Infant sling

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an adjustable sling for the carrying and transport of an infant, with features that impart improved safety, comfort and support for the infant. The adjustable sling has a sling body with an interior compartment for carrying the infant, and also has an adjustable shoulder strap that is extensible about a wearer's shoulder, with first and second opposing ends that are attached to the sling body. An adjustable lumbar belt is attached to the sling body and extensible about the wearer. In one embodiment, the sling has a retention flap that is attached to the sling body and retains the infant being carried by the sling to enhance the safety and security of the sling. In another embodiment, the sling has at least one support insert to support at least one of the infant's head and neck while the infant is carried in the interior compartment.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]Not Applicable.STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH / DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not ApplicableBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]1. Technical Field[0004]The present invention relates generally to sling carriers adapted to be worn by an adult to support and carry an infant or other young child. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a sling with improved features that allow the sling wearer to more securely hold the infant in the sling, and that improve the support of the infant's head and neck as well as the infant's body while being carried in the sling.[0005]2. Related Art[0006]Baby slings are well known by parents and other persons involved in child care as being suitable carriers for the transport of children. Indeed, various different types of baby slings are currently available from manufacturers of infant products, such as for example the Jelly Bean™ Cargo Sling from Munchkin. Baby slings offer many advantages over other ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]The present invention specifically addresses and alleviates the above-identified deficiencies in the art. In this regard, the present invention is directed to an adjustable sling for carrying an infant. In one embodiment, the adjustable sling has a sling body that defines an interior compartment for carrying the infant, and an adjustable shoulder strap extensible about a wearer's shoulder, with first and second opposing ends of the strap being attached to the sling body. The sling also has an adjustable lumbar belt that attaches to the sling body and is extensible about the wearer. To enhance the security and safety of an infant being held in the interior compartment, the sling has a retention flap that is attached to the sling body and that is capable of securing and retaining the infant being carried in the compartment.

Problems solved by technology

However, though currently known and available baby slings achieve their primary objective of carrying an infant, they nonetheless posses certain deficiencies that detract from their overall utility.

One of the deficiencies of prior art baby slings is the lack of any restraint or device to keep the infant securely held within the sling.

Such slings typically do not have any other means to restrain the infant, and thus leave the infant vulnerable to accidental falls, especially if the adult wearer bends or stoops while wearing the sling.

Even for those slings designed to minimize the likelihood of accident, the lack of any means of restraint may nonetheless be a source of unnecessary worry and anxiety to the sling wearer.

Yet another one of the deficiencies of the prior art baby slings is the insufficiency or lack of support for the body and head of the infant being carrier therein.

However, the pliability of the fabric used to fabricate the sling provides virtually no support for the body and head of the infant.

This lack of support, coupled with the typical attachment of the support strap of the sling to opposing longitudinal ends thereof, thus often results in the infant assuming an uncomfortable contour or curved position within the sling.

In particular, as the head of an infant is typically relatively large and heavy compared to the infant's body, the infant may have difficulty in keeping their chin comfortably raised up off of their chest when laid in a supine or semi-supine position in the sling.

Not only is this lack of support uncomfortable for the infant, but it also raises concerns with regard to possibly serious obstruction of the infant's breathing passageways.

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