Modular baby carrier

Abstract

A modular baby carrier including a principal module partially encircling a baby placed therein, and a hood detachable from the principal module. The principal module may include mutually connectable waist straps for engaging the waist of an adult carrying the baby, and shoulder straps for engaging the shoulders of the adult. An insert module dimensioned to accommodate a baby smaller than a baby which would be closely received within the principal module nests within the principal module. The shoulder straps may include removable sleeves to protect the shoulder straps from drooling.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A modular baby carrier for carrying a baby on the torso of a person wearing the baby carrier, the modular baby carrier comprising:
 a principal module comprising a body covering panel dimensioned and configured to receive a baby in close cooperation therewith, comprising an upper edge, an opposed lower edge, a right edge, and a left edge, a first waist strap projecting laterally from the body covering panel proximate the lower edge, an opposed second waist strap projecting laterally from the body covering panel proximate the lower edge, a first shoulder strap projecting from the body covering panel proximate the upper edge, an opposed second shoulder strap projecting from the body covering panel proximate the upper edge, and a first plurality of contact fasteners located along the upper edge; and   a hood module detachable from the principal module, the hood module comprising a main panel curved to form a partial receptacle above the upper edge of the body covering panel when the hood module is connected to the body covering panel, and a second plurality of contact fasteners manually mate with the contact fasteners of the body covering panel.   
     
     
         2 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 1 , further comprising an insert module dimensioned and configured to nest within the body covering panel and to receive in close cooperation therewith a baby of dimensions less than the dimensions of the baby received in close cooperation with the body covering panel. 
     
     
         3 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the insert module comprises a padded main panel including a right edge, an opposed left edge, an upper edge, an opposed lower edge, and a cushion located along the lower edge. 
     
     
         4 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 3 , wherein the padded main panel includes a forwardly projecting short wall along the left edge, a forwardly projecting short wall along the right edge, and a belt spanning the right edge and the left edge, the belt located between the upper edge and the cushion, and wherein the belt is permanently anchored at one of the left edge and the right edge, and includes a manual fastener at the other of the left edge and the right edge, whereby the belt is releasably closable over a baby placed in the insert module. 
     
     
         5 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 3 , wherein the padded main panel is configured such that the upper edge is longer than the lower edge. 
     
     
         6 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of sleeves each dimensioned and configured to partially surround one of the first shoulder strap and the second shoulder strap. 
     
     
         7 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the first waist strap includes a squeeze connector, and the second waist strap includes a squeeze connector that mates with the squeeze connector of the first waist strap. 
     
     
         8 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 1 , wherein
 the first shoulder strap includes a squeeze connector, and the second shoulder strap includes a squeeze connector, and   the body covering panel further comprises a squeeze connector projecting from the body covering panel at the right edge between the first waist strap and the first shoulder strap, and a squeeze connector projecting from the body covering panel at the left edge between the second waist strap and the second shoulder strap.   
     
     
         9 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the body covering panel further comprises a pocket having a closure, the pocket located along the lower edge. 
     
     
         10 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the hood module includes an elastic right edge and an elastic left edge, and wherein the main panel is bunched between the elastic right edge and the elastic left edge to accommodate elongation of the hood module when the right edge and the left edge are elastically stretched vertically. 
     
     
         11 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first shoulder strap and the second shoulder strap includes an auxiliary ring for detachably retaining an external object. 
     
     
         12 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 11 , further comprising a carrying bag including a snap hook which mates with the auxiliary ring. 
     
     
         13 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 1 , further comprising an auxiliary ring for detachably retaining an external object, the auxiliary ring located proximate the lower edge. 
     
     
         14 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 13 , further comprising an auxiliary squeeze connector and a carrying bag including a squeeze connector. 
     
     
         15 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 1 , further including a cushion which covers the contact fasteners located along the upper edge such that a baby placed in the modular baby carrier will not directly contact the contact fasteners. 
     
     
         16 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 1 , wherein
 the first shoulder strap comprises a cushion projecting from the body covering panel and extending at least partially along the length of the first shoulder strap, and   the second shoulder strap comprises a cushion projecting from the body covering panel and extending at least partially along the length of the second shoulder strap.   
     
     
         17 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 1 , wherein the first shoulder strap includes a distal end located away from the body covering panel and a loop at the distal end, and the second shoulder strap includes a distal end located away from the body covering panel and a loop at the distal end. 
     
     
         18 . The modular baby carrier of  claim 17 , wherein the loop at the distal end of the first shoulder strap projects substantially perpendicularly from the first shoulder strap, and the loop at the distal end of the second shoulder strap projects substantially perpendicularly from the second shoulder strap.