S/O Dressing for Winter: Bundle Me's

UAbride31007 · July 2011

Does anyone have any current research on the safety of these? All I can find online is reviews and other stuff from 2007. I understand what others are saying about it getting in the way of the harnesses laying the right way. However, if the product's website says it currently meets federal guidelines and all I can find is old reviews then that doesn't really seem to back up the current claims people on here are making about safety. I'm not saying people are wrong, I just want to do my due diligence with the research.

MrsKujawski · July 2011

i don't think it's the bundle me that gets in the way of harnesses... as far as i know it goes over everything after the baby is harnessed in (from how i saw it working on my nephews carrier last winter).

i think it's winter jackets that are a no-no in car-seats.

i've been trying to research it too and am not finding anything that says it's bad.

jhenry1204 · July 2011

I don't like them and find them to be a waste of money. That said, I have lots of friends who use them and swear by them. But their LOs always look sweaty and uncomfortable. Remember, it's warm in the car. At least with a blanket, you can take the blanket off so they don't overheat with the bundle me's you can't because they are still wrapped around them. IF you're going to be in the cold for an extended period time, then buy them for for the 30 second walk to the car? Not worth it, imo. Plus, I don't want anything but my LO betwen the carseat and buckles (clothing of course, is not optional here, lol).

MrsKujawski · July 2011

the entire top piece of it unzips and comes off... so if baby's warm you can take it off. i find it more convenient than anything esp. up here in RI... but to each his/her own :-)

tosh24 · July 2011

There are quite a few things on the market that meet "federal guidelines", but who said that those federal guidelines are 100% safe? Federal guidelines in the 60's and 70's have been widely updated and things that were considered "safe" back then are now huge no-no's. Geez, it wasn't even that long ago that car seats for kids even became the law. Crib safety guidelines have changed tons too. And there is always the crib bumper debate - most health professionals consider them unsafe yet they still meet federal guidelines and are sold for cribs.

Bundle Me-type products meet federal guidelines here in Canada too and are sold in stores everywhere. When we had DD and went to get her carseat checked by the local paramedic and fire departments who where putting on a car seat clinic, they said absolutely not to the Bundle Me's. It is an added layer between the carseat, your baby, and the harness which reduces the effectiveness of the harness in a collision.

I will trust a paramedic (who has seen horrific and traumatizing accidents) with safety suggestions over slow-to-change federal guidelines (that also have to balance economic considerations) any day.

Mama Jan · July 2011

Car seats aren't crash-tested with the BundleMe which is why they aren't considered "safe" to use while driving. I personally wouldn't worry about it, but that's completely my own judgment call.

It doesn't get that cold around here (low 40's on the cold days in the winter). I always used it in our stroller and loved having it, I'll use it again this time around. I'm not sure how it would get in the way of the harness. It has slots for the harness to fit through, kind of like a car seat cover has. The top portion would zip over the baby'harness not under it. I would imagine blankets and jackets (under the harness) are much more unsafe!

capulet · July 2011

jhenry1204:
I don't like them and find them to be a waste of money. That said, I have lots of friends who use them and swear by them. But their LOs always look sweaty and uncomfortable. Remember, it's warm in the car. At least with a blanket, you can take the blanket off so they don't overheat with the bundle me's you can't because they are still wrapped around them. IF you're going to be in the cold for an extended period time, then buy them for for the 30 second walk to the car? Not worth it, imo. Plus, I don't want anything but my LO betwen the carseat and buckles (clothing of course, is not optional here, lol).

I used one with DD before I knew there were safety issues. I used her carseat in the stroller for the first six months and took a lot of walks with her outside when it was cold enough that she needed an extra layer. I loved it for going outside. Not that I loved *being* outside in the winter, but if I hadn't taken walks with DD I'd have gone crazy. I can't remember very well because it was four years ago, but I think I unzipped it and rolled back the top layer when she was in the car (although if I was just driving somewhere to talk a walk, I wouldn't have even warmed up the car very much because we weren't in it that long). Whether it's safe or not I won't use it for this LO because it's pink and I'm having a boy (it was a gift and one of the few non-gender neutral baby things we got), but I would really like something similar because I found the Bundle Me quite useful.

jhenry1204 · July 2011

capulet:
jhenry1204:

I don't like them and find them to be a waste of money. That said, I have lots of friends who use them and swear by them. But their LOs always look sweaty and uncomfortable. Remember, it's warm in the car. At least with a blanket, you can take the blanket off so they don't overheat with the bundle me's you can't because they are still wrapped around them. IF you're going to be in the cold for an extended period time, then buy them for for the 30 second walk to the car? Not worth it, imo. Plus, I don't want anything but my LO betwen the carseat and buckles (clothing of course, is not optional here, lol).

I used one with DD before I knew there were safety issues. I used her carseat in the stroller for the first six months and took a lot of walks with her outside when it was cold enough that she needed an extra layer. I loved it for going outside. Not that I loved *being* outside in the winter, but if I hadn't taken walks with DD I'd have gone crazy. I can't remember very well because it was four years ago, but I think I unzipped it and rolled back the top layer when she was in the car (although if I was just driving somewhere to talk a walk, I wouldn't have even warmed up the car very much because we weren't in it that long). Whether it's safe or not I won't use it for this LO because it's pink and I'm having a boy (it was a gift and one of the few non-gender neutral baby things we got), but I would really like something similar because I found the Bundle Me quite useful.

I know the tops come off, but it's still wrapped around the back of them, is what I was trying to say. I do, however, REALLY like the idea of using them in the stroller. I never thought of that and am now thinking maybe I should have one! Strollers aren't as cozy around baby compared to the carseat and there are times where the wind still gets to LO. Thanks for the idea!

rockchalkbride · July 2011

They are unsafe due to the fact that it is another layer between the baby and the carseat, which is the reason coats are a big no no. They make similar products that just go over the front of the carrier with elastic, and not behind the baby. We have 2 of these and they worked very well!

HannahsMom21 · July 2011

https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4345321&fromRegistryNumber=46908154&product_skn=903275

This is the cover I am registered for. It stretches out over the carseat on the top and has nothing to do with the harness.

Just wanted to add my 2 cents...hope I didn't butt in!

capulet · July 2011

jhenry1204:
I know the tops come off, but it's still wrapped around the back of them, is what I was trying to say. I do, however, REALLY like the idea of using them in the stroller. I never thought of that and am now thinking maybe I should have one! Strollers aren't as cozy around baby compared to the carseat and there are times where the wind still gets to LO. Thanks for the idea!

You're welcome! Now that I think of it, I really should have gotten one to go in DD's stroller her second winter, because I was always bundling her in a snowsuit and it was kind of a pain. The only thing is it would have made her stroller harder to fold.

lalalalagirl · July 2011

There is no way I'd use a Bundle Me or anything the goes between your LO and the car seat. How in the world is it worth taking a chance?

Our DD was born in January of 2010 and she ended up being super sick and was in the NICU. When it was close to the time for her to be able to go she had to have a car seat challenge. We brought in her car seat and before they would even do the challenge we had to remove the Bundle Me. The certified car seat tech (and nurses and docs) said that because the Bundle Me goes between the child and the car seat it totally changes the way the car seat fits around the baby. We weren't even allowed to leave the hospital with the Bundle Me.

If you DO end up going with the Bundle Me, I'd be sure to check your car seat warranty, because a lot of them will state that if you use a product that is added to the car seat post manufactured (like a Bundle Me) it'll void the warranty.

IMO, just dress your LO in weather appropriate clothing (think pants, long sleeve shirt, and even an under onesie) including a hat, and use a blanket/car seat cover that fits around the car seat when you're going from inside the house to the car. Once in the car, take off the hat, blanket/cover and you should all be good to go - and your baby won't be overheated or too cold.

alaratta1 · July 2011

This is what I used. It is the jolly jumper sneek a peek. It doesn't go behind the baby, just over the car seat. You can put a blanket under if you are going to be out in the cold for a long time.

reason00 · July 2011

alaratta1:

This is what I used. It is the jolly jumper sneek a peek. It doesn't go behind the baby, just over the car seat. You can put a blanket under if you are going to be out in the cold for a long time.

How can you NOT buy this product? Look at the baby selling it...

n&bcarlson · July 2011

The thickness of the Bundle Me between the baby and the car seat is approximately 1/4 inch. If I have to worry about 1/4 inch of fleece behind my baby being unsafe, then must I also worry that baby is less safe on the days when she wears a fleece top than on days when she just wears a onesie? That really isn't the safety issue. The issue is that sometimes the way particular brands of these things fit with particular car seat straps, you could think that you had tightened the straps completely when in reality there was extra strap looped up unseen behind the bundle me. Then, in an accident, baby is not actually properly secured in the car seat and could fly out due to loose straps. So always check that the straps are tight all the way from the car seat itself (which should be easily visible through the openings in the bundle me- if not, look for a different brand) to the clip across baby's chest, and down to the buckle between baby's legs. This is a different than a coat, by the way. A coat is bulky all the way around baby and makes it impossible to tighten the straps enough across baby's chest.

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