I recently turned my 18 month old's carseat around. When it was backwards it reclined nicely (and her sleeping in it was no problem). Now it is very upright (this is how the fire department put it). The problem is whenever she falls asleep in it her heads rolls all around (mostly forward). It looks like there are 4 levels of recline on the seat, but I'm guessing the fire department thinks upright is best. What do you do for a rolling head with sleeping? I've been propping it with her bear (with supervison-me sitting right next to her) or holding it with my hand.
Well, I turned her around at 18 months because she was pushing so hard at the back of the seat with her feet that I didn't think this was exactly safe either. I know all about keeping them backwards as long as possible but she was too big to do it in her dad's car and in mine she was pushing so much with her feet I think she was loosening the car seat. I may turn her around again I'm just not sure about the pushing thing. Otherwise I am going to the neckwings.
I know that you can buy little neck rolls (Noodlehead, Travel Buddies). They are toddler-sized. It might help.
Hi S., There is an item that is made by Carter's. It is called an "Infant Neck Support". It is shaped kinda like a Boppy pillow but is very small and fits around the babies neck. We have one that we purchased at Ross's and it works great on both my 4 yr old and my 16 month old. It might be some thing to check into. It is shaped like an O with an opening on one side, or as my sister says a U. We had the same issue with the upright carseat and my son. These work great for traveling too. Good luck.
A.
They do make little head supports for carseats that are usually used for infants but I'm guessing your daughter is on the smaller side if you just turned her seat around so it might work for her. Or roll up a thin blanket and put it on either side of her head.
S.,
I was a firefighter so I can tell you strait up is the safest, and the baby's windpipe is strong enough to withstand the weight of her head. Her muscles have not developed like ours, so she won't have any pain when she wakes up. But I understand the concern you are feeling. Here are a few suggestions we would tell our moms when we installed a car seat: You can get one of those curved pillows in the baby department and gently put it under her chin when she doses off, you can go back to the fire department and ask that they re-install the carseat reclined a little, but remember the carseat reclining is safest for under 1 year and REAR FACING. You can compromise the safety if you are in a collision. Another option is to place the curved pillow behind her neck so it will keep her head from rollong side to side atleast and it will also help her not hit her head on the temples while she is sleeping. Or you can duct tape her head to the back of the seat! LOL just kidding!
Typically forward facing means not reclined.
Unless she exceeds the rear facing weight on her carseat I'd turn her back around. It really is safer anyway.
When you add pillows and other things that didn't come with the seat to the seat for your child to be comfortable it voids your warranty. Your manual will tell you this.
i am a certified technician. the kind that would be a the fire dept. to help you. how much does she weigh. you might be able to leave her rear facing longer. let me know. some seat go as high as 35 lbs for rear facing. it can be life saving safer. there is a seat check in parkville on feb 13. for a appointment call ###-###-####. or you can email me ____@____.com
Try something called "neck wings" they are available at Babies R Us and other stores. They go on either side of the straps next to her shoulders and will keep her head up while she sleeps. They cost about $10. I used them for my son when he was a newborn and would fall asleep in the car seat--it drove me crazy to see him all slumped over. I have suggested them to numerous friends and we all love them. There are other products out on the internet when I was looking for these--so you should be able to find something that works for you guys! Good luck
A.
I am an almost 30 year old mother of one. He will be a year in a few weeks.
S., At pretty much any store in the baby department they have small "C" shape pillows that cradle the childs head and helps keep them from rolling and falling forward. They are wonderful! Good Luck!
If she is not 30, 33 or 35 lbs. (whichever the limit is on your seat rearfacing) she can stay that way until she reaches the weight limit or her head is 1" from the top of the carseat. It is much, much safer to keep them rearfacing as long as possible. I have my 25lb. 34.5inch 18 month old rearfacing. I turned her for one trip while looking at Christmas lights and she HATED it b/c she couldn't sleep. But she will rearface until she hits the limit for rearfacing on her seat. If she is too heavy to rearface or you want to flip her, the things I'd suggest is to scooch the base of the carseat away from the back of the seat just an inch or two, but not so it overhangs the seat or anything. Sometimes that helps with the recline. Also, maybe you can take one of those u-shaped neck pillows and put it on backwards so her chin would hit the pillow when it flops forward.
You may be able to get a better recline if you turn the seat back to rear-facing. That position will also reduce the risk of spinal cord injury by 400%, which is a nice benefit. After-market products (those that don't come with, or as, accessories to your particular make and model of seat, such as head pillows) are not considered safe by either car-seat manufacturers or by the NHSTA, which does all the safety testing in the States. Even if you are sitting with her (lucky baby!), it may void the warranty for your seat to use props.
For lots of information about reclines and pillows and more, you can visit http://www.car-seat.org/ Hope that helps you. Good luck!
