1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to infant blankets, wraps and buntings and, more particularly, to wraps used for keeping an infant bundled and warm while it is being carried about in a intemperate environment.
2. Description of Related Art
Many types devices for wrapping infants are currently in use. The devices are used both to keep an infant warm to provide a certain level of confinement which reduces the risk of injury to an infant by making it easier to handle and carry.
The simplest type of infant wrap is a rectangular blanket sized for wrapping an infant. Typically, the infant is placed on the open blanket face up, and the lower portion of the blanket is folded over the infant""s legs and lower body. The side portions of the blanket are overlappingly folded sideways over the infant. Clips or large safety pins may be used to fasten the folds of the blanket together.
Another type of infant wrap is an adaptation of the xe2x80x9cmummyxe2x80x9d sleeping bag. U.S. Des. Pat. No. D269,475 discloses such an article. To use such a wrap, the infant is slid into the bag, feet first, or, if the bag is equipped with a longitudinal zipper, the bag is wrapped around the infant and the zipper is closed.
Still another type of infant wrap might be considered a combination of the first two. U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,204 discloses a wrap comprising a sheet of fabric which incorporates a hood, a pair of overlapping side flaps, and a pair of booties, or stocking feet. Hook and loop fasteners are used to secure the flaps. This particular wrap confines the infant, as it is wrapped with its arms folded on its abdomen.
What is needed is an infant wrap which does not confine the arms and legs of the infant, that requires no potentially dangerous safety pins to hold the wrapped portions together, and which provides enhanced flexibility with regard to different conditions of ambient temperature.
In accordance with the present invention, an infant wrap is provided that includes a quadrangular, generally bilaterally symmetrical sheet of fabric material, the sheet having a generally rectangular central region for covering the back side of an infant""s torso. Connected to and continuous with the central region are overlapping upper and lower flaps attached to first and second opposing sides, respectively, of the central region, and overlapping right and left side flaps attached to third and fourth opposing sides, respectively, of the central region. The right and left side flaps wrap around the sides of the infant""s torso and also provide a covering for the front side thereof. The upper flap wraps over the infant""s shoulders, while the lower flap wraps under the infant""s crotch. The upper and lower flaps overlap and also help to cover the front of the infant""s torso. The sheet further includes a head aperture centered on said sheet""s axis of symmetry at the junction of the upper flap and the central region, a pair of leg apertures equally spaced from the axis of symmetry, both feet apertures positioned on the junction of the lower flap and the central region, a pair of arm apertures equally spaced from the axis of symmetry, one arm aperture positioned at the junction of each side flap with the central region, and a sleeve formed from fabric material, attached at one end thereof, to each leg and arm aperture. Each sleeve may incorporate a half cuff, which may be turned inside out in order to cover the sleeve opening. The overlapping flap portions may be equipped with hook and loop fasteners so that the overlapping flap portions may be secured to one another.
In order to wrap an infant with the invention, an infant""s legs are placed through the leg apertures, and its head is placed through the head aperture on the same side of the sheet. Each of the infant""s arms is placed through an arm aperture. The lower flap and the upper flap are then folded over on one another on the front of the infant""s torso and secured to each other using the hook and loop fasteners which are sewn to the flaps. The side flaps are, likewise, then folded over on one another and secured to each other using the hoop and loop fasteners provided. In warmer weather, the infant""s feet and hands may be exposed at the ends of the sleeves, one of which is attached to each of the leg and arm apertures. Each sleeve is equipped with a half cuff, which may be turned inside out, thereby covering the end of the sleeve and protecting the infant""s extremities in more inclement weather.