Abstract:
A wearable or swaddling accessory blanket provides gentle pressure on the side and/or on the thoracic area of an infant to mimic the human hold. The wearable garment or swaddling blanket appliance includes integrated protrusions in the form of pressure accessories for simulating the slight pressure felt from a caregiver when holding or cradling an infant. The pressure accessories are enlarged or expanded areas disposed at locations on a textile base such as a blanket such that they approximate the arm and hand positions of a caregiver when the swaddling appliance is engaged by wrapping around an infant. Wings or flaps of the appliance facilitate engaging the appliance around an infant such that tension in the wrapped blanket appliance induce a slight inward pressure on the pressure accessories such that the infant perceives the pressure and interprets a caregiver hold or touch.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Patent Application is continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/467,398 filed on May 9, 2012, entitled, “INFANT ACCESORY FOR SIDE AND THORACIC PRESSURE AID,” and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/483,851 filed on May 9, 2011, entitled, “INFANT ACCESSORY FOR SIDE AND THORACIC PRESSURE AID,” and Application No. 61/560,184, filed Nov. 15, 2011, entitled “INFANT ACCESSORY FOR SIDE AND THORACIC PRESSURE AID,” the contents and teachings of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Various studies in infant care suggest the importance and significance of a physical touch from a parent or caregiver. Such a physical touching sensation is perceived by an infant as a comforting and reassuring indication, and results in quantifiable physiologic changes exhibited by the infant, as further attested in these studies. 
     Typically, the touching sensation emanates from the arm and/or hand of the caregiver, and often stems from the natural position of the infant as it is held or cradled by the caregiver. Quite frequently, an uninterrupted touching sensations as that resulting from cradling will facilitate the onset of sleep, stemming from the relaxation and security resulting from the touch sensation. 
     SUMMARY 
     A wearable garment or swaddling blanket appliance includes integrated protrusions in the form of pressure accessories for simulating the slight pressure felt from a caregiver when holding or cradling an infant. The pressure accessories are enlarged or expanded areas disposed at locations on a textile base such as a blanket in a manner that they approximate the arm and hand positions of a caregiver when the swaddling appliance is engaged by wrapping around an infant. Wings or flaps of the appliance facilitate engaging the appliance around an infant such that tension in the wrapped blanket appliance induce a slight inward pressure on the pressure accessories so that the infant perceives the pressure and interprets a caregiver hold or touch. 
     Configurations herein are based, in part, on the observation that a human caregiver may not always be present or able to provide a continuous touching sensation, particularly of a sufficient duration to bring on sleep in an infant. Unfortunately, attempts to soothe an infant to sleep by providing a touching sensation through holding or cradling can be nullified by an external interruption of the caregiver or an attempt to release the touch prematurely, as in setting the infant in a crib. 
     Soon after birth, many infants show difficulty sleeping or resting in their beds away from their caregivers. Infants, when held by their caregivers, have support on their side as the caregiver holds the infant against their body or by putting their arms around the baby. The infants also may have support on their thoracic area as the caregiver puts a gentle hand on their chest or abdomen area. This type of pressure creates a warm embrace, in which the infant feels secure. When this hold is mimicked via a mechanism, it creates the same effect as being held by a caregiver. This helps the infant rest better and longer. 
     Accordingly, configurations herein substantially overcome the shortcomings of attempts to apply a continuous touch sensation by providing a swaddling appliance formed from a textile or blanket base having pressure accessories in the form of weighted pockets or padded regions having a mass or bulk greater than the surrounding blanket so as to provide an increased pressure simulating a caregivers arm or hand when the base is wrapped around the infant, similar to a swaddling blanket. The pressure accessories therefore form enlarged and heavier protrusions from the otherwise planar surface of the textile base, and these protrusions engage the infant with a mild pressure so as to simulate pressure applied by a caregiver&#39;s touch. The pressure accessories are filled with a bulky and/or weighted substance, such as pellets, beads or padding, that when applied with the textile base provide an increased pressure than the textile base as a whole from the additional weight and volume of the pressure accessory in conjunction with gravity and the tension of a wrapped blanket (textile base). In this manner, the pressure accessory can convey a similar perception to the infant as that of a cradling arm or hand of a caregiver, and therefore elicit similar physiologic responses indicative of comfort, relaxation and security. 
     The intent of the shape of the pressure accessories is to somewhat mimic human arms that have joints at the wrist and elbow which along with the fingers allow them to bend and anchor. The same effect is achieved by the weighted, elongated pressure accessories with respect to pressure applied along the length of an infant&#39;s torso when the accessory is engaged in proximity to the infant as the infant falls asleep and while sleeping. When the pressure accessories are disposed via flaps of the appliance on either side of the baby&#39;s body, their weighted quality facilitates positioning close to the infant&#39;s body creating a snug embrace around the baby. The sensation felt by the infant is thus closer to the feel and sensation of a human being holding the infant. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of the unfolded appliance of configurations disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram of flaps and corresponding folds of the appliance of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram of folding the flaps of  FIG. 2  for engaging the pressure accessories against a wearer infant; 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart of usage of the appliance of  FIGS. 1-3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an infant prior to engagement with the swaddling appliance; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of engagement of the bottom flap (wing) of the swaddling appliance; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of engagement of the left flap (wing) of the swaddling appliance; and 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a fully engaged swaddling appliance around an infant. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Depicted below are example configurations of the swaddling appliance that applies the side and thoracic pressure on an infant&#39;s body when lying down for a nap or during sleep time. Further, the disclosure provides examples of a wearable swaddling blanket, a commonly used childcare product for infants, to describe the use of the pressure accessory. The accessory, when either used as is or with subtle variations, also could be adapted for use in many other child care products such as, but not limited to, car seats, bouncy seats, strollers, swaddles etc. 
     Soon after birth, many infants show difficulty sleeping or resting when they are not being held by their caregivers. They rest best when held by a human. Many a times a sleeping infant will awaken as soon as they are laid down in their bed. This behavior of needing constant holding severely adds to the fatigue of the primary caregiver during the initial months post birth. Swaddling an infant in a blanket is shown to help this behavior and to lengthen sleep time. However in many cases swaddling only increases the independent resting time by merely a few minutes before the infant awakens. Experts attribute this to certain infants taking longer time to enter the state of deep sleep and having shorter sleep cycles. When the baby (infant) is held by a caregiver and if the baby comes out of the deep sleep state and enters a light sleep state, gentle pressure applied by the caregiver&#39;s arms and body lulls the baby back into the state of deep sleep without waking the baby up. The infant&#39;s sleeping habits gradually get better as he or she grows beyond 3 to 4 months of age. However the beginning months are typically when the primary caregiver needs the time to catch up on activities while the baby rests. 
       FIG. 1  is a plan view of the unfolded appliance of configurations disclosed herein. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the swaddling appliance  100  includes a textile base  110  having the general appearance of a blanket sized for wrapping or engaging an infant. In the example configuration, the base  110  includes a plurality of flaps,  120 - 1  . . .  120 - 3  ( 120  generally) or wings having a generally convex shape adapted to wrap around the infant engaged by the swaddling appliance  100 . The base also includes one or more pressure accessories  130 - 1  . . .  130 - 3  ( 130  generally) adapted so as to engage the infant by applying slight pressure to the infant when the appliance  100  is wrapped, or engaged around the infant (shown in further detail below). Alternate configurations may also employ the textile base as a swaddling or blanket alone, employing the flaps and optional pockets (discussed further below), and leave the pressure accessories as optional or selectively attachable (as hook-and-loop fastened, frictionally fit or in a separate pocket or hoop. 
       FIG. 2  is a diagram of flaps and corresponding folds of the appliance of  FIG. 1 . Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the flaps  120  define folds  122 - 1  . . .  122 - 3  ( 122  generally), substantially defining the general region of the appliance  100  that will curve around the body of the wearer infant when the swaddling appliance  100  engages the infant. The side flaps  120 - 1 ,  120 - 2  are adapted to wrap around the torso of the infant and a bottom flap  120 - 3  wraps around the legs and pelvic region such that the front pressure accessory  130 - 3  engages a chest region of the wearer infant. Each of the flaps  120 , in the example arrangement, includes a corresponding pressure accessory  130 , however various arrangements may omit the pressure accessory  130  on one or more of the flaps  120 . The flaps  120  and corresponding folds  122  may not necessarily define discrete portions or seams of the textile swaddling appliance  100 , but rather general regions of a continuous planar blanket surface that tends to follow the body contour of the infant when wrapped around the infant with sufficient tension to engage the pressure accessories  130  against the infant in the manner described herein for simulating a touch or contact of a caregiver. The swaddling appliance  100  may be formed from a continuous textile material cut and shaped as disclosed herein. 
     The pressure accessories  130  are generally disposed along a region defined by the folds  122 , substantially where the convex shape of the flaps  120  meets the textile base  110 . Alternatively, the pressure accessories may be disposed elsewhere, such as on the bottom flap  120 - 3  in anticipation of folding upward around the infant, shown in  FIGS. 5-8  below. The plurality of pressure accessories  130  may be of various shapes, sizes, however in the example arrangement the pressure accessories  130  include lateral chambers  130 ′, or supports, for simulating the forearm of a caregiver holding the infant and a front chamber  130 ″ (support) for simulating the palm of a caregiver. It should be noted that a (horizontal) central point of each side flap (or wing) that wraps is at the chest or torso region so as not to focus excessive pressure on the hips. Such pressure, if centered around the hip region and possibly too tightly wrapped has been suggested to cause dysplasia in infants under three months. 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram of folding the flaps of  FIG. 2  for engaging the pressure accessories against a wearer infant. Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , the bottom flap  120 - 3  folds upward as shown by arrow  140 , and the side flaps  120 - 1 ,  120 - 2  fold around the left and right sides of the infant as shown by arrows  142  and  144 , respectively. Folding the flaps  120 - 3  orients the front pressure accessory  130 - 3  in the chest region of the wearer infant, shown by the folded bottom flap  146 , and folding the side flaps  120 - 1 ,  120 - 2  orients the lateral (side) pressure accessories ‘ 130 - 1 ,  130 - 2  along the right and left sides of the infant, preferably from a region from around the shoulder to mid thigh of the wearer infant. In an alternate configuration, also shown below in  FIGS. 5-8 , the pressure accessories  130 - 11 ,  130 - 12  may be disposed opposed sides of the lower flap  120 - 3  such that closure of the bottom flap  120 - 3  draws the pressure accessories to engage the infant. The pressure accessories  130  may be attached by any suitable mechanism, such as sewn textile pockets, adhered with adhesive, or integrated in layers of the textile base  110 . Further, the pressure accessories may be filled with a slightly denser material, such as beads or pellets, so as to increase the pressure sensation from gravitational pull on the weighted material therein. Alternatively, fibrous filling such as polyester may also be employed if additional weight is not desired. 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of formation and usage of the appliance of  FIGS. 1-3 . Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , a procedural approach to providing and engaging an infant using the disclosed appliance  110  is shown. At step  200 , the method for employing the swaddling appliance for engaging an infant includes providing a textile base  110  adapted for swaddling an infant  150  ( FIG. 5 , below). In the example arrangement, the textile base  110  further includes a planar surface having convex shaped flaps  120  defining wings for engaging the infant  150  by wrapping around the infant  150 , such that the pressure accessories  130  are disposed in a region where the flaps  120  meet the base  110 , as depicted at step  201 . The textile base is a blanket material adapted to drape and wrap around the infant, and may be any suitable textile or fabric-like material of a desired weight for providing texture and warmth. 
     The textile base  110  incorporates at least one pressure accessory  130  adhered to the textile base  110 , such that the pressure accessory  130  is adapted to engage the infant  150  by application of pressure simulating a caregiver, as depicted at step  203 . In the example arrangement, the pressure accessory  130  includes at least one elongated lateral support  130 - 1 ,  130 - 2  adapted to extend along a side of the infant. The flaps  120  include side flaps  120 - 1 ,  120 - 2  adapted to engage the infant by folding along the side of the infant, such that the pressure accessory  130  defines a curve of the flap such that the pressure accessory engages a torso region of the infant  150 , as shown at step  204 . The elongated lateral supports defining the side pressure accessories  120 - 1 ,  120 - 2  extend substantially from a shoulder of the infant to a mid thigh region. 
     The flaps  120  further include a bottom flap  120 - 3  adapted to engage the infant  150  along the front of the infant, such that the pressure accessory  130 - 3  becomes disposed proximate to an end of the flap  146  and positioned to engage the chest of the infant  150 , thereby providing a continuous pressure sensation perceptible by the infant, as shown at step  205 . In alternate arrangement, the textile base may further include a leg pouch  152  in the region of the bottom flap  120 - 3 , such that the leg pouch  152  ( FIG. 5 , below) is adapted to be covered by the bottom flap  120 - 3  upon folding. 
     Engaging (swaddling) the infant further includes flexibly conforming the pressure accessory to a contour of the infant, as depicted at step  206 , such that the pressure accessory engages the infant  150  by tension of the textile base  110  wrapped around the infant  150 , as depicted at step  206 . Either of the torso pressure accessory  130 - 3  or the side accessories  130 - 1 ,  130 - 2  may comprise a pocket in the textile base  110 , such that the enclosed pocket encloses a weighting material for applying pressure to the infant  150 , as shown at step  207 . The weighting material may be a malleable granular substance for conforming to a contour of the infant, as depicted at step  208 , or the weighting material may include any suitable material adapted to conform to a shape of the flap wrapped around the infant. Such a weighted material may comprise poly beads, Styrofoam beads, hypoallergenic material, and/or various organic materials such as walnut shells or buckwheat. Depending on the weighted filler, the pocket may be define a plurality of compartments, each of the compartments including a portion of the weighting material. 
     The weightiness or firmness within the bars is created by using a heavier filling that, for example plastic pellets. Such a filling offers a gentle pressure, would move with the baby&#39;s light movements. The weight offered by the weighted intervals is determined in such a way that it mimics the weight offered by the human hand on a resting baby, for example it can be approximately 0.25 to 0.5 lbs. The density of the soft filling is chosen to allow it to be flexible so that it bends and takes the desired shape and position without being too rigid. It is to be understood that various configurations of different density filing materials and different placements and spacing of these materials within the elongated bars is within the scope of the invention disclosed herein and the specific disclosed embodiments are not intended to be limiting. 
     Thus, the textile base  110  defines a wearable blanket and the flaps  120  define protrusions based on the appendages of the infant and adapted to wrap the torso of the infant  150  between the appendages, depicted at step  209 . The textile base appears as an infant garment forming receptacles for appendages of the infant. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an infant prior to engagement with the swaddling appliance. Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 and 5 , an infant  150  lies on the textile base  110  prior to engagement with the device  100 . An optional pouch  152  encases the legs for smaller infants who may not fill out the folded bottom flap  120 - 3 . The bottom flap  120 - 3  is partially engaged (draw over the legs of the infant  150   
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of engagement of the bottom flap (wing) of the swaddling appliance. Referring to  FIG. 6 , the bottom flap  120 - 3  is drawn or pulled over the torso of the infant  140 , and the pressure accessories  120 - 1 ,  120 - 2  engaging the lateral sides of the infant and the center pressure accessory  130 - 3  engaging the chest area. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of engagement of the left flap (wing) of the swaddling appliance  100 . In  FIG. 7 , the left flap  120 - 2  is drawn to engage the infant  150  such that the pressure accessories  120 - 11 ,  120 - 13  are drawn or pressed into engagement with the infant  150  by the tension of the drawn flap  120 - 2 . 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a fully engaged swaddling appliance around an infant. Referring to  FIGS. 5-8 , the right flap (from the infant  150  perspective) is drawn over the left flap  120 - 2  and around the infant  150  to further engage the pressure appliances  130 . 
     The paragraphs below describe the step by step mechanism to secure the swaddle blanket on the baby with help of  FIGS. 5-8 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the infant is placed in prone position on the textile base  110  with the base of infant&#39;s neck aligned with the top edge of a back panel  110 - 1  defined by the center of the base  110  between the flaps  120 - 1 ,  120 - 2 . In the case where the leg pouch  152  is present and being used, the infant&#39;s legs are inserted into the pouch  152  and the open end of the leg pouch is extended upwards over the infant&#39;s waist to the maximum possible extent. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , particular configurations may employ hand pockets  160 - 1 ,  160 - 2  ( 160  generally) which may be employed with either or both hands placed inside the pockets such that the finger tips extend to the enclosed U-shaped end of the pocket while the open end of the pocket extends above the infant&#39;s elbow. Engagement pulls the front panel upwards, to cover the infant&#39;s body until the top edge of each side, and the pressure accessories  130  are tucked under the respective arms. Engagement of the infant (i.e. wrapping or swaddling) should tuck each side pressure accessory  130 - 1 ,  130 - 2  along the side of the infant&#39;s body. In this position pressure is exerted on the infant on both the sides. In the case where a shoulder panel is present and being used, both sides of the panel may be extended over the infant&#39;s shoulders on to the infant&#39;s chest and thus under to the front panel. Secure the two ends of the shoulder panel to the front panel using hook and loop fastener pair, as shown in the figure. In this position, the thoracic pressure accessory lies along the vertical line somewhere between the chest and the waist of the infant. 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  show how the swaddle is wrapped around the baby&#39;s body. As shown in  FIG. 7  one flap  120  is wrapped over the infant&#39;s shoulder and arm. It is then extended to the opposite side and tucked under the infant&#39;s back. A hook and loop fastener pair may be used to secure end in this position as shown. In this position, the side pressure accessory  130 - 1  or  130 - 2  may be covered partially or completely and secured in place along the wrapped side of the infant. Now, as shown in  FIG. 8  the other end (flap  120 ) of the base defining the flap  120  is wrapped over the infant&#39;s other shoulder and arm, extended to the opposite side over the wrapped arm, tucked under the back and secured using hook and loop fastener or other suitable attachment, as shown. In this position, the side pressure accessories  130 - 1 ,  130 - 2  are further secured in place along the side of the infant. 
     While the disclosed system and method has been particularly shown and described with references to embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.