My brother in law and his wife just had a baby. They went to their local fire departmetn to have them install the infant car seat right before the baby was born. The baby is here and is about 6 lbs 8 oz now. They say that the fireman told them that they can swaddle the baby in a blanket and put him in the infant seat WITHOUT his arms being through the straps ans simply buckle the chest buckle They leave the bottom "seatbelt" buckle undone. Has anyone heard of this being safe? I am so worried about the baby...what if something were to happen and they were in an accident. I don't want to be the know it all, so I am asking if I am wrong. I searched the internet high and low for this and no where did it say that you should buckle a tiny baby in this way. Any help would be much appreciated!!
That doesn't sound right! I'm hoping that the fireman was telling them what he has SEEN people do (incorrectly), and they misunderstood this as being his advice. Yikes.
Absolutely NOT. No, no, no! Is it possible that they misunderstood? There are swaddling blankets with holes for the buckles.
Babies absolutely must be buckled in correctly as prescribed by the seat's manufacturer. Failing to buckle up the baby correctly can result in injury even when they are not in an accident. Using the chest strap only is a strangulation hazard, even if the car is not moving!
If they have any doubts they should contact the hospital where they will deliver, they also often offer childseat safety checks and classes.
There is definitely a swaddle blankie available with little legs for carseats. Buy them one for the love of God!!!!
EDIT-
This is a site that sells them. It's called a SwaddleMe Travel!
http://store.birthboutique.com/travelswaddle.html
i wouldnt leave the bottom buckle undone. nor would i swaddle my baby for the carseat. what i did with my daughter was rolled recieving blankets and put one on each side of her and one between her legs. then a blanket over her.
noooooooooooooo!!! If they understood the firefighter accurately, this is ABSOLUTELY incorrect. If I were you I'd call the fire department, tell them what they were instructed and advise them to call your brother in law and sister in law and tell them what they advised was incorrect. Because if that story is actually what happened, that firefighter, in my opinion, should be in A LOT of trouble as that would be what he is advising others as well. That baby would be in REAL danger if they aren't buckling it correctly.
Never heard of this and wouldn't do it. Baby will be just fine buckled in. Wish a blanket tucked around him he will feel plenty safe and cozy, which is what a swaddle provides. Not worth the risk, IMO. Congratulations on the new family member :)
Even though this link is about buckling preemies in infant seats, the video does a nice job of demonstrating how a typical infant seat harness should be fitted on a baby.
http://carseatblog.com/9813/recommended-carseats-for-pree...
And FYI most certified child-passenger safety techs recommend that parents use a "shower cap" style car seat cover (that fits around the top of the infant seat like this http://carseatblog.com/9813/recommended-carseats-for-pree...) rather than the buntings that can interfere with the harness straps and introduce too much slack into the harness
next time you see them do this, swaddle a baby doll and put it in the carseat the way they do. Then say, LOOK OUT, your car just flipped over - and turn the carseat upside down. Baby doll will fall out. They will have a visual of what they are doing and how stupid it is. You can talk till you are blue in the face, it won't work, showing them is what you need to do.
The purpose of a carseat is to keep a child safe in case of an accident...why would you put the child in a car seat and NOT buckle them in?!?! I would not listen to this guy...firefighter or not...too risky!
I doubt that this is correct. I'd call the fire department and ask for myself. It's possible that they misunderstood.
They may be saying that the seat belt doesn't have to go between the newborn's legs or under their arms but the bottom buckle should be buckled, I think. Otherwise the baby will slide thru the shoulder straps.
The shoulder belts go over the baby's shoulders when small. Their arms can be swaddled. The slit at the bottom of a swaddle used with a car seat does not put the seat belt between the legs. That is one reason that there are different sizes of seats for different sizes of babies.
Never heard of that either! I think those swaddler blankets wih the velcrow might have a slit at the bottom for techie seatbelt to pass through. Maybe buy them one!
