# Snugride--Newborns Head flopping forward



## poorlittlefish (Jul 20, 2008)

Hi there,
Does anyone have any tips on how to keep my newborns head from flopping forward in the carseat? According to the built in level on the seat, we have it installed properly. I worry about her being able to breathe!


----------



## Mrs-Mama (Jul 2, 2007)

Hmmm...my first thought was that it isn't reclined enough but you said that they built-in level checks out. Weird. Are you on a flat surface when you're looking at the level?


----------



## curiouscanadian (Aug 28, 2009)

I had this issue too (to the point where one trucker actually got out of his truck at a red light to let me know DS's head was all flopped over!). Nothing seemed to work until I finally found the Kiddopotamus Cradler. What a lifesaver!


----------



## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

Have you taken out the Graco insert that is supposed to help prevent baby's head from flopping side to side? They don't actually seem to help with the side to side motion, and the slight extra bulk could be pushing baby's head forward a little. Same goes for any after-market snuggler things like this.

If there is no additional bulk between baby and the car seat which could push baby's head forward and you are still having this problem, triple check the angle of the seat. At the 45* angle necessary for newborns, this really shouldn't happen. Make sure you are parked on a perfectly level surface.

I don't want to pick on anyone, but the Kiddopotomus things mentioned above are a HUGE no-no. They wrap over the car seat straps, affecting the fit of the straps, and they can get in the way of the chest clip, keeping it from being at armpit level. Plus, having anything between baby and the car seat that didn't actually come in the box with the car seat can negatively affect the harness fit too. They say they are "safety-tested," but since there is actually no standard for testing such things, they could throw them against a wall and declare them "tested." No car seat manufacturer, Graco included, allows the use of after-market accessories like those.


----------



## SubliminalDarkness (Sep 9, 2009)

I don't trust the dials on the seat. They're a grand idea, but they don't always work right. If her head is flopping forward, recline the seat more.


----------



## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

The angle indicator on the seat can be wrong. You'll want to double check the angle yourself.


----------



## MsVyky (May 29, 2009)

Our DD's head flops forward in her Radian (installed RF at 45*). It did in her SnugRide too.


----------



## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

The little wheel angle indicators are not very accurate. If it's flopping forward, definitely recline it more. If there are no more recline settings on the base, put the food of the base all the way up and use a rolled towel at the bight (crack) of the seat.

Any aftermarket products such as head supports or the Snuzzler are definite no-nos so avoid those. They won't fix the problem of forward head floppage anyway.


----------



## curiouscanadian (Aug 28, 2009)

I generally agree with the rule of staying away from aftermarket products and while I have to admit I didn't know it affected the strap positioning, I personally feel using it was better than having DS's head flopping forward and affecting his oxygenation levels.

Quote:

Any aftermarket products such as head supports or the Snuzzler are definite no-nos so avoid those. They won't fix the problem of forward head floppage anyway.
The Cradler is NOT the Snuzzler. The Snuzzler has a huge amount of fabric between the babe and the carseat but with the Cradler the only part behind them is a small 1 1/2" wide fabric strip which sits behind their neck, where there is a natural gap between the seat and their neck anyway. And it DID fix the problem of forward head floppage for us because of how it curves out at the bottom, it kept the chin kind of lifted up.

In hindsight I'll admit I probably should've tried reclining his seat more, but I am very confident it was at the correct 45 degrees and I didn't know (still don't, for that matter) what effect an angle of MORE than 45 degrees would have on the safety of babe in the carseat. I mean, you could fix head floppage 100% of the time by installing the carseat at 60 degrees, but that's not how carseats are designed and tested, so I'm sure it's not recommended!


----------



## GoBecGo (May 14, 2008)

We have a graco, and i find that with it reclined enough the dial only *just* reads as ok - another centimetre raised at the foot end and the red bit appears. So maybe you need to adjust until it's ok, but only just ok? If i set mine so it's bang in the middle of "safe" the babe is sat almost upright and her head certainly flops!


----------



## Anastasiya (Jun 13, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *curiouscanadian* 
The Cradler is NOT the Snuzzler. The Snuzzler has a huge amount of fabric between the babe and the carseat but with the Cradler the only part behind them is a small 1 1/2" wide fabric strip which sits behind their neck, where there is a natural gap between the seat and their neck anyway.

I agree. The Cradler is no different than using a rolled up receiving blanket. It doesn't interfere with the way the seat works or how the baby fits or anything of the like.

And it doesn't interfere with the straps. The straps should be nowhere near the head or the neck if the infant is restrained correctly (with harness at or below the shoulders).

Quote:

In hindsight I'll admit I probably should've tried reclining his seat more, but I am very confident it was at the correct 45 degrees and I didn't know (still don't, for that matter) what effect an angle of MORE than 45 degrees would have on the safety of babe in the carseat. I mean, you could fix head floppage 100% of the time by installing the carseat at 60 degrees, but that's not how carseats are designed and tested, so I'm sure it's not recommended!
I agree with this too. Carseats are crash tested at their approved levels of recline, and with any more recline HOW will the seat react in a crash? Could tension be put on parts of the seat that aren't meant to withstand those forces? Could the seat become disengaged from the base? We don't know....

ETA: I've owned three infant seats and my newborns always had head flop at one time or another in all of them.


----------



## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Anastasiya* 
I agree. The Cradler is no different than using a rolled up receiving blanket. It doesn't interfere with the way the seat works or how the baby fits or anything of the like.

And it doesn't interfere with the straps. The straps should be nowhere near the head or the neck if the infant is restrained correctly (with harness at or below the shoulders).


But it DOES interfere with the straps. It wraps around the top of the straps, adding bulk between the straps and the baby and possibly risks pulling/pushing the straps out of alignment over the shoulders, especially if the straps are already on too loose (a mistake many parents make).

A receiving blanket does not go around the straps like the Cradler does. It does not go behind the baby's head like the Cradler does. Using a rolled blanket works perfectly well and is safer than the use of a product like this one.


----------



## Anastasiya (Jun 13, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mama2soren* 
But it DOES interfere with the straps. It wraps around the top of the straps, adding bulk between the straps and the baby and possibly risks pulling/pushing the straps out of alignment over the shoulders, especially if the straps are already on too loose (a mistake many parents make).

Okay, I see what you're saying. The Cradler CAN wrap around the straps, but it doesn't have to. Just don't open the velcro. I never did (obviously, because I forgot the velcro part existed!) and it didn't interfere at all. Ever.

Quote:

A receiving blanket does not go around the straps like the Cradler does. It does not go behind the baby's head like the Cradler does. Using a rolled blanket works perfectly well and is safer than the use of a product like this one.
When I roll up my receiving blankets I do leave some excess which goes behind the baby's head to keep the blanket in place and to keep his head off the hot carseat material. It doesn't interfere in the least. No more than a thin hat would, anyway.


----------



## curiouscanadian (Aug 28, 2009)

Quote:

Using a rolled blanket works perfectly well and is safer than the use of a product like this one.
Perhaps I wasn't doing it correctly, but rolled blankets never worked for me. They would either tend to push his head _forward_ or not stay in place and fall in his face.







(and equally







to me) Perhaps someone can describe how to do it for the OP? (And me too?







)


----------



## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Putting things *next* to the head does not prevent the head from flopping forward. It prevents it from flopping to the side, which is not a safety risk at all.

I did not and would not suggest installing a car seat at more than a 45* angle. The angle indicator on the Graco seats is certainly not infalliable, and shows a range. It still shows in the blue when the seat is installed at 38* (I tested my Safe Seat, just now, using my iPod), which is too upright for a newborn. If your newborn has their head flopping to the chest, it's too upright, period. It's a dangerous safety issue that can cause infant death in extreme cases (due to positional asphyxia) and it's not one that can be fixed by adding aftermarket products (or rolled receiving blankets, for that matter).


----------



## curiouscanadian (Aug 28, 2009)

Ok, so I'm afraid I'm coming across as confrontational on here but I'm honestly NOT trying to pick a fight









...but










What would you then suggest if the carseat is checked and is at the correct 45deg angle and the baby's head is _still_ flopping forward? I'm just trying to learn for future babies because like I said before, I'm very certain DS's seat was at 45 degrees and it still happened. He'd be fine for most of the trip but all it took was one good bump while he was asleep and boom. His head would be flopped over. I know ideally someone could sit back there with him to adjust his head as needed, but often it was just the two of us in the car...

(Seriously, not trying to pick a fight here, just trying to learn!







)


----------



## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

If he was fine for most of the trip, I have no doubt it was at the correct angle







The head being "flopped over" is not a problem, at all. It's the chin-to-chest that's an issue. And, if it's too upright, it will be a constant chin-to-chest, not a "hit a bump and the head fell" thing.


----------



## WindyCityMom (Aug 17, 2009)

If you have an iphone or an ipod touch you can get a level app that will tell you the angle the seat is at


----------

