Carseat covers, strap pads, and piddle pads - PUBLIC SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT

[hfitz5051]

Great post! I'd never heard of a piddle pad, but if I had yesterday, I probably would have thought it was a good idea.

[Kita]

Amen!

Another BAD aftermarket idea: mirrors that clip in your car so you can see your baby in the backseat. You get in a bad crash, and those mirrors will become projectiles and possibly injure your baby or any other passenger.

[ravenonyx]

Technically anything in the car that is unsecured is a potential projectile. A sippy cup, a purse, a CD case, etc will all fly during a crash.

But yes the ones that attach to seats.. EEk. Or those "lapdesks" that are rigid.. those scare me. I used one allllll the time as a child in the car!

[keelykellen&kiera]

[christinewith4]

Our forward-facing car seat came with a super plushy piddle pad....the same type that are sold in the stores... there is nothing special about the fabric or anything...I don't see whats different about those...?

[Samantha]

If it came WITH the carseat its safe to use

[JackieLyn]

Originally Posted by christinewith4 Our forward-facing car seat came with a super plushy piddle pad....the same type that are sold in the stores... there is nothing special about the fabric or anything...I don't see whats different about those...?

if it came with the seat it was tested with the seat...aftermarket products are NOT tested with the seats

[ravenonyx]

Out of curiosity, what seat came with a piddle pad? That would be cool..

[2babiesndiaps]

Originally Posted by Kita Amen! Another BAD aftermarket idea: mirrors that clip in your car so you can see your baby in the backseat. You get in a bad crash, and those mirrors will become projectiles and possibly injure your baby or any other passenger.

Our tech said there were no accidents reported where the mirrors caused injuries and if it keeps me less distracted then not knowing what was happening with the baby, it was up to me but probably ok- was he wrong?
It has made long trips to my parents solo possible for almost 3 years- Is it totally bad? Thanks

[snowbird25ca]

Originally Posted by 2babiesndiaps Our tech said there were no accidents reported where the mirrors caused injuries and if it keeps me less distracted then not knowing what was happening with the baby, it was up to me but probably ok- was he wrong? It has made long trips to my parents solo possible for almost 3 years- Is it totally bad? Thanks

Mirrors are something that many parents make a parental decision to use knowing the risks. There are statistics kept on many things, but I'm not aware of any statistics indicating a mirror has never caused an injury. If you're going to use a mirror, make sure that it is attached to the vehicle by a tether strap or some other fixed means and not just a suction cup or velcro. Also choose a mirror with soft edges and not one of the hard plastic ones.

Regarding distraction, the mirror itself can also be a distraction - looking in the mirror to check on baby means taking your eyes off the road. It's one that you can definitely control by not constantly checking the mirror, but I just also wanted to state that.

The general concensus among techs is that piddle pads are safe to use. At least that's the concensus among the techs on car-seat.org. I can also say I have never seen another after market product that any tech has agreed is unlikely to pose a safety risk. This is because it's so thin and doesn't interfere with harness adjustment at all.

It might be worth adding car-seat.org to the original post - their forums there are great for anyone to get installation and technical questions answered by techs, or help with other questions/issues. I'm not sure how many of us post there, but I'm sure there's over 2 dozen techs there. If one tech doesn't know, there's sure to be one who does. You don't have to register to post questions either - although those posts are moderated to prevent spammers so it takes a bit of time for them to show up.

Something else to add to the original post if possible is to not use bulky winter clothing in the car seat. Same compressibility problems as things like cuddle bags and interferes with getting the harness tight enough.

BTW - This is a wonderful post to see as a sticky.

Trudy ~ Child Restraint Systems Technician in Canada.