Toddler's training apparel

Training apparel for a toddler with awardable visual prizes available upon successfully reaching selected training stages, the apparel comprising a releasably attachable pad to be worn on the front of the apparel in the vision of the toddler and the toddler's peers and caretakers, the pad containing several figures respectively covered from view by individual releasable patches of overlying fabric.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Many training devices and games have been invented to motivate toddlers to 
learn certain desirable habits. One of the earliest of training programs 
is toilet training. Soon thereafter games, eating training, walking 
training, speaking training, learning the alphabet, etc., are to be 
learned by toddlers. It has long been a technique in such training to 
provide rewards for the toddler upon reaching certain levels of 
proficiency or an ultimate goal in the training. Those rewards frequently 
are displayed in such a fashion that the toddler is continually reminded 
of reaching the levels or goal and of the higher level or goal to be 
reached. 
It is an object of this invention to provide training apparel for use in 
training a toddler and in providing a positive reward system for use 
therewith toward desired behavioral goals without any negative punishment 
involved in such system. It is another object of this invention to provide 
apparel upon which a removable reward panel can be displayed. Still other 
objects will become apparent from the more detailed description which 
follows. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a toddler's training apparel having removably 
fastened to the front thereof a prize reward and display panel on which 
are attached a plurality of small figures appealable to toddlers, each 
such figure being covered with a small releasable patch. 
In specific preferred embodiments, the panel is attached to the apparel by 
cooperating strips of fabric hooks and fabric loops, for example, by 
VELCRO brand fastener. The preferred apparel also includes an elongated 
tab attached at one of its sides to the waistband of the panty apparel and 
having a strip of fabric loops on it permitting it to alternatively be 
within the panty apparel or to hang outside of a pair of outer shorts or 
pants and to support the prize reward panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The detailed features of this invention can best be understood by reference 
to the accompanying drawings. The toddler's panty apparel 11 of this 
invention may be any commercially available cotton training pants modified 
in a manner as will be described hereinafter. Panty 11 has a waistband 12 
and two leg holes 13. Generally the knitting around the waistband 12 and 
the leg holes 13 is different from the knitting of the body of the panty 
so as to provide a certain elastic gathering that will make waistband 12 
and leg holes 13 fit snugly around the waist and legs of the toddler. On 
the front of the panty 11 is a removable panel 20 which serves to hold 
certain reward symbols. Panel 20 and the symbols will be described in more 
detail below. There also is an elongated tab 15 fastened to waistband 12 
and hanging downward inside panty 11, preferably retained inwardly of and 
by a loop shown by broken lines 15'. 
In FIG. 2 panty or underpants 11 is shown with panel 20 removed and with 
tab 15 hanging outside of underpants 11. A vertical strip 14 is shown 
attached vertically on the front of panty 11, but if found desirable, 
strip 14 may be attached horizontally. This strip 14 is covered with 
fabric loops to fasten panel 20 thereto. Tab 15 is attached at one of its 
ends to waistband 12 and may be hung downward inside or outside of 
underpants 11. Strip 16 also contains fabric loops which are capable of 
detachably connection to fabric hooks 25 on the back side of the display 
panel 20. The primary purpose for tab 15 is to provide a support for panel 
20 whenever outer shorts or pants are worn over underpants 11. Tab 15 is 
allowed to hang outside the outer shorts, and panel 20 is attached thereto 
as seen in FIG. 3. Of course, another display panel may also be attached 
via tab 15 so that two display panels may be attached to underpants 11, if 
desired. 
In FIGS. 4-5 the details of panel 20 are depicted and preferably panel 20 
is a relatively stiff fabric with a soft thread whipping 24 around the 
outer edges thereof. Initials 17 may be provided in the middle to 
represent the toddler's name. A series of Figures 18 are sewn or otherwise 
firmly attached to panel 20 to serve as rewards or prizes for the wearer 
upon reaching certain training levels or goals. The figures may be in any 
convenient arrangement and each FIG. 18 initially is covered with a plain, 
preferably colored, patch 19 sewn onto panel 20 by ordinary stitching or 
by a quick release type of stitching 23, e.g. basting stitch, darning 
stitch, tack stitch, or the like. Such stitching should be easily removed 
by an adult, but not easily removable by the toddler. As a reward is 
earned stitching 23 is removed along with its patch 19 to uncover a prize 
Figure 18. On the backside of panel 20, as seen in FIG. 5, there are seen 
threads 26 which comprise part of release stitching 23. There also is a 
cooperating strip 25 of fabric hooks that releasably attach to fabric 
loops on strip 14 or 16 to hold panel 20 in an appropriate display 
position. It is obvious that Figure 18 may be anything that appeals to 
toddlers. Shown here are figures of animals, but they may include tin 
toys, rattles, cartoons, bright colored patches, or any other item of 
interest to the wearer. 
As shown in FIG. 1 panel 20 may be oriented for the toddler to see it, and 
in FIG. 3 for the outside world to see it, and in FIG. 6 such a panel 20 
is shown being worn on a shirt apparel 27. Similarly, panel 20 could be 
worn on a dress, coat, jacket, pants, or any other wearing apparel. In 
toilet training a toddler, for example, the system would be that a clean 
pair of training pants or panty bearing the reward panel would be put on 
the toddler in the morning. Each time the toddler successfully uses the 
toilet, another prize Figure 18 would be uncovered by removal of a patch 
19 from the panel 20. If the toddler messes up the pants, such pants and 
the reward panel 20 would be removed and other training pants would be put 
onto the toddler, but these pants would not have the capability to attach 
the reward panel 20. Each day, the clean training pants accepting the 
reward panel 20 with any already achieved prizes exposed would be placed 
onto the toddler. Of course, more than one panel may be needed for some 
toddlers for use in prolonged training. The shirt form shown in FIG. 6 may 
best be used for the training of proper eating habits, for example. 
Illustrated in FIGS. 7, 9, and 10 is a third embodiment of the training 
pants 11' and panel 20' with corresponding numerals being indicative of 
corresponding parts. However, panel 20' is herein shown as having a 
generally circular configuration with the prize Figures 18 arranged in a 
circular fashion and with the figures being shown upright when looking 
from the center of such panel. In lieu of the loop strips 14 and 16, the 
pants 11' include two sets of spaced buttons 30 and 31 on the front of the 
pants 11' and tab 15 respectively. Panel 20 includes spaced buttonholes 32 
which cooperate with either set of buttons 30 and 31 to removably attach 
panel 20' thereto. It is to be understood that buttons 30 may be located 
horizontally rather than vertically, if desired. Also, snap fasteners may 
be substituted for the buttons and buttonholes without departing from this 
invention. 
A fourth embodiment of the training pants 11" and panel 20" is shown in 
FIGS. 8, 11, and 12. Panel 20" includes two pairs of spaced openings 35 
and 36 through which suitable pairs of ties 37 and 38, attached to the 
front of pants 11", are threaded and tied in bows as shown in FIG. 11. 
Other pairs of ties 39 and 40 are attached to tab 15 for alternate 
attachment of panel 20" thereto. This embodiment may be particularly 
appealing to female toddlers where the ties may be of ribbon or the like. 
While the invention has been described with respect to certain specific 
embodiments, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes 
may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit 
of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the appended claims to 
cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit 
and scope of the invention.