Infant carrier

Claim 1

An infant carrier for mounting on the truck portion of a carrying person's body, said infant carrier comprising: harness means adapted to be releasably secured to the person's trunk, said harness means being shaped and configured to symmetrically distribute any weight borne by said harness means to the shoulders and upper back of the person; compliant, infant body conformable pouch means for holding an infant, said pouch means comprising: a body portion for supporting the back of the infant, said body portion being adapted to at least partially encircle the infant and terminating in forward flaps having edges normally spaced apart; a seat connected to said body portion for supporting the weight of the infant; a front panel connected to said seat portion and interconnecting said spaced flaps at the bottom of said body portion, said body and seat portions and said front panel being mutually shaped and configured to define lower openings through which the legs of the infant can extend; and fastener means on said pouch means, said fastener means comprising two first fastener means positioned on opposite sides of said pouch means adjacent said front panel and two second fastener means positioned on said flaps spaced upwardly from said respective first fastener means; connector means on said harness means for quick release connection to said fastener means on said pouch means, whereby said pouch means supports the infant and is releasably fastenable to said harness means, the weight of said pouch means and the infant being borne by said harness means, said pouch means being adapted to support the infant in a substantially upright seated position, said quick release connector and fastener means permitting attachment of said pouch means to said harness means and detachment of said pouch means from said harness means without disturbing said harness connector means and without disturbing the infant.