Preemie Car Seat/Car Bed or other needed product!

SWMcFarland

Hello ladies!!

Most of you know me around here, Lily's mom, born at 34 weeks, 4 days due to pre-e/HELLP, etc. 

This is totally not preemie-related but it totally is.  I am getting my MBA and I have to come up with a new "product" to introduce to the market.  Since having my own preemie, I am now searching every way to help parents of preemies, etc.  That said, I want to come up with a product that will be a benefit to preemies and parents!

One thought I had was a preemie-specific carseat.  I know that since babies leaving the NICU are required to pass a carseat test, this is very important!  :-)  I remember being terrified that if she didn't pass, we wouldn't be able to bring her home.  I have since learned you can buy car beds from the hospitals but I wasn't sure if anyone here had any experience with this, etc.

So my question is 2 fold--did your preemie come home in a regular carseat or a car bed?  And if your baby came home in a regular carseat, what was their weight at discharge?  If a carbed, were you required to purchase it from the hospital?

Based on market research, I am hoping to start a carseat donation program--more like money donated to purchase special carseats designed for preemies up to 15 or so pounds.  Lofty goal, but I think it is necessary.  I have learned that may hospitals require the car beds be purchased, and with the amount of money a NICU stay already requires, not to mention all the additional financial strain already, this can get expensive!

Thoughts?  I'll try to make a clicky poll, but any insight you can give me would be very helpful. 

[Poll]

*Emma Jean*

DD came home in a car seat (chicco key fit) but we had to buy it from the hospital because she didn't fit into the car seat we had registered for (Graco Safe Seat) and they wouldn't let her go home in it. Luckily our hospital offered several seats at cost and the key fit was one of them. Oh and DD weight 4lbs 7 oz when she came home.

SBMBride406

We had the Chicco keyfit 30 and that's what we brought him home in. I think he weighed 4lb, 10 oz.

JBC1011

One of my twins came home in our carseat (graco snugride) and the other came home in a car bed because she failed her carseat test.  We had to purchase the car bed from the hospital in order to bring her home.  I think it was $70 and it sucked!  The straps didn't keep her in and she wiggled out of them all the time.

TriciaJoy

Robbie was 4lb 7oz when he came home in a Snugride.

mnberry18

aaron was 5lbs 0.8oz when he came home in his gracco snugride but we also bought the kidoopatamus snuzzler to put in there and it was a great purchase.

good luck with your research!

hailie

DS came home in a Graco Sungride, weighing ~4lb 4oz

lstaylor73

My boys came home in the graco snugride and Evan was 3lbs 8oz

kamcfarlane

DS came home in the safeseat and he was > 5lbs (i can't remember how much exactly!)

hmms

DS was about 5 1/2 pounds when he came home, he failed the carseat test and had to ride in a car bed.  Our hospital "loaned" us one - I'm guessing my insurance paid for it??  Not sure, but we never paid anyone for it.  I'm glad we didn't have to - it was ugly and I hated it.

DS rode in it until our due date, then was retested and passed.  If it matters, we had the Peg Perego Viaggo 30/30 infant carrier.

GL!  I had never even heard of a carbed until we needed it