# Infant car seat covers- safe or not?



## grniys (Aug 22, 2006)

Hey,

I was considering making a cover to go over my ds's infant seat so it'll match the new stroller I'll be getting. I know it seems unimportant, but I want them to match! But then someone mentioned that it's not safe to do that. Is that true? If so, why? Thanks!


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Not safe







The general rule is that you can't use anything on the seat that wasn't included in the box it came in.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

However, you could make a cover to go over the seat *and* your baby as long as it wasn't between the baby and the harness or the baby and the seat.
You could also make a cover to use over the seat when it's not in use to keep the straps from being overheated by the sun.

Now if it's bothering you that the infant seat clashes with the stroller frame, how about just a rim of cloth that you store in the stroller frame and slip on around the edges of the car seat when you use them together? Since your baby would already be appropriately and safely buckled that definitely wouldn't interfere with proper harnessing.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Yes, a shower-cap style cover is totally fine!


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## grniys (Aug 22, 2006)

Thanks for the replies. I am a bit confused on the "shower cap style cover is fine" response though.

Would this be like a shower cap style cover? http://www.2littlemonkeys.com/jelly-...ant_5581_p.htm Cause that is similar to what I planned to make.

If not that's ok... I'll just buy a new one and probably give the older car seat away. (I'm sure I sound materialistic, and I'm not usually so much... it's just last time I didn't get the travel system I wanted, so I'm making up for it this time.







)


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## cognito (Nov 30, 2007)

That goes under baby & the harness goes through it. That is NOT safe.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *grniys* 
Thanks for the replies. I am a bit confused on the "shower cap style cover is fine" response though.

Would this be like a shower cap style cover? http://www.2littlemonkeys.com/jelly-...ant_5581_p.htm Cause that is similar to what I planned to make.

It was in response to this post:

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
However, you could make a cover to go over the seat *and* your baby as long as it wasn't between the baby and the harness or the baby and the seat.

OP, nothing can go between the car seat and the baby. A cover like this (which is a 'shower cap style' one) is fine since it doesn't interfere with the harness.


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## grniys (Aug 22, 2006)

Oh wow, I've never seen one like that before.

Thanks for the info everyone! I won't be making one. Instead I'll just find someone needing an infant seat that's not as picky as I'm being.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Just another point- carseats really shouldn't be used outside the car. Much better for baby to just be flat in a stroller that is fully reclined.

-Angela


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## Mamato3wild ponnie (Jan 6, 2007)

Why are covers not safe?...like the one mentioned above?


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mamato3wild ponnie* 
Why are covers not safe?...like the one mentioned above?

No flame retardant, could interfere with the straps, and, most importantly, the manufacturers all strictly prohibit it.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

To expand a bit, the seats are crash tested under certain conditions. Changing those conditions, by, for example, putting extra padding between the baby and the seat, could change how the seat responds in a crash. The major concern with a change in padding (such as from a non-tested cover, or from a heavy coat) is that it will compress more in a crash and cause the straps to be looser than they should be.

Basically, any time you change from the instructions in the manual you're potentially using your baby as a crash-test dummy.


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## avivaelona (Jun 24, 2005)

The shower cap style covers are really great in cold climates for little babies.


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## grumpybear (Oct 5, 2006)

We were at the library one day (for toddler story telling) and I saw a carseat with that shower-cap style cover. The little window flap cover was velcroed so you couldn't see the baby at all. I heard a tiny cry (pretty much like a newborn's) and I could see limbs trying to poke through the cover (the cover was made of fleece).
Are those things breathable? I didn't quite know whether to let the mom know (I didn't, I wasn't sure where the mom was since the carseat was in a far corner) or what.
I was under the impression that those things are used pretty much for transporting in and out of the car when maybe the weather is cold/windy. Don't you usually undo the flap cover to expose the baby to circulated air?
Just wondering since we never had that for DS. At the time DS was in a bucket, the SafeSeat was a new(ish) product and they didn't make those things big enough for the SS1.


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## LizaBear (Feb 1, 2003)

There is only one little square of velcro that holds the flap down - it's not the whole way around the flap.


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## MommyTorf (Nov 9, 2004)

what about the seat covers that are made by Britax? are they safe because the replace each other (instead of one going on top of another)?


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## grniys (Aug 22, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *avivaelona* 
The shower cap style covers are really great in cold climates for little babies.

I'm in SoCal, I don't think the cold will be a huge issue for us.

Thanks for all the info. I never realized just how every little thing impacts car seat safety.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyTorf* 
what about the seat covers that are made by Britax? are they safe because the replace each other (instead of one going on top of another)?

Yes and they are all tested.


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