Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
TODDLER SLEEP SUIT
This invention provides an improved option for toddlers who are prone to
climbing from
their cribs or who are able to remove their sleep sacks or clothing. Existing
options include
the sleep sack and a crib tent. The Toddler Sleep Suit is designed for
toddlers between the
ages of 12 months and 3.5 years of age who are able to walk.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Sleep Sacks are often used while babies and toddlers are sleeping in cribs. A
Sleep Sack is a
"Sleep Bag" that a small child or infant is zipped into. It resembles a
sleeping bag used for
camping, except it typically has holes for the arms to go through so it stays
with the child if
they move at night.
Crib tents were designed to prevent a child from climbing and falling from a
crib or pen-
structure and sustaining an injury. They consist of a "canopy" that is secured
to the top of
the crib or pen-structure creating a "roof' or cover to the baby's crib or pen-
structure.
EXISTING PATENTS
= United States Patent 2919978 - Infant Calming/Sleep Aid, SIDS Prevention
Device,
and Method of Use by HAPPIEST BABY INC. (KARP, HARVEY NEIL, BERLIN,
MATTHEW R., GRAY, JESSE V., WASHABAUGH, BILL WALTER & ROY, DEB KUMAR)
is a calming device for infants. It is not suitable for toddlers.
= United States Patent 2795733 - Breathable Garment and Method of Use by
WATERS,
SUSAN MARIE & WATERS, DALE RICHARD is a sleep sack for babies made from a
breathable fabric. It does not address the issue of climbing or disrobing.
= Canadian Patent, 2683107 (ATTACHABLE BABY & TODDLER BLANKET by
ROBBINS, DAVID J.) is a baby blanket that attaches to the carseat, stroller or
crib. It
does not address the issue of climbing or disrobing.
= Canadian Patent 2585254 (FIVE IN ONE BABY BLANKET by ARMSTRONG,
JENNIFER) is another adaptable baby blanket intended for use in multiple
locations.
It does not address the issue of climbing or disrobing.
= United States Patent 2919978 - Infant Calming/Sleep Aid, SIDS Prevention
Device,
and Method of Use by HAPPIEST BABY INC. (KARP, HARVEY NEIL, BERLIN,
MATTHEW R., GRAY, JESSE V., WASHABAUGH, BILL WALTER & ROY, DEB KUMAR),
United States Patent 2795733 - Breathable Garment and Method of Use by WATERS,
SUSAN MARIE & WATERS, DALE RICHARD, Canadian Patent, 2683107
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(ATTACHABLE BABY & TODDLER BLANKET by ROBBINS, DAVID J.), and Canadian
Patent 2585254 (FIVE IN ONE BABY BLANKET by ARMSTRONG, JENNIFER) are the
inventions that come up under the search for baby or toddler blanket.
These inventions attach to other baby gear, or convert for other uses. All are
blankets, not sleep suits. None address the issue of climbing or disrobing.
= United States Patent 2155079, Crib Cover Securing Device by Lamantia,
Mark
(Methuen, MA) provides a cover similar to a tent that secures to the top of
the crib,
thus preventing them from climbing. There have been safety concerns with crib
enclosures (strangulation and suffocation) and this invention does not address
disrobing.
= United States Patent 3014122 - Crib Accessory by Mallory, Kathryn Beck SZ
Childs,
Louise Wingfield is similar to the invention by Lamantia (2155079), but it
provides
a flat cover over the crib rather than a dome shaped cover. It presents the
same
safety concerns and does not prevent disrobing.
= 486669 - Child's Sleeping Garment by Roy W. Wilson (country unknown) has
a two-
way zipper so children who are in a bed can go use the toilet at night. It
does not
address the issue of climbing or disrobing.
= 256145 - Sleeping Garment, by Frank W. Thomas (country unknown) is a
sleeper
with feet added to keep a child's feet warm. It does not address the issue of
climbing
or disrobing.
Though sleep sacks are a wonderful invention for many infants and children,
there is a
need for improvement for toddlers who are able to climb from their cribs or
who are able
to unzip, unsnap, or crawl out of their sleep sacks. There are currently no
patents for
toddler sleep suits designed to prevent climbing and disrobing. Existing crib
tent models
designed to prevent climbing are considered unsafe.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Most children do not have the cognitive development to understand why they
need to stay
in a bed until close to the age of three. Many young children learn to climb
from their crib
before this age OR learn to use zippers and snaps at an early age, allowing
them to remove
their sleep sack, clothing, and possibly diaper while in the crib. This can
take a serious toll
on their sleep since many young children will spend their time unzipping,
unsnapping, or
climbing rather than napping and sleeping well at night.
Toddlers also lack the cognitive development or motor skills to pull a blanket
up over
themselves until close to the age of three. When toddlers can't do something
for
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themselves, they will often cry out for a parent to assist. This can be
disruptive for the
sleep of both the parents and the toddler.
To handle these toddlers who climb, families are often forced to move their
toddlers out of
the crib and into a bed at a young age. This often results in disrupted sleep,
and a young
= child loose and unsupervised in their room or throughout the house while
the parents are
sleeping.
Some families make alterations to their cribs by drilling a hole in the legs
of the crib so they
can lower the mattress. Any modifications made to cribs negate the safety
standards with
which the cribs were built.
Crib tents have been previously sold in the United States to assist with this
challenge.
These were "tents" that could be secured to the top of a child's crib to
prevent them from
climbing. Crib tent models from Tots in Mind, Inc. (2155079 - United States
Patent by
Lamantia) were recalled in 2010 and 2012 following tent failures including one
catastrophic brain injury, and one fatality. The dangers of these models were
entrapment
and strangulation, which could happen if the dome inverted inside the crib or
play yard or
became partially detached. Invention 3014122 (by Mallory & Childs) is similar
to the Tots
In Mind Crib tent which was recalled. Both inventions involve a cover going
over the top of
the crib to help prevent toddlers from climbing. Another concern with these
inventions is
airflow. A tent going over a crib or a cover over a crib doesn't allow for
airflow and can
lead to an extremely hot sleep environment.
Some toddlers enjoy the challenges presented by snaps, zippers and buttons,
and spend
their time taking off their sleep sacks, pyjamas, clothing, and diapers rather
than sleeping.
As many children are not yet trained to eliminate on the toilet before the age
of 3, a naked
toddler in a crib presents another problem.
The Toddler Sleep Suit was designed to prevent toddlers from climbing by
somewhat
inhibiting their motor skills and preventing them from widening their legs
enough to climb
over the crib bars. The zipper in the back was added to prevent toddlers from
removing
the suit.
Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure
will be or
become apparent upon examination of the following drawings and detailed
description. It
is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and
advantages be included
within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be
protected by
the accompanying claims. In addition, all optional and preferred features and
modifications of the described embodiments are usable in all aspects of the
disclosure
taught herein. Furthermore, the individual features of the dependent claims,
as well as all
optional and preferred features and modifications of the described embodiments
are
combinable and interchangeable with one another.
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FIGURES
Non-limiting examples of the toddler sleep suit are described with reference
to the
following figures. The same numbers may be used throughout the figures to
reference like
features and components.
Fig 1. is a graphical representation of the back view of the toddler sleep
suit, showing the
triangle wedge of fabric sewn between the legs and the zipper located in the
back.
Fig 2. is a graphical representation of the front view of the toddler sleep
suit, showing the
triangle wedge of fabric sewn between the legs.
Fig. 3 . is a graphical representation of a sleep suit (back view) with sewn
feet. The feet are
optional. There will be an armless option for warmer climates and an option
with full arms
to provide more warmth in colder climates.
Fig. 4 . is a graphical representation of a sleep suit (front view) with sewn
feet.
Fig. 5 . is a graphical representation of a sleep suit (back view) with arms
and feet. The
arms and feet are optional. There will be an armless option for warmer
climates and an
option with full arms to provide more warmth in colder climates.
Fig. 6 . is a graphical representation of a sleep suit (front view) with arms
and feet.
Fig. 7. is a graphical representation of the toddler sleep suit (back view)
with arms and
without feet. Some parents may choose to use this as pyjamas and some may use
this as an
extra layer (replacing a blanket).
Fig. 8. is a graphical representation of the toddler sleep suit (front view)
with arms and
without feet.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
With reference to the drawings in FIG 1 & 2, the key feature of the toddler
sleep suit is the
wedge of fabric sewn between the legs of the sleep suit (1). The triangle of
fabric will be
between 6 and 12 inches (depending on the size of the sleep suit ¨ the bottom
of the
triangle will approximately match the shoulder width of the child). This
allows toddlers to
walk comfortably, but does not allow them to climb.
In the embodiment showed in FIG. 1, the zipper (4) is located on the back of
the sleep suit
starting at the foot, and zipping up to the neck. This zipper placement will
help eliminate
the possibility that a toddler can take off their sleep suit. The zipper zips
to the shoulder
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=
rather than the back of the neck so that it will not provide discomfort for
toddlers who
sleep on their back.
As depicted in FIGS 1 & 2, the neck hole (2) is sized similar to a one-piece
sleeper (one-
piece pyjamas) or shirt rather than a traditional sleep sack. The neckline is
the same at the
front and the back of the suit, making the sleep suit reversible.
The sleep suit will be available with and without feet attached. FIG 1. & 2
are
representations of a Toddler Sleep Suit without arms (5) and without feet (3).
This allows
for better temperature control.
As depicted in FIGS 3 & 4, the Toddler Sleep Suit will be adaptable for
seasons with optional
feet (6).
As depicted in FIGS 5 & 6, the Toddler Sleep Suit will be adaptable for
seasons with optional
arms (7).
FIG's 7 & 8 show the Toddler Sleep Suit with arms (7) and without feet (3).
The toddler sleep suit is designed for toddlers who are able to walk
independently and will
be made in sizes 12 months, 2T and 3T. They will be made in summer-weight
fabrics for
the warmer climates and seasons, and in warmer fabrics for the cooler climates
and
seasons.
Existing toddler sleep sacks can easily be removed by toddlers with adept fine
motor skills,
and do not prevent active and alert toddlers from climbing from their cribs
and potentially
sustaining an injury. The toddler sleep suit was designed specifically to
combat these two
challenges.
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