Blanket for placement upon an infant secured in a seat and method of use

Abstract

A blanket for placement upon an infant in a seat and method having sleeves and an open back construction as well as stabilization means is provided that it can be readily donned upon an infant buckled within a seat without the need to adjust safety straps. The travel blanket includes a base section constructed with a base periphery integrated with base stabilization means therein for securing the base section of the blanket onto an outer, exterior bottom portion of the seat. Lateral sections of the travel blanket further include lateral perimeters appointed for aiding in securing the lateral sections over the infant, without wrapping the torso of the infant. Construction of the travel blanket ensures a significant amount of coverage over the entire body of the infant that does not lend to shifting, zero wrapping of the infant's body / torso, and minimal jostling of the infant when applied.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to a blanket for placement upon an infant buckled in a seat and method of using same; and more particularly, to a travel blanket having sleeves and an open back construction as well as stabilization means so that the blanket can be placed upon and worn by an infant buckled in a seat and secured to the exterior sides and bottom of the seat to prevent shifting while avoiding any need for adjusting the safety straps and disturbing the infant.[0003]2. Description of the Prior Art[0004]Laws involving installation and use of child car seats are quite complex and rigorously enforced. Proper installation and fit compel that only one or two finger widths of leeway separate the car seat straps from the body of a child positioned therewithin. This rather “tight” fit is required to assure the safety of a child riding in a car seat. During winter months or cold, damp conditions, it is difficult to prope...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]The present invention provides a travel blanket that is frontward donned on an infant strapped in a car seat (or stroller, etc.) by inserting an infant's arms into sleeves, covering the infant's entire torso and legs without moving same and simply securing the blankets perimeters to the exterior sides and bottom portions of the seat. Accordingly, the travel blanket's construction functions require minimal manipulation and movement of the infant when the blanket is being applied, while ensuring that the travel blanket does not shift and expose the infant to the cold or pose a suffocation risk. The travel blanket comprises sleeve members and an open back construction so that it can be readily donned upon an infant buckled within a seat without the need to adjust safety straps. What is more, the travel blanket includes a base section constructed with a base periphery integrated with base stabilization means therein for securing the base section of the blanket onto an outer, exterior bottom portion of the seat so that the blanket is secured over the infant without the need to move the infant's body or legs, thus eliminating struggling with the infant and unwanted shifting of the blanket. Lateral sections of the travel blanket further include lateral perimeters appointed for aiding in securing the lateral sections over the infant, without wrapping the torso of the infant. Construction of the travel blanket ensures a significant amount of coverage over the entire body of the infant, secure coverage that does not lend to shifting of the blanket, zero wrapping of the infant's body / torso, and minimal jostling or moving of the infant when the blanket is being applied onto the infant.

[0015]In operation, the left and right sleeve members receive the arms of the infant and the collar member and the central section rest against the infant's neck, chest, front torso, legs and feet. The lateral sections and base section extend over the infant and the seat and, in a first aspect of the invention, become disposed over the exterior and sides of the seat. In a second, optional, aspect of the invention, the lateral sections and base section are adapted to be secured onto the exterior or outside of the seat. The latter construction facilitates avoiding any need for adjusting the safety straps and jostling, struggling with or otherwise disturbing the infant, while providing a warm, safe environment for the infant during travel.

[0016]A method of keeping an infant warm when traveling secured in a seat is provided. The method includes the steps of: (i) placing an infant in a seat, such as a car seat or stroller, and securing the child within the seat by way of safety straps; (ii) covering the infant with a travel blanket, the travel blanket comprising: a central section, lateral sections, a base section, and a collar member arranged to form an open back construction so that the blanket is appointed to be placed upon the infant secured within the seat by way of safety straps; left and right sleeve members constructed within the central section of the blanket adjacent to each of the lateral sections; the base section comprising a base periphery having a base stabilization means integrated therein appointed for securing the base section of the blanket on an outer bottom portion of the seat; and the lateral sections each comprising a lateral perimeter appointed for aiding in securing the lateral sections; (iii) inserting each arm of the infant within each of the sleeve members, respectively, and pressing the collar member against the infant's neck and the central section against the infant's chest so that the lateral sections and the base section extend proximate to outer side portions and an outer bottom portion of the seat, respectively; and (iv) securing the lateral sections and the base section to the outer side portions and the outer bottom portion of the seat, respectively, while avoiding any need for adjusting the safety straps and jostling or otherwise disturbing the infant.

Problems solved by technology

Laws involving installation and use of child car seats are quite complex and rigorously enforced.

During winter months or cold, damp conditions, it is difficult to properly place a child within a car seat, owing to the presence of winter clothing such as jump suits, jackets and the like.

Several blanket-sacs, buntings and bag-like articles have been provided for keeping infants warm when sleeping in a crib or cradle, but these blanket-sacs are not and can not readily function as travel blankets in car seats and strollers.

These garments, sac / bag-like articles are not capable of functioning in conjunction with a car seat or stroller and would interfere with proper safety strapping procedures.

As a result, attempting to utilize these sacs / bag-like articles during travel in a car seat (or stroller) would require the child to be inserted into the blanket, placed into the car seat, and the safety straps of the car seat adjusted for awkward and improper buckling as these bag-like articles do not adequately provide entry pointes for proper placement of the safety straps.

Again, these articles are arranged to be utilized in a crib or cradle and are not capable of functioning, or adequately constructed, in conjunction with a car seat or stroller as these articles would interfere with safety straps.

As a result, attempting to utilize these articles during travel in a car seat (or stroller) would require the child to be inserted into the garment, placed into the car seat, and the safety straps of the car seat adjusted for awkward and improper buckling as these articles do not adequately provide entry pointes for proper placement of the safety straps and are not travel blankets.

Therefore, any application of the sleeved-bib articles as a blanket would be thwarted as a bib does not cover an infant's legs and does not provide a large enough surface area on lateral edges to offer blanket coverage to an infant's torso.

Such car seat coverings must be applied to the seat before the infant is placed therein, and cannot be removed from the seat when the infant is lifted out.

Further, the infant can readily kick or pull on the blanket flap portion and expose himself / herself to the cold, or cause pooling of the flap near the infant's face thereby posing a suffocation risk to which the parent would not be aware of during driving.

Even where various travel blankets have been provided, these travel blankets fail to provide the ability to secure the blanket to the outer sides and bottom edges of a car seat / stroller seat, and as a result, a child can easily kick these travel blankets off from their feet, exposing the child to the cold.

Moreover, the disheveled blanket may fold or shift towards the child's face and pose a suffocation hazard.

Although these aforementioned disclosed travel blankets are provided with sleeves and portions to cover the infant in the car seat, these travel blankets require substantial manipulation and movement of the infant when they are being applied, and as a result the infant may awaken and / or become agitated and annoyed.

Moreover, wherein the infant is a newborn or very young, such movement may require less than delicate maneuverings.

That is to say, in application of these variously disclosed travel blankets, where: (i) those having hoods require that after the infant's arms are received in the sleeves, the infant's head must be elevated and angled acutely forward from the seat to be inserted in the hood; (ii) those having portions that must wrap around to the back of the wearer's / infant's torso from the front operate to cause the parent / care giver to substantially lean the child's body forward while still strapped in the seat, tending to result in a need to adjust the safety straps to provide ample room to extend the side extension / wraps behind the child's back—otherwise, the child would be in discomfort while the parent's hands are jammed behind the child's spine.

Surely, resulting in a cumbersome task, ultimately waking any sleeping baby and annoying any contented baby; and (iii) those having pouches or other leg and feet containment sections for receiving and housing the infant's legs and feet require the parent to literally lift the infant's legs and feet, bend or otherwise contort the infant's legs to force (which, if the infant is kicking can be quite traumatic) them into the pouch.

Such encasement of the infant's legs, while preventing the blanket from shifting therefrom, results not only in mass manipulation of the infant's legs and feet, but an infant likely feeling overly constrained and agitated as the legs and feet become bound within the pouch or pocket.

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