Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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COMBINATION NURSING BLANKET AND CRADLING AID
Field of the Invention
This application relates to a combination nursing blanket and
cradling aid for use by a nursing mother, or other care giver, when
cradling or breast-feeding an infant. More particularly, this application
relates to a device for supporting and cushioning an infant's head where
it rests on the care giver's arm, providing shelter to the cradled infant, and
1 o providing privacy to both the infant and the care giver while cradling or
feeding.
In Western culture, until recently, breast feeding has been
done mostly in private. Changes in social customs now make it more
common for nursing mothers to breast feed infants in public places.
However, when breast feeding in public, most people desire at least some
degree of privacy. Furthermore, while breast feeding an infant it is also
2 o important to make both the infant and the nursing mother physically
comfortable. Accordingly, the need has arisen for a means for providing
privacy while breast feeding an infant in a public place while also making
the infant and the nursing mother more comfortable.
Both male and female care givers also sometimes require
comfort and privacy when cradling an infant. This ensures that the infant
remains comfortable and secure.
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Some earlier devices designed to provide privacy for an infant
do not address the need to provide more comfort to the infant and the care
giver. Examples of such devices include United States Patent Number
4,712,251 to Cobble, and United States Patent Number 5,042,090 to Cook.
These devices do not provide any means for cushioning the infant's head
or the care giver's arm.
Other devices have been developed for providing more
comfort to the infant and care giver, but these devices do not address the
1 o need for providing privacy for breast feeding in public. Typical examples
of such devices include United States Patent Number 5,159,727 to
McCracken, United States Patent Number 5,239,717 to Sue, and United
States Patent Nwnber 5,440,769 to Thomas. These devices provide arm
pads for cushioning either the infant's head or both the infant's head and
the care giver's arm.
The invention provides a combination nursing blanket and
2 o cradling aid which affords a nursing mother, or other care giver, comfort
and privacy while nursing an infant in a public place. The combination
nursing blanket and cradling aid comprises a blanket which may be
draped over the infant and across the care giver's body and a pad which
may be positioned on the care giver's arm to support the infant's head.
2 5 The blanket is attached to the pad.
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Accordingly, a first aspect of the invention provides a
combination nursing blanket and cradling aid comprising: a flexible pad
conformable into a tubular configuration, for receiving a care giver's arm;
a blanket having a size and shape sufficient to cover an infant; ands
blanket fastening means for fastening the blanket to the pad. In a preferred
embodiment, the pad is eight-sided.
A second aspect of the invention provides a combination
nursing blanket and cradling aid for use by a care giver when breast
1 o feeding or cradling an infant for cushioning both the infant's head and
the
care giver's arm when the infant's head is rested on the care giver's arm,
and providing shelter to the infant and privacy to both said infant and the
care giver while said infant is being breast fed or cradled. The combination
nursing blanket and cradling aid comprises: a flexible foam pad with a soft
15 fabric covering, having a tubular configuration and an interior diameter
sufficient to substantially encircle a care giver's arm; and a blanket
releasably attached at one edge to the pad. The blanket has a size and
shape sufficient to shelter an infant by being draped loosely from the pad,
across the care giver's body, and over the care giver's opposing shoulder.
fi~ief Description of the Drawings
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred
embodiment of the invention, but which should not be construed as
2 5 restricting the spirit and scope of the invention in any way:
FIG 1. is a plan view of a flexible pad for use in the invention;
FIG 2. is a side elevation view of the flexible pad of Figure 1;
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FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a care giver wearing a combination nursing
blanket and cradling aid according to the invention while cradling an
infant;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a care giver placing the flexible pad of
Figure 1 on her arm;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a care giver with the flexible pad of Figure
1 wrapped around her arm;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a care giver wearing the flexible pad of
Figure 1 around her arm, and showing how a blanket is attached to the
s o pad; and,
FIG. 7 is a section along the line 7-7 of Figure 5.
petailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
s 5 The combination nursing blanket and cradling aid of the
invention comprises a flexible pad 10 and a blanket 15 which can be
attached to flexible pad 10. Figure 1 is a plan view of a flexible pad 10,
lying flat according to the currently preferred embodiment of the
combination nursing blanket and cradling aid. Flexible pad 10 can be
2 o releasably fastened in a tubular configuration by bending it and using
fastening means 16 to attach the ends of flexible pad 10 together as shown
in Fig 5.
Fastening means 16 preferably comprises mating hook and
2 5 loop fasteners such as V ELCROTM. Most preferably, fastening means 16
comprises straps 20 which extend from one end of flexible pad 10 and have
lengths of a hook type fastener 22 attached to them. Fastening means 16
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also comprises strips of loop type fastener 26, which mate with lengths 22
of hook type fastener, and are attached at a second end of flexible pad 10.
Flexible pad can be held in a tubular configuration by attaching hook type
fasteners 22 to loop type fasteners 26. The internal diameter of the bore
formed through pad 10 when it is in its tubular configuration can be
adjusted by changing the points at which hook type fasteners 22 attach to
loop type fasteners 26.
Straps 20 are equipped with wing flaps 24 which are faced
1 o with loop type fastener. When flexible pad 10 is being washed, wing flaps
24 can be folded onto hook type fastener 22 to prevent the hook type
fastener 22 from collecting lint or attaching itself to other items being
washed.
15 Figure 2 shows a side elevation view of flexible pad 10. Pad
can be detachably affixed to blanket 15 (See Figs 3 and 6) by blanket
fastening means 12. In the exemplary embodiment of the invention shown
in the attached figures, blanket fastening means 12 comprises fasteners
12A on pad 10 and mating fasteners 12B on blanket 15. Preferably, a
2 o plurality of fasteners 12A, are provided on the edges of flexible pad 10
to
allow the care giver to choose the attachment points for blanket 15 which
are optimal with regard to the position of the infant being cradled. Because
fasteners 12A are on the edges of pad 10 they do not make bumps which
would be uncomfortable for an infant. Most preferably, fasteners 12A are
25 on short angled corner edges 11 of pad 10 adjacent the end edges of pad
10. Fasteners 12A could also be located on the upper surface of pad 10
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near its edges without interfering significantly with the utility of the
invention.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, pad 10 com-
prises a flexible non-allergenic foam core 30 which is cut to the desired
shape. The thickness of foam core 30 can be from one to seven
centimetres, but the Inventors have found that a thickness between two
and three centimetres is optimal. Pad 10 is most preferably eight-sided, as
shown in Fig 1. This improves the fit of pad 10 around a care giver's elbow
1o joint. The angled corner edges 11 of pad 10 provide suitable locations for
blanket fasteners 12A.
As shown in Fig. 3, pad 10 preferably has a thickness
sufficient to elevate the infant's head so that the infant's head is at about
the same elevation as the care giver s breast. This allows the care giver to
breast feed the infant without exerting force to hold the infant's head up
to the breast.
Foam core 30 is covered with a cover 32 of a soft non-
2 o allergenic, and adsorptive fabric such as a 100 % cotton flannel material.
The fabric is preferably pre-shrunk so that pad 10 can be machine washed
and machine dried as a whole. The Inventors have discovered that it is
useful to attach one edge of foam core 30 to cover 32 so that if the foam
core 30 becomes dislodged during washing, one edge remains aligned so
2 5 it is easy to return foam core 30 to its proper orientation inside the
fabric
cover 32.
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Figure 3 is a perspective view of a care giver using the
invention and cradling a baby. Blanket 15 is attached to pad 10 with
blanket fastening means 12. In the preferred embodiment, blanket 15 is of
sufficient length such that, when it is attached to pad 10, it can be loosely
draped across the care giver's body and over the shoulder opposite the
cradling arm. Blanket 15 can be tucked into the care giver's collar, or
simply hung over the care giver's shoulder. YVhile blanket 15 preferably
has the foregoing dimensions, blanket 15 may be of any size and shape
sufficient to provide privacy to the care giver and the infant when attached
1o to the pad 10 without departing from the spirit of the invention.
In the preferred embodiment, blanket 15 is made from a soft,
non-allergenic, and adsorptive fabric, such as 100 % cotton flannel. Blanket
may be made from the same material that is used to cover pad 10.
15 Preferably blanket 15 is somewhat stiff so that it can be positioned over
an
infant like a tent. This allows the care giver to peek under blanket 15 to see
the infant and also makes blanket 15 unlikely to hang over the infant in a
way that the infant would find uncomfortable. If blanket 15 is somewhat
stiff then blanket 15 can be easily re-positioned and adjusted to provide
2 o fresh air to the infant. Blanket 15 may be made somewhat stiff by making
it of a double layer of fabric. The Inventors have found that ample
stiffness is achieved by sewing two layers of cotton flannel fabric together
to make blanket 15.
2 5 In addition to providing privacy, blanket 15 shelters the infant
from wind, cold, and bright sunlight or artificial lights. Blanket 15 can be
draped loosely enough to allow the care giver to view the infant while still
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maintaining privacy and benefitting from the other features of the
invention. Since sheltering the infant improves its comfort, which facili-
tates and encourages feeding, sheltering the infant is an important feature
of the invention.
Figures 4 through 6 show as a sequence how the combination
nursing blanket and cradling aid is put on. In Figure 4, pad 10 is
positioned on the care giver's arm across the elbow joint. Another way of
putting on pad 10 is for the care giver to fasten pad 10 into a tubular
so configuration using fastening means 16 and then slide it onto his or her
arm. Straps 20 can then be adjusted to tighten or loosen the fit as desired.
Figures 5 and 7 show pad 10 positioned on a care giver's arm.
Pad 10 is wrapped around the care giver's arm and oriented so that the
edges of pad 10 and straps 20, face to the outside of the care giver's body,
away from the area where the cradled infant's head is rested. Blanket
fasteners 12A are then optimally located for receiving mating blanket
fasteners 12B on blanket 15.
2 o Figure 6 shows blanket 15 being attached to the pad 10.
Fasteners 12B need only be positioned along one edge of blanket 15.
Fastening means 12 may comprise mating hook-and-loop type fasteners,
snap type fasteners, buttons and button-holes, or any other suitable
fastening means.
It can be appreciated from the foregoing that, in use, pad 10
provides cushioning for the infant's head at the point where it is supported
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by the care giver's arm. The pad also provides cushioning to the care
giver's arm from the pressure caused by the infant's head and from hard
surfaces upon which the care giver's arm may be resting.
The invention can also be used by care givers to bottle feed
infants or simply cradle them. In this case the privacy feature is not as
important but the care giver and infant can still benefit from the other
features of the invention.
to Pad 10 could be made in a tubular configuration which could
be slipped on and off of a care giver's arm. However, the in the preferred
embodiment pad 10 is releasably shaped into a tubular configuration to
provide versatility. Straps 20 allow a care giver to adjust the fit of pad 10
to his or her arm. This allows the combination nursing blanket and
15 cradling aid to fit a wide variety of arm sizes. Also, when pad 10 is flat,
it is easier to wash and dry. Pad 10 can be used flat as a cushion for
setting down the infant when changing diapers. Being able to unroll pad
so that it is flat also makes it easier to clean and dry pad 10.
2 o Because pad 10 can be used as a changing pad a separate
changing pad is not necessary. Blanket 15 can be detached from pad 10
and used as an ordinary baby blanket. It can be appreciated that a
combination nursing blanket and cradling aid according to the preferred
embodiment of the invention can replace the conventional changing pad
2 5 and baby blanket that a caregiver might normally carry and provides
significant added functionality.
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As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of
the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible
in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope
thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in
accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.
