Kiddopatamus Neck Support

Instead of using in my car seat, we use it in the stroller and even in the baby swing & bouncer. It keeps my sweetie from falling over or sliding around.

It depends on which one you have. If you have the one that is just a head support, then it is probably a good idea to use it. Newborn babies have a hard time holding their head up, and the support keeps it from falling off to the side. It makes breathing easier as well as being more comfortable.

If you have the full body support, then I absolutely do not think you should use it in the car seat for rides in the car. They say it is safe, but the fire department took mine out and scolded me for using it. They said that you should never put anything but the baby between the car seat and the straps. Otherwise they are less safe in a crash. It is great to use in the stroller though.

I used extra head support for both of my girls. It was one that was a "roll" that went up one side of their head and down the other, not under their neck. Similar to putting a rolled up blanket around the head. I have not heard anything negative about them if they are put in the carseat properly. Mine attached to the seat. They provide extra support "just in case" something happens like taking a corner too fast or getting bumped by another car. I am interested to hear if there is anything negative out there about them.

As a general rule any after market products used with car seats void warranty. Read your owners manual to verify. If you find that your baby needs extra support use rolled receiving blankets. In an accident they will not interfere with the seats function.

HTH
E.

I noticed, looking at their site, that they had two different types there. The Cradler and the Snug Hug. The Snug Hug might be alright in a stroller but I wouldn't feel comfortable using it in a carseat. The Cradler is better but I personally wouldn't feel comfortable with something going behind my baby's neck. They do however have a product that I would put on any childs car seat and that is the Cushy Straps that fit over the straps that go over their shoulders.

Having been in an accident while one of my children was in a carseat I know this would be useful. The only injury she had from a violent collision was nasty abrasions from the straps on either side of her throat.

Hope this helps =)

Hi T.,
After we bought our infant seat, we took it to one of those organizations that makes sure you have your seat installed properly - Mary Bridges, I think. She mentioned not to use any additional head rests, even the ones that might come with the seat. I think the reason was that they can make the infant less secure in case of an accident. For additional head support, she suggested rolling up a receiving blanket and position it so it is around the baby's head, but not behind. I hope that makes sense.
~J.

I am no expert, but after taking a child safety course at Swedish Medical Center just before my 2 month old was born they said those things can do more harm than good IF you are ever in a car accident. Any product that goes under your child or between your child and their car seat that does not specifically come with the car seat can be dangerous during an accident because it adds space between your baby and the straps holding him in. You can be pretty sure that most after market products such as that head rest have not been crash tested with your carseat and therefore could potentially void the crash test guarantee your carseat offers... it's all food for thought, but my husband and i personally do not want to take the chance. Good luck!

DO NOT USE IT!

My daughter was preemie and spent three weeks in NICU. Her father and I had to take some classes before she was released. One of these classes was a carseat safety class taught by a professional.
They said to NEVER EVER use anything in the carseat that didn't come with the carseat, unless it was recieving blankets that were rolled up and placed around the baby, not behind the neck.
The neck support was not tested in a crash with the carseat and could do more harm if you were to get into a crash.

Hi T.,

It is good that you are checking in with this... I also took a car seat safety course when our son was one years old. They said to NEVER add anything that did not come with the original car seat. If in an accident they can slide down and end up doing more damage than good. Don't worry about the baby's head rolling around, they are tougher than you think! They come out of the birth canal don't they? They also have certain recommendations on how tightly you should strap them in for the car seat to perform most effectively. I really recommend taking a car seat safety course. I learned a lot that I didn't know! Check our with your local health services. They offer courses, they may be even free.

Enjoy your little one!
S.

Hi~

IMO these sort of things are great for babies.I used an Infantino one for my boy when he was newborn, up to when he was able to support his own head properly.
It is very important though,that you follow the directions on how to install it in your car seat the right way.

Hope it works out for you!!:)

A.

Yes. We used one with our daughter. We found this worked better than just the head supports you can add. She was small and needed the extra support. Besides, it was warm and snuggly for her too.

The car seat manufacturers don't want you to use after-market devices because the seats aren't safety tested with them. When we had our car seat inspected by the sheriff department for correct installation, they had us remove ours. They suggested we use rolled up receiving blankets. We never could get those to work right. Our little guy was very long and thin at birth (almost 22 inches and 7.7 pounds) and flopped over, even frontwards, while I drove so I put it back in to keep him from hurting himself and free to breath. We only had it in for about a month or two until he fit in the seat better, then we took it out. I was pleased with our Kiddopatamus support.

Some newborns can use the extra head support, but it is best to use two blankets rolled up on either side of the baby. The head supports can take up extra room in the straps which can lead to it being too loose in an accident.

T.,

The head support is perfectly safe for your son. Whether or not you need to use it will depend on your son's size. If his head kind of lolls to the side in his car seat, it might be good to have to give him good head support in the car and not crook his neck. My husband and I used one for a while with our son and it worked great, kept him nice and secure. Hope this helps!

If you're talking about the firm crescent shaped pillow we didn't use that until my granddaughter was a toddler. It kept her head from bobbing around when she was asleep. It also helped to keep her high enough in the car seat so that the straps were in the right place. She had a tendency to slip down when she was asleep.

We have the same one and loved it, it provided the support they desperatley needed while they were young and in the winter months keeps them extra warm. We also added blankets wrapped up like tubes that went around there heads so that they didnt bang there head on the side of the seat. Good luck and enjoy your baby, in a blink of an eye they wont even be in that car seat any more!

We went to the fire station for help in securing our carseat and making sure it was installed correctly. This is a free service. However, they recommended no additional head support (it can void the warranty of the carseat). Also, no bulky clothing etc in carseats. Maybe you should check out a free clinic for help! We learned a lot!

When my son was coming home from the hospital and we were learning about car seats, they said that you should not put anything in the car seat that goes between their head and the back of the car seat. It has the potential to slide around and not make the seat as effective. We just rolled up thin blankets and tucked them in on the sides of the seat to support his head. It worked just fine.

I have to tell you that while I don't think the head supports do any harm, those little baby heads flop forward or to the side no matter what you do! At least, that's been my experience. I think it's just uncomfortable for us adults to look at...mine snooze away and are apparently perfectly fine...

I believe it is safe. We had one and initially used it in both my son's carseat and stroller. It really helped to stabilize his head when he was newborn. Even later we continued to use it in the stroller because is was so snuggly and comfy--he just looked more contented when it was in place. We really loved it! Unfortunately, it was recently stolen when our car was broken into. Otherwise, I think we would still be using it in the stroller (my son is nine months old, now).

When my daughter was a 2 months old we went to the fire station when they were having one of their carseat inspections. It realy helped to make sure that it was all instated correctly. Anyway, we had the head supposrt thing in that comes with the Graco Snugride (and probably most others as well) and they told us to take it off. If your babies head falles forward during a crash, it could slide down and force the head forward and cause suffocation. So, we took it out! They also suggested rolling thin blankets and placing them along side her to help keep her in place!

From what my husband and I were told from the car seat tech. You should never add anything to the seat unless is came with the seat.