Patent Publication Number: US-2009222971-A1

Title: Anti-Rollover Infant Sleep Garment

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates generally to protective infant devices and more specifically, to a wearable anti-rollover garment for keeping an infant in the supine position. 
     Keeping the infants in the supine position is a new tool in the fight to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (“SIDS”). SIDS is the sudden and unexplained death of an infant who is younger than one year old. It is a frightening prospect because it can strike without warning, usually in a seemingly healthy infant. In fact, SIDS is the leading cause of death in healthy babies after one month of age. Most SIDS deaths are associated with sleep, and infants who die of SIDS show no signs of suffering. SIDS is responsible for roughly 0.05%, or 50 deaths per 100,000 births in the U.S. 
     Although there has been little understanding of the syndrome&#39;s biological cause or causes, studies have identified several risk factors for SIDS. Foremost among these risk factors is stomach sleeping. Numerous studies have found a higher incidence of SIDS among babies placed on their stomachs to sleep than among those sleeping on their backs or sides. Some researchers have hypothesized that stomach sleeping puts pressure on a child&#39;s jaw, therefore narrowing the airway and hampering breathing. 
     Another theory is that stomach sleeping can increase an infant&#39;s risk of rebreathing his or her own exhaled air, particularly if the infant is sleeping on a soft mattress or with bedding, stuffed toys, or a pillow near the face. In this scenario, the soft surface could create a small enclosure around the baby&#39;s mouth and trap exhaled air. As the baby breathes exhaled air, the oxygen level in the body drops and carbon dioxide accumulates. Eventually, this lack of oxygen could contribute to SIDS. 
     Therefore, sleeping on the back has been recommended for some time to avoid SIDS. In fact, the incidence of SIDS cases have dropped significantly since the American Academy of Pediatrics rolled out their “Back to Sleep” campaign. To this end, several attempts have been aimed at preventing infants from rolling over on their stomachs while sleeping. However, these prior art attempts at maintaining infants in a supine position suffer from several disadvantages. For example, one of the prior art attempts involves a wearable harness having supports for maintaining infants in the supine position. However, these supports are detached from the garment worn by the infant. Because the supports can be easily separated from the garment, it is likely that the infant can roll over onto its stomach while sleeping. 
     SUMMARY 
     A wearable anti-rollover garment for infants solving at least one or more problems associated with the prior art is disclosed. According to one exemplary embodiment, the wearable garment for maintaining an infant in the supine position includes a body, pockets attached to the body, foam pads insertable in the pockets for maintaining an infant in a supine position, and straps for preventing the inadvertent removal of the foam pads from the pockets. Pockets provide a superior method for removably integrating the pads directly into an infant sleeping garment, while enabling their easy removal in order to wash the garment or otherwise carry the child. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the garment has sleeves for the wearer, and the garment body includes either a singular sack or separate leg portions. The body of the garment is opened and closed by using either zippers, clamps, clasps, hook and loop strips, buttons or the like. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective drawing showing one exemplary embodiment of an anti-rollover garment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective drawing showing another exemplary embodiment of an anti-rollover garment. 
         FIG. 3  is a frontal view of the exemplary embodiment of the anti-rollover garment of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a rear view of the exemplary embodiment of the anti-rollover garment of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following description, like numbers refer to like elements. 
     Referring now to the figures and in particular  FIG. 1 , a first exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated as wearable infant anti-rollover garment  10 . The garment  10  includes a body  12 , pockets  14 A and  14 B, support straps  16 , a zipper  18 , pocket closing straps  20 A and  20 B and foam pads  22 A and  22 B. Pockets  14 A and  14 B are securely attached to the body  12 . For example, in one embodiment, the pockets  14 A and  14 B can be sewn directly to the body  12  using standard sewing practices to create a strong seam between the body  12  and the pockets  14 A and  14 B. This prevents the pockets from being removed. Alternatively, the pockets  14 A and  14 B can be attached to the body  12  using buttons, string, buckles, clamps, clasps, adhesives, hook and loop strips, tape and the like. One skilled in the art will recognize that by securely attaching the pockets  14 A and  14 B to the body  12 , the pockets  14 A and  14 B will have a greater likelihood of remaining in place and thus, will not be inadvertently separated from the body as can occur with prior art devices. 
     The body  12  further includes support straps  16  through which the infant&#39;s arms are placed. A zipper  18  for opening and closing the body  12  is disclosed in  FIG. 1 . The opening-closing mechanism  18  can also be in the form of clamps, clasps, hook and loop strips, buttons or any other suitable method for opening and closing the body. 
     Attached to the pockets  14 A and  14 B are pocket closing straps  20 A and  20 B. The pocket closing straps  20 A and  20 B are designed to prevent foam pads  22 A and  22 B from being inadvertently removed from pockets  14 A and  14 B. While  FIG. 1  shows straps  20 A and  20 B for closing pockets  14 A and  14 B, alternatively, foam pads  22 A and  22 B can be secured in the pockets  14 A and  14 B using zippers, clamps, clasps, hook and loop strips, buttons and the like. 
     Foam pads are inserted into pockets  14 A and  14 B and secured in the pockets  14 A and  14 B using straps  20 A and  20 B. When inserted in the pockets  14 A and  14 B, foam pads  22 A and  22 B provide support for preventing an infant from rolling over, and thus, maintains the infant in the supine position. In lieu of using foam for pads  22 A and  22 B, the pads  22 A and  22 B can be constructed of any type of sufficiently firm material, capable of firmly maintaining the position of the infant&#39;s body. Additionally, pads  22 A and  22 B can be bags for holding water, sand or other material capable of maintaining the position of the infant&#39;s body when inserted into pockets  14 A and  14 B. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2-4 , a second exemplary embodiment of an anti-rollover garment  100  is disclosed. The garment  100  is comprised of a body  120 , pockets  140 A and  140 B, shoulder straps  160 , a zipper  180 , pocket closing straps  200 , foam pads  220 A and  220 B and rubber pads  240 A and  240 B. In this exemplary embodiment, body  120  contains separate portions for the insertion of an infant&#39;s legs in the body  120  of garment  100 . Further, shoulder straps  160  can be replaced with full sleeves which keep the infant warm in colder environments. 
     Rubber pads  240 A and  240 B are included on the body  120  to prevent infants from sliding in their rest area while wearing the garment  100 . Rubber pads  240 A and  240 B are releaseably attached to the body  120  with the use of zippers, clamps, clasps, hook and loop strips, buttons or other suitable means for attaching materials together. Alternatively, rubber pads  240 A and  240 B can be composed of any material suitable to prevent infants from sliding while wearing the garment  100 . Although shown in  FIG. 4  as oval-shaped, the pads  240 A and  240 B can also be in any geometric shape and still prevent infants from sliding in their rest area. 
     The foregoing description is of an exemplary and preferred embodiments employing at least in part certain teachings of the invention. The invention, as defined by the appended claims, is not limited to the described embodiments. Alterations and modifications to the disclosed embodiments may be made without departing from the invention. The meaning of the terms used in this specification are, unless expressly stated otherwise, intended to have ordinary and customary meaning and are not intended to be limited to the details of the illustrated structures or the disclosed embodiments.