Car Seat Question

JLyn821 · January 2014

So maybe this is a stupid question, but do car seats come with the head support thing for a newborn?

Looking at the pictures of the one we registered for, it looks like it does, but I don't see any mention of it in the specifications.

I wasn't sure if this was something I needed to add to our registry.

ETA: We registered for this car seat.

lindsayandjamie · January 2014

Mine came with one (Graco Snugride 35) but it wasn't as cushy as the ones you can buy seperately. Technically, the advice is not to add anything to the car seat that isn't already included, but we didn't buy one of those head reast things and the support that came with it wasn't enough so he always had a crooked neck when he slept for the first couple of months. He turned out fine, but it may be worth considering.

JLyn821 · January 2014

lindsayandjamie said:

Mine came with one (Graco Snugride 35) but it wasn't as cushy as the ones you can buy seperately. Technically, the advice is not to add anything to the car seat that isn't already included, but we didn't buy one of those head reast things and the support that came with it wasn't enough so he always had a crooked neck when he slept for the first couple of months. He turned out fine, but it may be worth considering.

I hadn't thought about this. I wonder if I just shouldn't bother with registering for the extra support and see what the seat looks like once we get it. It's not like the supports are expensive. We registered for this car seat.

AshleyMatt1215 · January 2014

I have the Baby Trend Expedition (travel system) and it came with a head support that fit in much like the ones you can purchase, only it was made out of this vinyl material that was really scratchy. So, I did choose to register for (and received) a head support. It barely adds anything to the seat. It's just as thick as the one that came with the car seat itself.

I have a warm/cushioned one too that will be used for walks outside and maybe in the car if it's incredibly cold like it is today and we have to leave the house. Our high is 8 with a wind chill of -15 to -25.

It may be flameworthy - but I highly doubt that my cover that looks like a fabric shower cap is going to keep a kid warm when it's this cold.

lindsayandjamie · January 2014

AshleyMatt1215 said:

It may be flameworthy - but I highly doubt that my cover that looks like a fabric shower cap is going to keep a kid warm when it's this cold.

Not flameworthy. I agree that those things can't be warm enough on a cold day. We are minus 40 celcius today, and my son was born in February so we always put him in the car seat in a sleeper so the chest and shoulder straps would fit snug, and then tuck thick wool blankets around his body with another one loosely over the top of the car seat. And he had a trapper hat in a newborn size which was so freaken cute.

lindsayandjamie · January 2014

@jennahack, it looks like that car seat has a pretty good support for his head. I would wait and see if you need it.

JLyn821 · January 2014

lindsayandjamie said:

@jennahack, it looks like that car seat has a pretty good support for his head. I would wait and see if you need it.

That's what I was thinking, too. Thanks!

AshleyMatt1215 · January 2014

lindsayandjamie said:

AshleyMatt1215 said:

It may be flameworthy - but I highly doubt that my cover that looks like a fabric shower cap is going to keep a kid warm when it's this cold.

Not flameworthy. I agree that those things can't be warm enough on a cold day. We are minus 40 celcius today, and my son was born in February so we always put him in the car seat in a sleeper so the chest and shoulder straps would fit snug, and then tuck thick wool blankets around his body with another one loosely over the top of the car seat. And he had a trapper hat in a newborn size which was so freaken cute.

Mine is currently in H's car with 3 blankets in it, plus the cover thingie. Which probably looks terrifying to anyone walking by his car because he has it all zipped up like there's a child in it.

Plus I'm going to go buy a newborn hat and mitten set this weekend.

carcrashheart · January 2014

When we adjusted the seat base LO's head stopped being so crooked. We did not buy a different support for the seat. He still sleeps funky crooked. You will learn that babies sleep in odd uncomfortable looking positions and are just fine. They sleep without pillows and are fine. I can't do that, but they can.

The shower cap seat covers are the only ones safe to use. I would put him in warm clothes, then tuck a blanket or two around him, then the cover. Ours had a hole where his face was that I could put a flap down over and I would do that while outside. It helped him to sleep and I could keep it closed while out and about so that it was dark. Believe me, they're fine. You're not outside for very long with them.

bobcee · January 2014

carcrashheart said:
When we adjusted the seat base LO's head stopped being so crooked. We did not buy a different support for the seat. He still sleeps funky crooked. You will learn that babies sleep in odd uncomfortable looking positions and are just fine. They sleep without pillows and are fine. I can't do that, but they can.

The shower cap seat covers are the only ones safe to use. I would put him in warm clothes, then tuck a blanket or two around him, then the cover. Ours had a hole where his face was that I could put a flap down over and I would do that while outside. It helped him to sleep and I could keep it closed while out and about so that it was dark. Believe me, they're fine. You're not outside for very long with them.

All of this. The car seats are not tested/safety rated with any external additions which is why they are not considered safe if something is added. It will void the warranty on the car seat if you do by chance get into an accident. And more importantly you have no way of testing if your addition is safe for your child. IMO safety trumps a few minutes of possible cold.

That being said, We also use the shower cap cover and tuck blankets around his chest and legs after he is buckled in. If its extra cool or we're going to be outside for a bit longer, I'll put a hat on him. And I've noticed that my kids actually got extremely warm in the car seats typically. They are pretty well protected from the cold in there.

bobcee · January 2014

And i just realized i never answered the original question...sorry about my little tangent.

The car seats normally come with the infant insert. The manual will tell you to what weight/size that you can continue using it until.

LittleLady77 · January 2014

Yikes! I didn't know you aren't supposed to add anything to your car seats. I'll unregistered for those head support things now!

bobcee · January 2014

LittleLady77 said:

Yikes! I didn't know you aren't supposed to add anything to your car seats. I'll unregistered for those head support things now!

Yeah, since they sell them it's hard to know that they aren't safe (this is also true of the BundleMe's that go between the kid and car seat). Here's a couple blogs about it and alternatives

http://thecarseatlady.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/aftermarket/

http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats_12.html

http://kckidsdoc.com/say-no-to-the-bundle-me-3-reasons-to-not-use-the-bundle-me-in-your-childs-car-seat.html

wiggyslilsis · January 2014

@lindseyandjamie I would love to see that newborn sized trapper hat! It sounds adorable!

Whippet8 · January 2014

We don't add anything that didn't come with the seat. I believe you can add rolled up receiving blankets that do not touch the straps that can work and be safe.

JLyn821 · January 2014

@Whippet8 - rolled up receiving blankets! Didn't think of that! Good idea!

lindsayandjamie · January 2014

@wiggyslilisis Here he is, and actually there is a Bundleme behind him in this photo. Before I get flamed, i think we only used it once until we found out it was not ok to use. I can't believe it's been almost 2 years...my sweet newborn

lindsayandjamie · January 2014

Dup

tdmd09 · January 2014

Whippet8 said:
We don't add anything that didn't come with the seat. I believe you can add rolled up receiving blankets that do not touch the straps that can work and be safe.

This is what we did. We rolled them up around the head support to make it more supportive. Multiple sources told us this was okay as it didn't interfere with the seat straps or go behind the baby.

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