Protective hand covering for infants
A protective hand covering has a flexible shell with an open end and a closed end, and a constricted region between the open and closed ends. The constricted region defines a passage for receiving the child's hand. The hand covering may be worn by an infant or small child during sleeping or other activities, A gripping material is disposed on an inside surface of the shell at the constricted region and around the passage. The gripping material has a coefficient of friction higher than a coefficient of friction of the material of the flexible shell, such that the hand covering is discouraged from coming off of the child's hand.
1. A protective hand covering comprising:
a flexible shell having a closed first end, an open second end opposite the first end, and an elastically constricted region between the first and second ends, the constricted region defining a passage between the first and second ends and defining a body portion of the flexible shell configured to loosely fit over the hand of an infant or young child and a cuff portion configured to loosely extend from the constricted region around the arm of the infant or young child,
wherein the flexible shell comprises two layers of fabric;
a gripping material disposed on an inside surface of the shell at the constricted region and around the passage, the gripping material having a coefficient of friction higher than a coefficient of friction of the material of the flexible shell,
wherein the gripping material is arranged in a plurality of separated patches disposed about the passage and not disposed elsewhere on the flexible shell; and
further comprising an elastic band disposed around and constricting the constricted region.
2. The protective hand covering of claim 1 , wherein the gripping material comprises rubber.
3. The protective hand covering of claim 1 , wherein the gripping material comprises silicone rubber.
4. The protective hand covering of claim 1 , wherein the gripping material has a texture on its exposed surface.
5. The protective hand covering of claim 4 , wherein the texture comprises tapered ridges.
6. The protective hand covering of claim 1 , wherein the gripping material is partially infused into the inside surface of the flexible shell.
7. The protective hand covering of claim 1 , wherein the flexible shell comprises a stretchable fabric.
8. The protective hand covering of claim 1 , wherein:
the shell has m expanded circumference of between 4.5 and 6 inches;
the constricted region has a constricted inner circumference of less than 3 inches; and
the constricted region is positioned between 1.0 and 2.0 inches from the open end of the shell.
9. The protective hand covering of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the shell between the closed end and the constricted region is of a shape and size to contain a hand of an infant less than one year old, and the constricted region is of a size to enclose the wrist of an infant less than one year old.
10. The protective hand covering of claim 1 , wherein the distance from any constricted region to the first end is larger than the distance to the second end.
11. The protective land covering of claim 1 , wherein the entire section of fabric on the second end side of any constricted region is loose flowing fabric.
12. The protective hand covering of claim 1 , wherein the second end section of loose fabric consists of a single piece of fabric circumferentially disposed around the elastically constricted region.
13. The protective hand covering of claim 1 , wherein the first end section of loose fabric consists of a single layer of fabric circumferentially disposed around the elastically constricted region.
14. The protective hand covering of claim 1 , wherein the second end is at least twenty percent wider than the constricted region.
15. A mitten, comprising:
a flexible shell including a body portion having a closed end for receiving a hand, and a cuff portion having an open end sized for fitting over a wrist of an infant of a young child; and
a gripping material disposed on an inside surface of the shell at a transition zone between the body portion and the cuff portion, the gripping material having a coefficient of friction higher than a coefficient of friction of the material of the flexible shell, and the gripping material having a top surface that is shaped as an array of accordion pleats set at an angle to a longitudinal axis of the mitten, wherein the transition region is of a size smaller than the hand of the infant or young child.
16. The mitten of claim 15 , further comprising:
an elastic material disposed around the shell at the transition zone, the elastic material urging the shell toward closure at the transition zone.
17. The mitten of claim 16 , wherein the elastic has an unstretched length of between 2.5 and 3.5 inches.
18. The mitten of claim 15 , wherein the mitten is thumbless.