an effort to maintain the ball-shaped head of the femur in the acetabulum, the socket of the pelvis. 
         [0006]    3. Discussion of the Related Art 
         [0007]    Children who undergo treatment with a Pavlik harness and/or spica cast are difficult to diaper, bathe, and clothe. In the past, to fit clothing over a Pavlik harness, it has been necessary to purchase clothing, generally with an elastic waist, in a size several times larger than the child. These clothes suffer from the drawbacks of being too long in the leg for the affected child, thus giving a sloppy appearance, and failing to offer the amenities present in infant clothing, making diapering the child a more difficult task. 
         [0008]    For children being treated with a spica cast, even clothes several times too large do not fit over the cast due to the shape of the cast. As a result, children fitted with a spica cast can not wear pants of any type on their lower portion, and have been required to wear oversized tee-shirts and dresses, which, as noted above, are sized incorrectly for children, yielding overly long arms and gaping necklines. In addition to appearing undressed or sloppy, practical problems emerge from a lack of covering over the cast. Specifically, it is difficult to secure a diaper in place over the diaper hole of the cast. Food spills, drool, spit-up, and other liquids may drip onto the cast and further degrade its appearance. In addition, these liquids can drip into the cast at the upper opening and cause irritation for the child. Toys and other foreign objects can likewise fall into the cast. 
         [0009]    What is needed is a garment that will fit over a spica cast yet fit the child within the cast to protect the cast from stains and foreign objects, help keep the child&#39;s diaper in place, provide easy access to the diaper, and give the child a “dressed” and tailored appearance. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The present invention overcomes the lack of appropriate clothing for children being treated for hip dysplasia by providing a romper that is sized to fit the child, fit over the corrective device, be it harness or cast, and incorporate the features of infant clothing. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout, and in which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a child wearing an embodiment of the romper of the present invention. The treatment device being covered by the romper is shown in dashed lines. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a child in a spica cast showing the details of the cast. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a front view of an embodiment of the romper, again showing the treatment device being covered by the romper in dashed lines. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a front view of a spica cast with one embodiment of the romper shown in dashed lines. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a front view of a pattern of one embodiment of the romper. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view taken from lies  6 - 6  in  FIG. 3  showing the mating connection between the snap closures present in one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is the pattern shown in  FIG. 5  with additional notations regarding preferred dimensions of an embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]    As seen in  FIG. 1 , the romper  10  of the present invention covers a spica or body cast  12 , shown in  FIG. 2 . Romper  10  may also be used in connection with covering a Pavlik harness or other treatment device, but is shown in use with a cast  12  and will therefore be discussed accordingly. 
         [0020]    Cast  12  has a waist portion  14  and a torso aperture  16 , a left leg portion  18  and an aperture for the left foot  20 , a right leg portion  22  and an aperture for the right foot  24 , and a diaper opening  26 . Romper  10  has an upper portion  28  that generally covers the patient above torso aperture  16  and a neck opening  32 . Romper  10  also has a lower portion  30  that generally covers the patient from torso aperture  16  to foot apertures  20 ,  24 , including foot openings  21 ,  25 . 
         [0021]    Upper portion  28  may have a neck opening  32  with a ribbed trim for comfort and stretch, or may be seamed flat, or have any other known opening shape or trim, including a front or back placket incorporating buttons or snaps, a collar or piping, or other useful or ornamental elements. Romper  10  may be fitted with sleeves  33  of any design and length, as shown in phantom in  FIG. 3 , or may be left sleeveless. Upper portion  28  has shoulder seams  34  that can also be constructed to include snaps or other closures at either or both shoulders for fitting romper  10  over a child&#39;s head. Upper portion  28  may be unitary with lower portion  30  or constructed of the same material as lower portion  30 , but could also be constructed of a different material and either permanently or removably attached to lower portion  30 . Upper portion  28  may have any number of decorative elements incorporated therein, such as straps or tie-closures at the shoulders to imitate bib overalls or a sundress, smocking or embroidery, or any other suitable useful or ornamental elements known in infant/toddler clothing design. 
         [0022]    Lower portion  30  of romper  10  has an inseam  36  between foot openings  21 ,  25  that is preferably selectively openable such as is common in infant clothing for making access to a child&#39;s diaper easier. Seam  36  is selectively openable by way or one or more closures  38  along seam  36 , such as snaps, as shown in the drawings and as is typical in infant clothing. Of course, closures  38  may consist of any type of suitable closure, such as hook-and-loop tape (Velcro® tape), buttons, zippers, or the like, and may be provided in any number or arrangement suitable to open and close seam  36  with relative ease. 
         [0023]    Turning now to  FIG. 5 , one side of a pattern for constructing romper  10  is shown. In its simplest form, romper  10  is constructed of two identical pieces of material such that the pattern shown in  FIG. 5  is the same for both the front and the back of romper  10  and each piece of material is attached to the other by way of a left side seam  40  and a right side seam  42  in addition to the previously discussed shoulder seams  34  and inseam  36 . Alternately, it is possible to construct romper  10  with a single piece of material having only vertical seam, or in any other suitable way known in the arts of sewing and constructing infant/toddler clothes. 
         [0024]    Because treatment with cast  12  may last for up to two years, it is often necessary to re-cast a patient due to growth as well as for sanitary purposes. Romper  10  is therefore available in a variety of sizes, preferably from newborn to size 2T, to accommodate children during the entire treatment period. However, although some size variation is therefore contemplated due to sizing of the garment to the child, the ratio of the size of upper portion  28  to lower portion  30  is approximately 1.5 across all size ranges. This is a significantly different ratio than is typically found in infant and toddler clothing—although clothing for small children is usually somewhat wider at the bottom to accommodate bulky diapers, no more than a 1.2 ratio is typical. 
         [0025]    For example, in the pattern shown at  FIG. 5 , which is approximately to scale, romper  10  is 8.4 cm across at the widest part of lower portion  30 , while the widest part of upper portion  28  is 5.4 cm, providing a 1.55 ratio of lower to upper. In practice, a 2T size romper of the present invention is approximately 19.5 inches across at the widest part of lower portion  30 , and 13 inches across at the widest part of upper portion  28 , a ratio of 1.5 lower to upper. A ratio ranging from 1.3 to 1.6 is typically contemplated, however, it may be determined that, due to the hand-casting of patients, enough variation in the thickness and resulting width of the cast exists that a ratio of above 1.6 is required to accommodate the largest of casts while still providing a “normal” fit for the child at the upper portion  28 . 
         [0026]    Turning now to  FIG. 7 , further preferred dimensions are shown. The length A between leg openings  21 ,  25  is, for example, approximately 11 inches, and the height B of the opening between the legs is, at its deepest point, approximately 3 inches. Point C represents the intersection of the midline of romper  10  and the line at which lower portion  30  no longer curves at side seams  40 ,  42 . Angle D is measured from the midline and the intersection of a line between point C and the innermost portion of leg openings  21 ,  25 . In a preferred embodiment, angle D is typically approximately 35°. Angle E is measured from the midline and the intersection of a line between point C and the outermost portion of leg openings  21 ,  25 . In a preferred embodiment, angle E is typically approximately 50°. 
         [0027]    It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction and arrangements of the components as set forth herein. The embodiments described herein simply explain the best modes known for practicing the invention and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways, and all such variations and modifications should be considered within the scope of the present invention as set forth by the claims below.