Seeking Advice on What to Watch Out for When Newborn Is in Car Seat

It sounds like you are good. The only thing my pediatrician wanted me to use until my daughter's neck got stronger was a head support.

I got this one.
Especially for Baby - Double Headrest Escarole

My daughter only used it for 3 months so no reason to break the bank.

i am pregnant with my 3ed and i never had a mirror or anything the baby should be fine just make sure there is no blankets around the babys face and buy a car window shade so the sun dose not get in the babys face.well good luck and if u have anymore questions just ask.

Mama, you are stressing out waaay to much about this. I have 3 children, (4, 2 1/2, and 9 months) and I never used a rear mounted mirror with any and they are all just fine! As long as your baby is properly buckled into his/her seat, he/she will be just fine. Make sure the straps fit snuggly and the babies head is supported until the baby is strong enough to support it unassisted.

Congrats! Our son was small (5 lbs) when born & we used an insert (Winnie the Pooh) for several months in order for him to fit more snug in the carseat. It worked great & we also used the strap protectors by his neck as well as the head protector. My hubby stopped by the local firestation to confirm we'd installed the carseat safely & they said they didn't do it anymore - liability reasons. Our son was WELL over a year old & slightly past 20 lbs. before we got him into a forward facing (we use Britax Marathon) carseat. We liked that carseat b/c his head doesn't go fowrard when he sleeps, but to the side & it has the ability to recline a little so longer trips allow for nice naps :) We tend to take long trips so it's nice & well worth the cost. We used Graco for the rear facing carseat. Good luck!

I have to reiterate the window shade if you spend time in the car. I learned the hard way driving eastbound at about the time the sun is on the horizon, and my baby screamed pretty much the whole way with the sun in her eyes. Fortunately, we weren't traveling across town, but 15-20 minutes was long enough. I felt like I was abusing her. It simply had not occurred to me....

i agree that you should go to a car seat check (they have fairs at places like babies r us). i went and they show you how to install the carseat and then make you do it so you know how to correctly do it. read the instruction manual that came with the carseat. it will tell you how tight the belt needs to be (i.e. can only fit 2 fingers under the collar bone) where the clip needs to be (just under armpits) etc. if the child isn't in tight enough or straps in wrong place they can still get hurt in an accident.

www.seatcheck.org or www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/CPSFitting/index.cf

You have gotten a lot of great advice. I would agree with the sun shade and only use the mirror if you can refrain from looking at it while you are driving. This is just one more distraction that can cause an accident. Deffinatly get you setup ready then have it checked out. The hospital should do this before you leave anyway, but this way you can make adjustments before the big day.
Aslo, please do not put anything under the seat or in the seat that was not intended to go there. Towels and blankets will not be adequite support in the event of an accedent, but rather increase the likelyhood of injury. Blankets on the inside can be pulled loose and become a suffication hazzard. Use the same common sence in the carseat as you do for the crib. -no loose blankets, or toys, stuffed animals.
Also no bottle feeding in the car as you cannot see well enough to know if they are choking. I know that they make bottles with long straws for this now and they are rediculous. Babies make sounds, you will learn the good and the bad in no time. The fact that you are already concerned about it shows that you will be a great mom.
Good luck, relax, and congrats.

R.,

Be sure to take the car seat installation class. It takes about 10 minutes, but WELL worth it. Click site for information in your area - it'll explain why it's necessary to place baby in the safest seat in your car (middle rear), weight information and explains the best way to strap your baby in. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting/FindFitting.cfm?=...=
Also, do the research on carseat testing- NHTSA should have some of the recalled/approved carseats. TIP for the future: If your baby doesn't like being in the carseat and is fussy, the white noise from cracking down the window helps. I have a mirror also, but it's still in my trunk. Need to get it out soon. Good luck to you!!

P.S. My baby's carseat has a canopy (Graco Safe Seat), so I use that to keep the sun out of his eyes, works great!

Hi R.-

The only thing you need to be concerned about with a car seat is to make sure it is installed properly and that the straps are adjusted to fit the child. Before my first was born in Illinois we took the car (with carseat installed) to the local police station and they had a technician come out to the car to inspect the carseat to make sure it was in properly (ours was not even close!). They showed us how to do it right and now we're old pros at it. I'm assuming they do something similar here in Texas so you might want to have that done before your little one arrives. Once the carseat is in properly all the accessories are just for your convenience and peace of mind. Just buy what you think will make you and the baby more comfortable.

Good luck,
K.

Hi R.,
As for the sounds & signs to watch for, I cant advise on that because all babies have different ways of sounds themselves. It won't take you long at all to know what sound is what. My only advise is to be sure the plastic strip that connects the two straps the arms go in is pulled up as far under your baby's neck as you can get it & that is what holds the baby inplace & helps keep the chest & head area secured so that it cannot go flying out of the seat if you were to be in an accident. Its gives more protection from the force. If that strap is too low down on it's chest, baby's head will go foward wih more force. Or at least that is what I am convinced of & a firm believer in. Your baby will cry if something is uncomfortable or needs your atention, I do use the mirror, it isnt glass, it a plastic mirror, but that will give you more peace of mind being able to look back & see you child.I would also buy the soft strap covers that you attached to the straps along the babies neck for comfort.
Good luck Congrats on your new baby!!

One thing I didn't learn until later on with my son was that you need to make sure that the clip across your baby's chest is up high enough. The clip often slips down around the baby's tummy, and it should really be up on the baby's breastbone. A friend of mine who used to be a nurse in an ER said that if the strap is too far down, sometimes babies just fly right between the shoulder straps during a crash. It's easy enough to pull it up, I just didn't realize that was important at first.

Otherwise, I just always sat in the back with my baby for the first month or so. I felt better being able to see him and comfort him. If you're alone in the car, I think it's comforting to have the mirror, but I agree that for a healthy baby it's not necessary.

Okay, this is going to sound really silly and it's definitely one of those new mommy things that you do and look back and think wow, how did I not know that, but...check out the car seat to make sure that you understand how to change the level of recline. My little guy sat forward too far and we kept thinking how do we get his little head to stay back. We bought all kinds of head support pillows and all we needed to do was recline him a little more! I also recommend practicing with the straps, clasps, and tightening straps, etc. before that wonderful day when you bring home your little one. You will have a much easier time getting him/her safely ready for the ride home. :) You might even bring the carrier into the hospital and get your little one ready there so that all you have to do is click the carrier into the base once inside the car. Check out this link for good information and enjoy the most wonderful time in your life ever!
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/

Just the mirror and common sense.....if your baby starts making sounds you're not familiar with or that sound like distress, pull over and have a look. Honestly, I bet that never even happens as it's a good safe position they're in when in the car seat and they can't get to anything to hurt them. Keep the noise level in the car down (radio) so you can hear your baby and get the mirror and you're set.
You'll do fine! If you ever need a pep talk, just use this board or email me ____@____.com

Saferiders (1-800-252-8255)is who you need to contact about getting your carseat inspected to be sure it is installed correctly. Most seat are NOT correctly installed. If you use the seatbelt in the center back seat (which is the safest spot)you don't use the LATCH anchors. This differes from car to car and has to do with spacing. Since most are spaced to be used either behind driver or passenger, they are too close together for the center. Also, I strongly advise AGAINST using a mirror. These can fly off in a collision, even one at low speeds. Our Carseat inspector told us a story about her co-worker (also a certified carseat inspector) who choose to use one knowing they were dangerous. She really tried hard to fix it to the back of her seat. Shortly after, she was involved in a small finder-binder (without the child) and the mirror still flew out the window. This being said, my child is almost 16 months old and still rear-facing and we've survived with out it. On long road trips, I use my face powder mirror to see how she's doing. Good luck with your new baby!

Once installed the seat should not be able to move more than one inch in any direction.

There are weight limits for the infant seat but you need to watch for length as well...if your child's feet are crawling up the back seat while in the infant carrier, it is time to move them to a convertible carseat which can face rear or front...

you can purchase a swim noodle and cut one third of it off...Use that to help properly position the carseat if your vehicle's regular seat has a deep dip towards where the back and bottom meet.

I, personally, always use a "mighty-tite" seat belt tightener versus the metal belt lock that comes attached to the seat when you buy it. I find that the "mighty-tite" is easier to use and allows more control for tightenting shoulder straps down to prevent the seat moving more than the 1 inch in any direction.

Once your child is born, their size can affect how much they move around in their seats. With infants 7lbs or smaller where there is a lot of room between their head and the side of the seat, you can safely place a firmly rolled receiving blanket in a u shape over their heads (shoulder to Shoulder). For smaller infants and premies you may need two or three of them. When we finally brought my twins home from the NICU, we needed two per child (they weighed in at just under 5 lbs a piece.

For the most part, putting the seats in safely and making sure the straps are used properly are the most important thing you need at this stage. When you infant becomes a toddler or ill is when you will have to listen and watch for much more (like sounds of vomiting for ill babies, and sounds of unbuckling or unsafe play for toddlers).

Good Luck and congratulations on the new addition to your family!!! ;-)

I highly recommend taking it out to the DPS installed and they will inspect it for you to make sure it's all in there okay and whatnot. They will tell you changes to make and how it needs to be done. My husband has been out there three times with ours and there's always an adjustment to be made. They know their stuff and it gives you great peace of mind to know it's in there as well as possible.

Congrats with your baby and best wishes for a healthful pregnancy!

I didn't use shades, but those are nice, especially if you sit in the car a lot (We don't.) There's a cover you can get for the carseat to keep it cool or you can throw a blanket over it. This is important because the metal pieced can get VERY HOT in the summer. I have actually burned my children with them before.

I didn't really use the mirrors either, but they can be helpful, especially if you let an older baby drink or eat in the car (they can choke, this is not advisable but sometimes "necessary," thereby requiring mirrors.) If you have a healthy baby, mirrors are not typically important except for your own peace of mind.

Having four low weight babies (4,5,6,7 lbs) I learned some things with #1 in the NICU that was great for newborns.

First of all, many carseats at the time had the crotch strap practically at the feet! That was not permitted to use with NICU babies and I had to buy a new carseat that had the strap 5 inches from the back of the seat. Some seats have them adjustable, at 5 and 7 or so inches to be moved when the child grows. This is a great idea and my two newer seats have this.

Secondly, roll up receiving blankets and fold them to create supports in the carseat as follows:

1) around the crotch strap, to rest between the baby's legs. This props the baby up if he is smaller and sloutches a bit in the seat. The idea is that you want his little bottom to sit firmly in the crease at the back of the seat. If it does without the blanket, you don't need it. This helps keep his airway clear so he can breathe well.

2) although I had the typical store bought support around the head, they showed me to line up a rolled receiving blanket on either side of the baby, and this also served to hold the baby in place.

I used this method even with my 7 lb baby for the first few weeks.

For future carseat safety, don't let moms convince you to move the baby forward facing early just because the law doesn't require it. The baby should be rear facing AT LEAST to 20 lbs AND 1 year. If possible get a carseat that lasts longer then 20 lbs. My Britax Blvd goes rear facing to 35 lbs! Also, don't take her out of the harness early (many moms are doing it at 3 years old.) She should be in a harness until AT LEAST 4 years AND 40 lbs. But if possible, go longer. That same Britax seat goes to 65 lbs forward facing in the harness!

My olders are in other Britax seats that are not suitable for a baby under 1. Regent I believe is 1 year/20 lbs to 80 lbs in harness. Frontier is 2 years/25 lbs to 80 lbs in harness and 100 lbs in vehicle seat belt. The manufacturer has the exp date of these seats at 9 years so they should be good for the full intended use (unless seat laws change, which isn't likely to happen excluding these particular seats as Britax have always been much more secure then the laws have required.)

S., mom to 4 preemie girls and due a boy THIS WEEK!!!!

My carseat sat up so much that the baby's head would flop over during the car ride..... I rolled up towels and tucked them under the carseat base to level out the tilt of the carseat.. I was still in the "safety zone" that the carseat has on it.. It helped tremendously!!

All I really know of is the pillow type thing that goes around the babys head. Once they get older they have stap buddies that protect your child's neck from getting seat belt rub burns. I would think the less stuff hanging around your baby would equal the less chance of something going wrong. Congrats on your new baby.

With it being so hot out when she arrives, just make sure she is cool enough in the car seat. Those things get hot. My daughter was born July 30th and it was pretty darn hot out. When she was three weeks old we were coming home from an outing and when I pulled her out of the car seat she was soaked with sweat. I felt awful.
Good luck with your first one! It has been life changing and wonderful! You will have so many questions. I know I did. :-)
~B

TAKE A CARSEAT SAFETY CLASS! Methodist Children's hospital offers one for free. The vast majority of carseat accesories have NOT been tested for safety and could become missiles that will hurt your child in the event of an accident - including mirrors and sunshades. Most people's seats are installed incorrectly, and used incorrectly. Don't mess around with your baby's safety. TAKE THE CLASS.

Babies R Us also offers occasional carseat safety classes.

I don't know if this was mentioned but when I brought my little one from the hospital, I kept hearing whimpering & kept looking back but didn't see anything wrong. When we got out of the car, my hubby noticed that her little cap the hospital gave her had somehow fallen down & covered her face. So that was something we didn't expect to happen. Just thought I'd mention that. Good luck!

We has the DPS safety guy inspect the car seat installed in our cars. He showed us what we did wrong and right. He showed what to do so our child is safe when traveling.

The DPS on 290 and West road. I think you can call and setup and appointment. My husband works there so it was easy.