GARMENTS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to garments. In particular, embodiments of the present invention relate to garments for newborns, babies and infants.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Swaddling refers to wrapping newborns, babies and infants relatively tightly in a blanket or other wrapping such that movement of the limbs is restricted. Swaddling can help settle a baby to sleep, sleep for longer, reduce awakenings and assist in the baby returning to sleep on their own. Swaddling must be tight enough to provide a sufficient restriction, but not too tight to restrict breathing or cause overheating. A range of swaddling suits have been developed to assist with swaddling.

As babies grow and become stronger they transition from swaddling to arms-free sleeping. However, none of the prior art is considered to assist with this transition.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

A preferred object of the present invention is to provide a garment that addresses or at least ameliorates the aforementioned problem of transitioning from swaddling to arms-free sleeping for infants and/or provides a useful commercial alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to garments for babies and infants which provide a restraining effect for the wearer’s arms in one configuration and allow the wearer’s arms to be free in another configuration. In particular, the garments of the present invention provide a lighter or softer or more gentle restraining effect on the wearer’s arms than the swaddling effect provided by at least some prior art swaddling garments and help babies and infants transition to arms-free sleeping.

According to one aspect, but not necessarily the broadest aspect, the present invention is directed to a garment comprising: a body portion to at least partially cover at least part of a wearer’s torso; a first sleeve portion extending from a first side of the body portion and a second sleeve portion extending from a second side of the body portion, each sleeve portion allowing an arm of the wearer to extend therethrough when the sleeve portions are in a first configuration; and wherein each sleeve portion forms a pocket in a second configuration preventing the arm of the wearer extending therethrough. Suitably, each sleeve portion comprises a flap which is attached to at least part of one side of the sleeve portion in the first configuration and which has been folded inside out in the second configuration to at least partially cover an opposite side of the sleeve portion to form the pocket. In some embodiments, the flap can be folded within the sleeve portion in the first configuration.

Suitably, the flap is secured to the sleeve portion along at least two sides thereof, and preferably along three sides thereof.

Suitably, the body portion comprises two front panels attached to a rear panel.

Suitably, the garment comprises at least one primary fastener to couple the front panels together. Preferably, the garment comprises at least one secondary fastener to couple the front panels together in an alternative position, in particular, to adjust the size and consequently the restraining effect of the garment. The body portion of the garment comprises a neck aperture and a torso aperture formed by the rear panel and the two front panels coupled together.

Suitably, the garment is made of any suitable material that provides sufficient tension and stretching capability for the restraining effect including material comprising about 95% cotton or bamboo with about 5% elastane or spandex to provide a stretchable capability.

According to another aspect, but not necessarily the broadest aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of producing a garment, the method comprising: forming a body portion to at least partially cover at least part of a wearer’s torso; forming a first sleeve portion extending from a first side of the body portion and forming a second sleeve portion extending from a second side of the body portion, each sleeve portion allowing an arm of the wearer to extend therethrough when the sleeve portions are in a first configuration; and configuring each sleeve portion to form a pocket in a second configuration which prevents the arm of the wearer extending therethrough.

Suitably, configuring each sleeve portion to form a pocket comprises forming a flap on at least part of one side of the sleeve portion in the first configuration and configuring the flap such that the flap is foldable inside out to the second configuration to at least partially cover an opposite side of the sleeve portion.

Suitably, the method comprises securing the flap to the sleeve portion along at least two sides thereof, and preferably along three sides thereof.

Suitably, the method comprises forming the body portion from two front panels attached to a rear panel.

Suitably, the method comprises coupling at least one primary fastener to the front panels to couple the front panels together. Preferably, the method comprises coupling at least one secondary fastener to the front panels to couple the front panels together in an alternative position, in particular, to adjust the size and consequently the restraining effect of the garment. Further features and/or aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like features. In the drawings:

FIG 1 is a front view of a garment according to one embodiment of the present invention showing the garment in a first configuration; FIG 2 is a front view of the garment shown in FIG 1 showing the garment in a second configuration;

FIG 3 is an image of an infant wearing the garment shown in FIG 1 showing the garment in a first configuration;

FIG 4 is an image of an infant wearing the garment shown in FIG 1 showing the garment in a second configuration;

FIG 5 is another image of an infant wearing the garment shown in FIG 1 showing the garment in a second configuration; and

FIG 6 is a general flow diagram illustrating methods of forming the garment in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. Skilled addressees will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale.

For example, the relative dimensions of some of the elements in the drawings may be distorted and/or some elements may be omitted to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments of the present invention are directed to garments for babies and infants which provide a restraining effect for the wearer’s arms in one configuration and allow the wearer’s arms to be free in another configuration. In particular, the garments of the present invention provide a lighter or softer or more gentle restraining effect than the swaddling effect provided by at least some prior art swaddling garments and help babies and infants transition from swaddling to arms-free sleeping.

Reference is made to FIG 1 , which shows a front view of a garment 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention showing the garment 10 in a first configuration, namely a configuration in which sleeve portions 12A, 12B of the garment are unfolded. The garment comprises a body portion 14 to at least partially cover at least part of a wearer’s torso. The garment 10 comprises a first sleeve portion 12A extending from a first side 16 of the body portion 14 and a second sleeve portion 12B extending from a second side 18 of the body portion 14. In the first configuration, in use, the sleeve portions 12A, 12B can be considered to be open-ended cylinders having respective sleeve openings 13A, 13B, such that each sleeve portion 12A, 12B allows an arm of the wearer to extend therethrough when the sleeve portions 12A, 12B are in the first configuration such that the arms of the wearer are free. With additional reference to FIG 2, each sleeve portion 12A, 12B forms a pocket 20 in a second configuration, namely a folded configuration, thus preventing the arms of the wearer extending out through the sleeve portions 12A, 12B. The pocket 20 in each sleeve portion retains the wearer’s arm in the respective sleeve portion to provide a gentler restraining effect on the wearer’s arms than the swaddling effect provided by known swaddling garments. In preferred embodiments, each sleeve portion 12A, 12B comprises a flap 22 which is attached to at least part of one side of the sleeve portion 12A, 12B in the first configuration. In FIG 1 , the flaps 22 are attached to the reverse or rear side of the respective sleeve portions 12A, 12B and therefore the flaps 22 are not visible in FIG 1. Each flap 22 is foldable inside out to the second configuration to at least partially cover an opposite or front side of the respective sleeve portion 12A, 12B to form the pockets 20. Flence, the flaps 22 are visible in FIG 2. Folding the flaps 22 inside out to form the pockets 20 covers the respective sleeve openings 13A, 13B in the sleeve portion 12A, 12B, thus preventing the arms of the wearer extending out through the sleeve portions 12A, 12B, thus restraining the arms of the wearer.

In some embodiments, the flaps 22 can be folded within the sleeve portions 12A, 12B in the first configuration, which does not form a pocket, and thus allows the arm of the wearer to extend through the sleeve portions 12A, 12B.

The flaps 22 are secured to the sleeve portions 12A, 12B along at least two sides thereof, and in some embodiments the flaps 22 are secured along three sides of the sleeve portion. The flaps 22 are secured to the sleeve portion 12A, 12B along two or three sides by any suitable means known in the art, such as stitching.

In some embodiments, the body portion 14 of the garment 10 comprises two front panels 24 attached to a rear panel 26 by any suitable means known in the art, such as stitching. It will be appreciated that each front panel 24 and/or the rear panel 26 can each be made of one or more panels or portions, for example, stitched together.

The body portion 14 of the garment 10 comprises a neck aperture 28 for receiving the wearer’s neck therethrough or encircling the wearer’s neck and a torso aperture 30 for receiving the wearer’s torso therethrough or encircling the wearer’s torso. The neck aperture 28 and the torso aperture 30 are formed by the rear panel 26 and the two front panels 24 coupled together. Hence, in use, the body portion 14 of the garment 10 at least partially covers at least part of a wearer’s torso. The garment 10 is made of any suitable material that provides sufficient tension and stretching capability to provide the restraining effect of the pockets 20. In some embodiments, the garment 10 is formed of a material comprising about 95% cotton or bamboo with about 5% elastane or spandex to provide the stretchable capability. The garment 10 comprises at least one primary fastener 32 to couple the front panels 24 together. In the embodiments shown in the attached drawings, upper and lower primary fasteners 32 are provided, but a single primary fastener could be used or more than two primary fasteners can be employed. Preferred embodiments of the garment 10 comprise at least one secondary fastener 34 to couple the front panels 24 together in at least one alternative position, in particular, to adjust the size of the garment 10 such that the garment 10 is adjustable and adaptable to wearers of different sizes and different ages. The adjustable size of the garment also enables the overall restraining effect of the garment 10 to be adjusted. In the embodiments shown in the attached drawings, upper and lower secondary fasteners 34 are provided on each front panel 24, but alternative numbers of secondary fasteners 34 can be employed. Hence, in at least one alternative position, primary fasteners 32 are coupled to secondary fasteners 34.

In some embodiments, primary and secondary fasteners 32, 34 are in the form of press studs or poppers. Therefore, a recess of one primary fastener 32 on one front panel 24 is coupled to a stud of a secondary fastener 34 on another front panel and a stud of one primary fastener 32 on one front panel 24 is coupled to a recess of a secondary fastener 34 on another front panel 24, such that the front panels 24 overlap, forming a smaller garment 10 and/or providing a greater restraining effect. It will be appreciated that other forms of fasteners can be used, such as buttons received through holes in the front panels, hooks and eyes, or hook and loop fasteners, such as Velcro®, or a combination thereof. FIGS 3-5 show images of an infant wearing an embodiment of the garment

10 of the present invention. The images in FIGS 3-5 show an infant wearing the garment 10 over a sleep suit, but it will be appreciated that the sleep suit does not form part of the present invention and it will be appreciated that the garment 10 of the present invention can be worn in the absence of a sleep suit. FIG 3 shows an image of an infant wearing an embodiment of the garment 10 shown in FIG 1 showing the garment 10 in the first configuration, i.e. the unfolded configuration, such that the infant’s arms extend out through the sleeve openings 13A, 13B in the sleeve portions 12A, 12B. Flence, the garment 10 can be worn as a conventional jacket allowing full movement of the infant’s arms.

FIGS 4 and 5 show an image of an infant wearing an embodiment of the garment 10 shown in FIG 1 showing the garment in the second configuration, i.e. the folded configuration, in which the flaps 22 have been folded inside out to form the pockets 20 such that the flaps 22 cover the sleeve openings 13A, 13B in the sleeve portion 12A, 12B, thus preventing the arms of the wearer extending out through the sleeve portions 12A, 12B. FIGS 4 and 5 illustrate that the pockets 20 provide a lighter or softer or more gentle restraining or swaddling effect on the infant’s arms than the swaddling effect provided by at least some prior art swaddling garments whilst providing the infant with the freedom to move their arms. FIGS 4 and 5 illustrate that the pockets 20 allow the infant to move their arms up to their face and out to the sides.

According to another aspect, and with reference to FIG 6, the present invention is directed to a method 100 of producing the garment 10. The method 100 comprises at 102 forming the body portion 14 of the garment 10 to at least partially cover at least part of a wearer’s torso. Forming the body portion 14 can comprise forming the body portion from two front panels 24 attached to the rear panel 26.

The method 100 comprises at 104 forming the first sleeve portion 12A extending from the first side 16 of the body portion 14 and forming a second sleeve portion 12B extending from the second side 18 of the body portion 16. Each sleeve portion 12A, 12B allows an arm of the wearer to extend therethrough when the sleeve portions 12A, 12B are in the first configuration.

The method 100 comprises at 106 configuring each sleeve portion 12A, 12B to form the pocket 20 in the second configuration which prevent the arms of the wearer extending therethrough. Configuring each sleeve portion to form the pocket 20 can comprise attaching the respective flap 22 to at least part of one side of the sleeve portion 12A, 12B in the first configuration and which is foldable inside out to the second configuration to at least partially cover an opposite side of the sleeve portion 12A, 12B to form the pocket 20. Configuring each sleeve portion to form the pocket 20 can comprise securing the respective flap 22 to the sleeve portion 12A, 12B along at least two sides thereof, and preferably along three sides thereof.

At 108, the method 100 can comprise coupling at least one primary fastener 32 to the front panels 24 of the body portion 14 to couple the front panels together.

At 110, the method can comprise coupling at least one secondary fastener 34 to the front panels 24 to couple the front panels together in at least one alternative position, in particular, to adjust the size and consequently the restraining effect of the garment 10.

It will be appreciated that the method according to the present invention is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps have been specified. Hence, embodiments of the garment 10 of the present invention address or at least ameliorate the aforementioned problem by assisting babies and infants transitioning from contained swaddling to arms-free sleeping. For example, the flaps 22 of the garment 10 of the present invention are configured to be easily and quickly foldable between the second configuration in which the pockets 20 contain the arms of the baby or infant and the first configuration which allow the baby’s or infant’s arms to pass through the sleeve openings 13A, 13B in the sleeve portions 12A, 12B for arms-free sleeping. The roomier volume inside the garment 10 compared with at least some prior art swaddling suits allows the baby or infant to have a small amount of tension to gradually open the arms to let the arms free. The primary and secondary fasteners 32, 34 make the size of the garment 10 adjustable so it can fit newborns up to about 6 months and if an older baby requires stronger tension on the arms the garment 10 can be tightened. The garment 10 can be worn with any sleep bag or sleep suit or on its own. When the wearer is not sleeping, the flap 22 can be unfolded into the first configuration and be the garment can be worn as a jacket.

In this specification, the terms, “first”, “second” etc. are intended to differentiate between different features of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention to a particular order of implementation unless the context indicates otherwise.

In this specification, the terms“comprises”,“comprising” or similar terms are intended to mean a non-exclusive inclusion, such that an apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include those elements solely but may well include other elements not listed. It will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. Skilled addressees will identify variations from the specific embodiments described herein that will nonetheless fall within the scope of the present invention, which is determined by the following claims.