Children's Sleeping Garments

The present invention relates generally to improvements in children's sleeping garments and more particularly to such garments in the form of sleeping bags.

One of the difficulties frequently encountered in the rearing of babies is the problem of keeping them warm while they are sleeping without at the same time unduly restraining their movement both while they are asleep and when they awake. An expedient which has not been entirely satisfactory in solving the problems is the use of conventional children's sleeping bags so constructed that they perform the function of keeping the child warm but at a cost of considerable strain on the child in being inserted into and withdrawn from the garment. In addition, such conventional sleeping bags generally unduly restrain the child wearer's movement while he is awake and thus prevent him from engaging in playful activity for his own amusement.

A general object of the present invention is accordingly to enhance the safety, warmth and comfort of children while asleep or otherwise confined in cribs or play pens.

Another object is to improve the convenience of children's sleeping bags by facilitating the insertion and removal of children from them.

A further object is to improve the mobility of a child's upper torso while in a sleeping bag but without sacrificing inherent advantages of conventional sleeping bag warmth.

In the achievement of the foregoing objects, a feature of the invention relates to a novel sleeping bag construction including a pair of shoulder straps which are releasably connectible to retain the child in the bag, but which when disconnected, present an open top into which the child may be easily inserted without twisting or straining. The upper end of the bag including the straps are so shaped that the child wearer is retained in the garment but is free to move his shoulders, arms and hands to engage in safe activities while being kept warm and safe.

The foregoing objects, features and numerous advantages to be derived from the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective showing a sleeping bag according to the present invention with a child about to be inserted into it;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the child already in the bag;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail view on an enlarged scale showing a pair of straps forming a part of the top of the sleeping bag depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view in cross section taken along the line IV--IV of FIG. 1, showing details of construction.

Turning now to the drawings, there is shown, a sleeping bag according to the invention, indicated generally at 10 and including front and rear panels 12 and 14 respectively. The panels 12 and 14 are connected by a seam 16 which extends continuously from one arm opening 18 to the other, passing, as seen in FIG. 4, through four thicknesses of material, the margin of each panel being folded outwardly to present a finished inside fold surface which may come into contact with the child wearer's skin. It will be readily appreciated that the front and rear panels are positioned inside out for inserting the seam 16 and that after the seam is inserted, the garment is turned right side out. At the same time that the seam 16 is being inserted a second seam 19 may also be inserted parallel to the seam 16 to provide greater strength and also to enclose the raw edges of the panels. Before inserting the seam 16 uniting the two panels, the upper portions of the panels defining the arm and neck openings are advantageously bound, typically with a form of binding tape. The rear panel is contoured to include a pair of shoulder straps 20 at its upper end, each of the straps bearing a button 22 at its distal end, to be received in a buttonhole 24 formed in an upwardly directed extension 26 of the front panel 12.

The present garment may be made in a variety of materials including blanket fabrics in various weights. One material which has worked well is a quilted multi-layered fabric comprising an outer covering of a cotton printed broadcloth. The inner layer may be of a soft cotton blanket and an intermediate layer of wool blanket may be employed for colder environments. In order to provide the necessary warmth and yet leave the child wearer's hands and arms as free as possible from unnecessary restraint, the child is preferably dressed in a sweater to cover his upper torso, a heavy sweater if he is to be exposed to cold weather. In FIG. 1, the child is shown wearing mittens which may also be desirable outdoors in colder climates.

From the foregoing description and illustrations, it is clear that a garment according to the present invention not only provides the warmth, comfort and security needed for infants while sleeping or confined to cribs or playpens, but also that insertion of the child into and withdrawal from the sleeping bag 10 is easily accomplished without imposing any strain on the child. It will also be pointed out that the present specification and drawings will suggest numerous variations within the spirit of the present invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. It is accordinly not intended that the foregoing description be taken as a limitation of the scope of the invention but rather that the breadth of the invention be interpreted in terms of the appended claims.