Child's head support

Abstract

The child's head support is adapted to support the head of the child seated in a car seat. The head support has a head and body taking the form of a plush animal. The top of the head provides a resting surface for the chin of a toddler, alleviating strain on the toddler's neck when the toddler leans forward to sleep or rest. The ears of the head support contain a flexible frame allowing the ears to be shaped to cradle the toddler's head. The cradling ears limit side-to-side motion of the toddler's head. A pair of legs attached to the head support is adapted to lie beneath / above the legs of the toddler, providing support for the head support. The legs contain a flexible frame, allowing the legs to be shaped to fit beneath the child's legs. An internal, adjustable length central frame provides support for the overall device.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 785,346, filed Mar. 24, 2006.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to the field of head supports, and more particularly to a child's head support adapted to fit in a car seat or a stroller to comfortably support the head of a child against unwanted motion.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]Car seats are a commonly used safety device for transporting small children during travel in a car or other motor vehicle. It is generally recommended that children below the age of eight use some form of car seat or booster seat.[0006]Car seats provide safety in the event of a sudden stop or head on collision through the use of restraining straps the prevent the body of the child from pitching forward. The rear of the car seat is generally padded providing a comfortable place for resting the child's hea...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]The child's head support is adapted to support the head of the child seated in a car seat. The head support comprises a head and body taking the form of a plush animal. The top of the animal head provides a resting surface for the chin of a toddler, alleviating strain on the toddler's neck when the toddler leans forward to sleep or rest. The ears of the head support contain a flexible frame, allowing the ears to be shaped to cradle the toddler's head. The cradling ears limit side-to-side motion of the toddler's head. A pair of legs attached to the head support is adapted to be positioned under / over the legs of the toddler, providing support for the head support. The legs contain a flexible frame allowing the legs to be shaped to fit beneath the child's legs. An internal, adjustable length center frame provides support for the overall device.

[0014]In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the head and body portion are combined to provide a more compact device to accommodate the smaller body size of infants or smaller toddlers.

Problems solved by technology

The lack of frontal support for the head of the child may result in an uncomfortable traveling experience for small children such as toddlers and infants seated in a car seat.

The slumped forward position may result in stress on the neck of the child resulting in pain and discomfort if the child remains in the slumped position over a period of time.

The discomfort may indirectly result in a safety issue if a parent reacts to the child's distress by removing the child from the safety of the car seat.

The need to make frequent stops can extend the time required to make long trips making traveling less efficient and less pleasurable.

The lack of frontal support may result more directly in a safety concern.

When the child's head is slumped forward, the car seat provides limited protection against side-to-side motion of the child's head generated during a collision or during turning maneuvers.

Very small children whose neck muscles are incompletely developed may be particularly prone to injury from unwanted side-to-side motions, as well as from front to back motions that may be generated during a collision or while stopping or accelerating the vehicle.

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