The invention relates to a blanket for providing privacy for a mother who wishes to breastfeed her baby in public, and also for use as a blanket for keeping warm.
While breastfeeding a baby in public is common practice in many parts of the world, this practice is not common in Western Europe and North America. Specialized items or garments have been devised which permit the baby to nurse, while concealing the mother's upper body. Some garments tend to be awkward to use, and commonly are not flattering for the mother or baby and in some case obstruct the mother's view of the baby. Typical examples of garments worn by the mother are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,631,754 to Ryan, 4,468816 to Kaufer and 4,712,251 to Cobble. Alternatively, the baby can wear an item of clothing which can also provide some coverage for the mother, for example a specialized baby's bonnet having a broad stiff detachable brim as found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,371 to Sonne.
The prior art garments or items are also considered to be unsatisfactory by the inventor as they can be awkward to put on prior to use. Also, most prior art items usually have only one specialised use, and thus require special carrying by the mother in preparation for breastfeeding in public. Consequently, there is a tendency not to use the prior art items as they are inconvenient to carry, along with all of the other equipment considered necessary for babies.