# Car seat head support?



## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

I have an infant car seat right now for my 8 week old DD. She gets sooo hot in it because of the soft head supporter in it. It's like a velour material, soft and snuggly, but really hot. When can this be taken out?? She's 8 weeks old and can hold her head up pretty well... still a little bobble-headed after she's been holding it up for a while.

I just hate listening to her scream because she gets so hot. I keep the air conditioner going, I don't cover her with a blanket, and make sure her clothes aren't too hot, but it doesn't seem to help. Her head gets so sweaty and she looks kind of squished in it.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Did it come with the seat? If not, it needs to come out now









Make sure the car seat is installed at a 45* angle. Side-to-side head wobble is totally fine, it's just the chin-to-the-chest head flop you need to worry about, and that's only for brand new babies in danger of compromising their airways. If you are getting side-to-side flop and it looks uncomfortable, you can roll a receiving blanket and put it next to baby's torso and head.


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## pumpkinhead (Sep 15, 2003)

Yeah, after market head supporters are not considered safe. I just used a rolled up recieving blanket for my babies. You don't really need to have a head supporter. Them having their heads lean to the sides technically won't hurt them.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

It's the head supporter that came with the car seat. The seat reclines enough that I don't worry about her head flopping down, and the cushy part of the supporter is only at the sides of her head. I'm getting mixed messages from people that I ask IRL about the head supporter. Some tell me I could go ahead and take it out, others say I need to wait a little longer. My sister said if I take it out now I should put some cushy protectors on the straps and those would help support her head too... I'm so confused about it. I don't want her to be uncomfortable and she looks so big in it, like uncomfortably big. She has to be squished in the seat because of the supporter (it comes down the sides next to her body). I don't want to take it out unless I know it's safe for her...

http://www.eddiebauer.djgusa.com/DJG...999_6740_2.jpg

This is a pic of the kind of head supporter I'm talking about. It's different than most I've seen before...


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## bandgeek (Sep 12, 2006)

Like an_aurora said, side-to-side flop is ok and as long as the seat is installed at 45 degrees, you probably don't have to worry about her head flopping forward. You don't want to add any after-market products, like the strap covers your sister suggested. They add extra bulk and can compress in an accident and the straps may not protect your child as well.

Take out the headrest. If it looks uncomfortable when her head flops, roll receiving blankets or prefolds (which are cool, absorbant cotton!), and don't add any aftermarket products.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Yep go ahead and take it out!


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## crazydiamond (May 31, 2005)

I agree, take it out









I did want to add, though, that my two kids were both heatboxes as infants and would sweat like nobody's business in the carseat. Having the head support or not didn't seem to make an difference since I think it was the carseat cover itself that was the problem (unbreathable polyester). So I think you can safely take it out, but if your kid is anything like mine were, it won't make too much of a difference.


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