I have a friend whose 4 lb grandbaby will be coming home soon. Does anyone know anything about a car seat especially for preemies? Does anyone have one they are willing to give/sell/loan for a few weeks?
check with the hospital. when car seats were first being enforced, there were hospitals providing car seats but that was like over 20 years ago:)
I do not think there are special car seats for preemies. My son came home at 3 lbs and we just used a regular car seat and the only thing you can add to the car seat for padding are pool noodles cut up. They won't allow blankets or anything else but pool noodles. The hospital will probably help out with that. We brought in the car seat and they helped us make sure he was safe and strapped in well. Please let me know if you have any other questions about preemies. I have gone through a lot. My son is now 4 and doing great!
I had two preemies and we used regular infant carriers. They say they are for 5 to 20 lbs., but if the baby is in NICU they will do a car seat test before they let the baby come home. They just put the baby in the car seat and monitor their oxygen for 30 mins. As long as they pass, they will let the baby come home in that car seat. The only car seats specifically for preemies are the special ones that lay flat but they are only for babies who have certain requirements to do so. FYI, ANYTHING you add to a car seat, whether it's a neck roll, or any cushion to make a more secure fit will void the manufacturers warranty. God forbid, should there be an accident where the baby was killed the manufacturer would not take any responsibility. You can only use the products that come with it. Go to the fire station and have the car seat professionally installed. It only takes a few minutes, it's free and you wouldn't believe how easy it is to do it wrong. If the seat moves more than an inch side to side, it's not in properly. I'm a very careful driver, but you never know when someone else is going to do something stupid. They don't think or care about your precious cargo! My car was totaled when my second preemie was 7 weeks old. Thank God her car seat was in correctly, she was barely bothered by it!
There are head cusions that you can buy to Help keep the baby upright while he is so little. I have seen them at Walmart and Target, and they are not super expensive. I used them for my younges child. Car seats are about safety,and there are issues that can come about with using used carseats. The plastic wears out after a number of years (5 years for most seats), and if the seat is in an accident, it is compromised as well, and needs to be replaced. A new carseat is the best and safest way to go for the newest member of the family. We have five children, and we have used and been very pleased with the Graco snugride.
We checked and couldn't find any for preemies. I would reccommend that you use in infant carrier, versus a regular carseat. They are much smaller and are more supportive for the tinier babies. When I say infant carrier I mean the carseats that dome with the stroller travel systems. They are a carseat and you can pull them out of the car and set them on the stroller. The baby will be uncomfortable no matter what. You will have to use blankets as support around her. I think the other poster wasn't clear about what she said. You can put blankets on the baby and around the baby. You can roll up receiving blankets and put them nest to the baby to keep it propped up. I personally would recommend that they just get the baby home and don't leave the house until the baby is bigger. I would only leave for doctors appointments, because those carseats are just not safe enough for babies that small. The babies do not fit in them well enough to keeo them safe in an accident if something were to happen. I would not leave the house till the baby put on a few more pounds. One thing you could try to add a little more filling behind the baby that is made for the carseat and safe is a piddle pad. They sell them at Babies R Us. They are meant to protect the carseat int he case of a leaky diaper, but they may just provide a little more padding for your case. I would also recommend getting one of the head supports. They sell Ushaped head supports meant for carseats at Target. Tehy really help with the tiny babies. To keep their head safe and still. A preemie is too delicate to let their head flop around.
my son was a preemie. When he came home he was 4 lb 12 oz. He didn't need a special car seat. The NICU did carseat test with him and he passed. As the NICU about there rules on carseats. My son was born at presby plano.
