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
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.
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 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.
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.
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.