Babies: 3 - 6 Months

Toys in the car - yay or nay?

Is it safe to hang a toy from the handle of the carseat in the car?  My carseat says to lower the handle behind the seat when in the car which I've always done.  But then why do they make those toys that hang?  Now that dd is starting to get interested in toys, I'd like to let her bat at one in the car during our sometimes long commute home in the evenings, but unsure if its safe. 

Otherwise, traffic + grouchy bored & crying baby = one big headache for mom

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Re: Toys in the car - yay or nay?

  • I have the same problem.  If we are riding 5 mins to the grocery store, I leave it up.  I live in a rural area and my little town has a 20 mile an hour speed limit....If we are going further, I give him his crinkly dragonfly toy to hold on to and I put something at his foot that makes music if he kicks it.

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  • My car seat says its fine to leave the handle in any of the three locked positions (up, half way, and on the back).  We have toys hanging that keep her entertained while in the car but they all hang short enough that they can't hit her in the face or anything. 
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  • imagechristyjane17:

    I have the same problem.  If we are riding 5 mins to the grocery store, I leave it up.  I live in a rural area and my little town has a 20 mile an hour speed limit....If we are going further, I give him his crinkly dragonfly toy to hold on to and I put something at his foot that makes music if he kicks it.

    My daughter LOVES that thing!

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  • The car seat check we went to said to always put the handle down no matter what so I just have a lot of toys.  I hand them back and if he drops or throws it I just hand him another one.  He is usually pretty happy just holding on to them and checking things out.
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  • The owner's manual for our snugride 35 says the handle should be straight up or all the way down, so we do have toys hanging from the bar. 
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  • Like PPs I hang toys from the handle. 
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  • I had a hanging toy when DD was younger. Now at 5 months, she wants to chew on everything. I let her hold on to a small toy or teething ring while in the car.
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  • We have a bunny rattle that she loves and it stays in her seat for car rides.
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  • We put a toy into his seat. We were instructed by an emergency doctor not to to put any toys on the handle. The weight of the toy is made HUGE by any braking and could slam into the child's soft head, creating brain damage in the worst case. Even as slow as 35 mph is dangerous he said. 

    I can't prove he is right, but it seems reasonable. 

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  • imagemelpatbat:
    Our handle is always down as per the instructions.  I just use loops to hook a toy onto the car seat strap so DS can't drop it.

    This is a great idea!  I'll give her a toy to hold, but she's not quite strong/coordinated enough to hold onto it for very long, so it ends up falling out of her reach.

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  • imagentrick:

    We put a toy into his seat. We were instructed by an emergency doctor not to to put any toys on the handle. The weight of the toy is made HUGE by any braking and could slam into the child's soft head, creating brain damage in the worst case. Even as slow as 35 mph is dangerous he said. 

    I can't prove he is right, but it seems reasonable. 

    This is what I've heard - along with keeping purses, diaper bags, etc. closed and on the floor of the car and not placing them on any seats.  Basically tying down anything loose in the car in case of an accident.  If you brake quickly, are hit or the car rolls, any loose items can become a bullet-like projectile causing major damage to you and/or LO.  When I heard this it was due to the fact that a child had severe brain damage from her sippy cup when in an accident.  Now, I am not saying that I do any of these things - its just not feasible with a 3 y/o and infant.  However, it is something that I try to keep mindful about.

    As for answering the question about toys - I have the little jingly toys by Infantino that I can slide down the handle and place in DD's lap for her to grab and play with.  Otherwise, I never really used a lot of toys for my kids in the car - and I do 5.5 hour road trips very often to visit family. 

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  • Our carseat's handle has to be put down too.  I just give DD either her sophie or her crinkley fabric flash cards that she loves.  I have one of those toy straps that attaches to the handle but our carseat's handle is just weird & if things are attached to it they don't stay put anyways.
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  • Absolute must for us. I commute 45 mins to work and DD goes to daycare on-site in my hospital.  She loves her toys and my carseat states it's fine to have the handle in any locked position. 
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  • We had one on the car seat, but when we took it to the fire station to be inspected for proper install, the inspector said NOT to have anything hanging from the bar because anything can become a projectile in an accident.  

    Just because toy companies make things doesn't mean that they're safe. 

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