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3rd Trimester
Infant Car Seat Carrier Uses that don't "seem right" ...
I live in Phoenix, AZ and I keep seeing 2 things being done over & over again with the infant car seat carriers:
1. People place the car seat carrier in the top portion of the grocery cart (where young kids sit).
2. I see thick blankets being draped over the carriers to block the sun out.
I checked the warning printed on the grocery cart seat really quickly today and didn't see any symbols prohibiting carriers from being placed there ... but my gut instinct says it doesn't seem right to wedge it in there. Wouldn't it make the cart top heavy? It just doesn't seem stable and that's a ways for your baby to fall. Two, with regard to the blanket ... I guess I could see why you'd drape a light muslin cloth or something over it ... but a thick or fuzzy receiving blanket? I feel like in 90+ degree the heat would get trapped in there and your baby would overheat/find it hard to breathe! Am I totally off base here? I see this being done ALL the time ... but it just doesn't feel right to me.
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Re: Infant Car Seat Carrier Uses that don't "seem right" ...
1. You are correct. You are not supposed to put them on grocery carts. Unfortunately, a lot of the seats come with notches so they're "made" to go on there, but it does NOT make it safe. It does make the cart front heavy, and they're not really secure on there. All it takes is someone bumping your cart to send the whole thing tumbling.
Chicco Keyfits don't have those grooves and the instructions specifically state to NEVER put it on top of a grocery cart.
I never put the car seat on top of the cart with DS, I put it IN the cart (the big basket part). And you are right you are not supposed to put them on top of the cart.
I always wondered about the blankets too, they never seemed like a good idea to me. It doesnt seem like a good thing to do no matter the weather, but especially not in the summer heat.
1. Its just coincidence that the carseat fits there. As you can't strap the seat in a hard bump to the cart could send the carseat flying. Manufacturers like Chico are starting to phase out the notches to avoid the issue; hopefully soon there won't be that option.
2. I think common sense rules here: would YOU be comfy with a blanket over your head in Phoenix in the summer? Nope, so I think its silly to do to a baby. They can wear a hat just like older folk, although I would avoid taking the baby out entirely during the heat of the day there in summer if possible unless its in A/C car to A/C house.
This. I cringe when I see any infant carrier in the top of the cart. Especially when they have them in sideways because their carrier doesn't have the grooves. We always put our daughter in the basket or I would just put the carrier in the stroller since the Chicco carriers snap in place.
This, to each his own but don't judge something you haven't been able to do.
I don't think pointing something out as unsafe is being judgmental. And I'd rather have my kid scream than crack his head on the floor.
They actually make covers for carriers now. They're designed for airflow and safety while still blocking out the sun. It gets the same thing done as a blanket and you can be much more sure of your child's comfort and safety.
This. And I have a toddler now. I tried that grocery cart thing once and it was so unstable that I immediately put the car seat back in the car and put DS in the moby wrap to do the laundry. Once he could sit, I used a shopping cart cover and let him sit in the cart. I'll do the same with this baby. I once had a freak accident with a shopping cart - the front wheel broke off and the whole thing tumbled onto its side while my son was sitting in the seat (buckled in and everything). We had to go to the ER, they gave him a CT scan and his face was bruised up for a month. And that day I was using the cart appropriately. I wouldn't up my chances of injury to my child by putting the car seat in the front part of the cart.
As for the special car seat covers they make - I've heard they're not particularly safe for the car. Because they come with a part that goes underneath your child and that part is usually plush, in an accident it can be compressed causing the belts to be too loose across your baby and he/she can be expelled from the seat. This is what I've heard from car seat techs, so I don't use them. But I'd do more research on them if you are interested. There might be some safe ones out there.
Lurker here-You are right about the shopping cart thing, very dangerous. The blanket over the carseat, well I've yet to meet a parent that does not employ this technique when its nap time. I dont suggest sitting outside in the hot sun with a blanket over the seat but for a quick from the car to house type situation to keep the sun out of a sleeping baby's face, or when inside already, to help baby sleep by decreasing the amount of stimulation, its a great "tool". I bought one for this time that is basically a blanket with loops for the handle so that you're not trying to hold the handle with a blanket over it. There is nothing that goes under the baby nor does it wrap under the seat. Perfectly safe and I am sure it will be helpful too.
This...it seems so random to me that you would make assumptions before your dc has even arrived.
im not condoning putting the car seat on top of the cart (i couldnt even i wanted too im too short!) but i tried it once before realizing it wouldnt work and the car seat clicked onto the top of the cart like it clicks into a car seat base. So i dont know if they are "trying" to make it more safe by having it fit and snap securely into the cart or what, but i thought id throw that out there!
personally i loved wearing my son while i could in the store! you can never leave your cart to grab anything real quick if the baby is IN the cart.
Not judging, just stating a fact that it's not safe. Like I said, my carseat instructions specifically state NOT to put it on top of a grocery cart. I don't see this as one of those "wait and see what your baby likes" things.
Huh? Was the judging comments directed at the OP, or the subsequent comments? I'm a first time mom -- I was seriously asking these questions. Whether it's safe to put the seat on the grocery cart, because I see it all the time. The second question is more geared towards using the blankets in the AZ heat ... I'm from NY, people did this to keep sun out of baby's eyes. But in AZ's 90+ weather, I wondered if it affects the baby's ability to breathe? Half the time I'm not really even sure how to dress a baby out here -- it's heavily A/C'd inside but ridiculously hot outside.
I put my carrier in the top of the basket because it clicked in. Maybe I'm stupid but I don't see how that's unsafe. as far as the blanket over the carrier. I'm sure the parent isn't using a fleece blanket in 100 degree weather to cause a health issue from the car to the inside of the store. I didn't do it in the summer I just put my sunglasses on DD's face to keep the sun out of her eyes (a cute photo op). I definitely used a blanket for cooler weather. JMO though everyone has one. But seriously don't knock it till you've been in the situation.
It is absolutely unsafe to put baby in the top part of the cart in their car seat. There have been so many cases of someone bumping the cart and the car seat falling off and baby suffering a head injury. Also, just because it clicks in doesn't make it safe. The cart then is top heavy and if hit too hard or turned too sharply can easily tip over. Put baby in the big basket or wear them. I had two in infant carriers for almost a year (my own and one I nannied for) and still managed to not put one up there. Its just simply not safe!
Nah, I wasn't thinking about the quick use of blankets from a car to the inside of the store. I mean when I see it on carriers while people are walking outside (strip malls usually) in the heat, and waiting at bus stops. In theory, I think it's being done to "block" the sun all the way instead of using a thinner gauzier blanket. But it seems like it would get stifling in the heat. Anyway, thanks for the input to all.
I don't think I need to have a kid yet to recognize and understand when something is unsafe. The "don't knock it til you've been there" bit is ridiculous. You are well aware that it's not safe to do, but you do it anyway....well then I will most definitely judge you, because you are an idiot.
Instead of risking having "your newborn scream while you're trying to get your shopping done", maybe you should just leave it in the car with the windows slightly cracked. That also sounds completely ridiculous and dangerous, but hey, I'm just using common sense here -- what do I know, I haven't "been there."
I wish there was a "like" feature on the bump
THIS.
And I have an 18 month old. I never did that.
Double like
~*~*May 2013 Moms Website*~*~
Triple like! I have a 2 year old and a new baby on the way and have not nor will I ever put the infant carrier in the top of the grocery cart. Neither the cart nor the seat were designed for this purpose. If I have to take the little one with me, that's what the Baby Bjorn is for. If it's not a major shopping trip, my purchases can go in the basket of my stroller.
As far as the blanket thing goes, I doubt anyone is leaving their kid in the infant carrier in the beating sun - with or without something to provide shade. If I have to be out and about with LO, I put up the canopy and have draped a thin recieving blanket over the front to block out any direct sunlight if LO is napping, but it doesn't cover everything allowing for ventilation. If we have to stop anywhere for a length of time it's in a shady spot to begin with.