r/p from multiples - carseat check + bundle me :(

eileenm21

so we went today to have the carseats checked. Where we live in LI the police don't do it, the NTSB does it.  so the guy that did it for us today said no bundle me!!!  he was really against it - they are on my table to return to buy buy baby, but part of me feels like he may have been a little exttreme (he also said no snow suits, head positioners etc) but it was the NTSB, not just some random.   I have heard about no bundle me vaguely here and there - any of you heard the same?

p.s the reasoning was that anything that wasn't attached the car seat was not safety tested and could be dangerous

seanandcallie

I don't see how this could cause a safety issue. It goes OVER the straps and doesn't interfere with the connection to the seats. I'm still going to use mine.

ibis

Ours said no snow suits, but he actually said the BundleMe would be okay as long as it doesn't interfere with the positioning of the straps in any way. In his opinion they are not thick enough to affect safety, the issue is more with whether they prevent the shoulder straps from being in the correct position on the baby. He also told us that we could cut/alter the holes if necessary. 

I would hate to tell you to do anything that might not be safe so it's probably best to follow your inspector's advice, but that's what we were told by our local safety inspector FWIW. 

liza0828

That's exactly it-- things like the Bundle Me aren't used in safety testing and so they are not approved.  They say that snowsuits, etc. can cause the straps to be too loose.

I have never seen an infant carseat death attributed to a Bundle Me though.  I think this a cover-your-azz concern more than a true danger. 

paigenicole07

Well, I am unsure about the bundle me, but we were told snow suits or big coats were bad b/c its easier for baby to slip out, also no toys hanging from the seat, or that mirror that you can attach so you dont have to turn around to see baby b/c those things could be very dangerous in a car accident. But the PO did tell me that he had the toys for his kids anyways.. but really any items in the car that are going to move are considered dangerous... tissue box, purse, anything.....

Ellasmommy07

I was told with DD that she couldnt be swaddled, have a coat on or anythign in her seat. It prevents her from being strapped in securely. I still will not put her in her car seat with her coat on.

madeleines_mommy

I'm sorry, but I am not letting my newborns head flop around all over the place without putting a head positioner in the seat.  The ones that come with it are not good enough for a tiny newborn.  I do not think it could possibly ever cause a malfunction...

Now I'm not sure about the bundle me's, b/c we don't need them around here, but why would they be on the market if they are so unsafe??

kpt

this is true- or at least it is what we are taught ( i am a certified carseat installation tech thru NHTSA) I have never used any of the above with my son and he has always been fine. it actually gets really hot in the car if they are wearing too much anyway. my son wears his hat and not too poufy coat and i tuck a fleece blanket around his legs. he's always been fine. and my wallet has been better off for not having the other stuff. also you are not supposed to use those mats for underneath the seat.

danandkelly

When I had my carseat checked with dd we were told the same thing, no head positioners or anything extra in the seat. 

ncavitt

WHY would you take the chance?

eileenm21

ncavitt:

WHY would you take the chance?

That's why they are in a pile of things to return. I just didn't want to be too extreme.   

umsldispatcher

i only used the head positioner that came with the seat and i put blankets around her legs after she was strapped in. to keep her warm and that was in june. she was so tiny, i plan to do the same thing this time around. they shoudl also always be in teh middle but if you have an uneven backseat they wont let you put the seat in the middle it then has to be on the side, but they are much safer in the middle of the back seat.

jessie55

They told me the same thing with DS, so I cut holes in the back of my bundle me where the straps go. Still worked fine!

IrishBrideND

Everything I've ever read has been very anti adding things like bundle me to a car seat.

heyitsme

The Bundle Me goes under the straps of the car seat, so it could interfere with the placement and position of the straps in a crash. You need a shower-cap style cover to go over the car seat. There are several brands of them out there. They are elastic around the edge and just go over the car seat, instead of behind the straps.

You should only use head positioners if they came with the car seat. The same goes for strap covers. They could cause the straps to be improperly placed or too loose. Also, as he mentioned, they haven't been tested on the seat... which voids any warranty. If you're in a crash and the seat fails, you can't sue the manufacturer if you've used something that didn't come on it. Not that we ever want that happening, but still.

With the snowsuit/coat, it's a compression issue. Take a doll or a child in a snowsuit and put them in a car seat. Make the straps REALLY tight. Then take the doll or child out of the snowsuit and put them in the seat again. Make note of the distance between them and the straps--they won't be tight anymore. That's the amount of space that your child's body will fly with the force of a crash. Doesn't seem like much, but we want to keep them snug in their seats. A polar fleece snowsuit is acceptable to use, though, because they are thin and not puffy.?

JenGK

ibis:

Ours said no snow suits, but he actually said the BundleMe would be okay as long as it doesn't interfere with the positioning of the straps in any way. In his opinion they are not thick enough to affect safety, the issue is more with whether they prevent the shoulder straps from being in the correct position on the baby. He also told us that we could cut/alter the holes if necessary. 

Ditto on this.  The rule of thumb I was told was nothing that interferes with strap positioning (and our bundle me doesn't) and nothing thicker than a thin fleece b/w the baby and the straps (and the bundle me meets this as well).  We used it with DS with no issues.

jmrussell03

Here is a link to a Bundle Me experiment

https://community.babycenter.com/post/a5724415/my_bundle_me_experiment_with_photos?cpg=1&csi=2091569235&pd=-6

Personally, I still haven't decided. I think if it really was unsafe, then it would have been pulled off the market.

I am buying a shower cap style one. It goes over the carseat, not under the baby and does not interfere with straps. I just can see a blanket blowing off in the Chicago wind or dragging in muddy slushy puddles.

heyitsme

Another note about the Bundle-Me. Is it flame retardant like car seats are? That could be another issue.

Paige's Mommy

It is freezing here, and we will be using a bundle me, I can get the straps nice and tight.

 

simple102007

eileenm21:

 

p.s the reasoning was that anything that wasn't attached the car seat was not safety tested and could be dangerous

 

yes! this!

 

 

IrishBrideND

jmrussell03:

Here is a link to a Bundle Me experiment

https://community.babycenter.com/post/a5724415/my_bundle_me_experiment_with_photos?cpg=1&csi=2091569235&pd=-6

Personally, I still haven't decided. I think if it really was unsafe, then it would have been pulled off the market.

I am buying a shower cap style one. It goes over the carseat, not under the baby and does not interfere with straps. I just can see a blanket blowing off in the Chicago wind or dragging in muddy slushy puddles.

 

There is a middle ground here. Just because its not horrible enough to recall doesn't mean it doesn't have safety issues.