Crawling encouragement garment

Abstract

A crawling encouragement garment is configured to train a child to support himself on hands and knees in a crawling position. The crawling encouragement garment includes front and rear panels with one or more pockets configured to receive pressure generating members such as hollow plastic balls or elongate foam-like members. The pressure generating members apply gentle pressure to the child laying on his front side or on his rear side such that the child is encouraged to roll onto his front side and to climb up on hands and knees and thereby learn to crawl in this position. The crawling encouragement garment is provided with adjustable coupling mechanisms to reliably secure the garment to children of various sizes. One or more of the pockets may be removable when not in use.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]This invention generally relates to therapeutic aid devices, and particularly to a garment configured to encourage a child to crawl.BACKGROUND[0002]In the course of development for infants or children, a child progresses from learning to roll over, to learning to army crawl, to learning to crawl on hands and knees, to learning to walk. Although every child develops at their own pace, some children have high difficulty transitioning to more mature movement patterns, such as transitioning from army crawling to crawling on hands and knees. This difficult transition is especially problematic for children with special needs, including but not limited to Down Syndrome. For these children, the desire to continue army crawling may need to be slowly trained out with months or years of therapy. As a result, these children may not be walking until the age of 4-6 years old, even though the physical ability to walk may have manifested years earlier.[0003]There are many produ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0004]According to one embodiment of the present invention, a crawling encouragement garment includes a front panel including at least one pocket configured to be positioned along a front side of the child. The garment also includes a rear panel configured to be positioned along a rear side of the child. The front and rear panels are coupled to retain the garment on the child. A plurality of pressure generating members are positioned in the at least one pocket and apply pressure to the child when the child is laying on his front side. Thus, the pressure generating members encourage the child to climb into a crawling positions on hands and knees to reduce the pressure applied to the child. With appropriate supervision, the crawling encouragement garment can train children stuck in army crawling to progress to the next step of crawling, which will eventually lead to walking upright.

[0006]In another aspect, the pressure generating members include at least one of hollow plastic spherical balls or elongate foam-like members. Each pocket may include an opening and a plurality of side edges stitched into permanent coupling with the front panel. Similarly, the rear panel in another aspect also includes a rear pocket for receiving pressure generating members for encouraging a child laying on his rear side to roll onto his front side. The rear pocket may be stitched into permanent coupling with the rear panel or removably connected to the rear panel for removal when not in use. The front and rear panels consist of a lightweight fabric material that minimizes weight added and sensory input to the child when the garment is secured to the child.

[0008]In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method for training a child how to crawl includes positioning a crawling encouragement garment having front and rear panels onto the child. The method also includes placing a plurality of pressure generating members into a pocket on the front panel of the garment to apply pressure to the child when the child is laying on his front side. The method further includes laying the child on his front side, and placing a toy or other desirable object in front of the child to encourage the child to move to the toy or object. The pressure generating members encourage the child to climb into a crawling position on hands and knees to reduce the pressure applied to the child as the child moves towards the toy or object.

Problems solved by technology

Although every child develops at their own pace, some children have high difficulty transitioning to more mature movement patterns, such as transitioning from army crawling to crawling on hands and knees.

This difficult transition is especially problematic for children with special needs, including but not limited to Down Syndrome.

As a result, these children may not be walking until the age of 4-6 years old, even though the physical ability to walk may have manifested years earlier.

While these products are generally useful for their intended purpose, these products have minimal applicability in teaching a child how to crawl on hands and knees, if at all.

Moreover, conventional options are limited for therapeutic devices or aids designed for the transition from army crawling to crawling on hands and knees.

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