Car Seat / Bundle Me

[korintherin]

Don't really know where to ask this question -- I looked for a "consumer safety" or carseats forum, but didn't find anything that sounded just right. Feel free to move the post!

We are probably getting the Chicco KeyFit 30 carseat for our newborn, and I was wondering whether anyone has used this with a Bundle Me cover or the Lands End carseat cover. I believe the main difference is that the Bundle Me has a component that goes under the baby (and has been safety tested that way, but I don't know by whom), whereas the Lands End cover just stretches over the carseat perimeter.

Tried these? Love yours? Hate it? Do they even fit well with this seat?

PS -- If all you have to say is "don't use the Bundle Me", thanks, but I'm really looking for information from people who have a cover they use and like.

[lasciate]

We used a 'shower cap' style carseat cover that sounds like the Lands End one you described, and it was great. Super easy to use and kept baby warm in -40 weather.

[JBaxter]

Originally Posted by lasciate

We used a 'shower cap' style carseat cover that sounds like the Lands End one you described, and it was great. Super easy to use and kept baby warm in -40 weather.

We used a shower cap type also. It is made of fleece I think it came from target or walmart.

[LuminosaJane]

:

I'm wondering this too.

We were given the Bundle Me. I figure even if I can't use it in a carseat, I'll use it in the stroller. The way the Bundle Me works is that the baby lays on the bottom part, you buckle her in and then zip up over the buckle. I was thinking of calling my carseat manufacturer to see what they suggest?

I wish I had a bundle me for myself--it looks so cozy!

[odenata]

There's more info over in the Family Safety forum, but the general rule is that anything like a Bundle Me, where there is fabric in between baby and the seat, is not safe for a car seat. The shower cap style ones are safe.

[jrabbit]

do a google search for >> bundle me safety <<
I found so many links to discussions about this - too may to copy & paste here!!!

sounds like something I wouldn't use. (besides, my kids would suffocate trying to use it here in Houston )

[thepeach80]

This will be moved to Family Safety soon. Do a search for Bundle Me here on MDC and I'm sure you'll get several posts.

No, you don't want to use a Bundle Me. 1) you don't want to add more behind the baby then necessary, it increases the chance of compression in a crash and ejection b/c of loose straps 2) I've known people who have had their straps 'eaten' by the velcro on that cover making their seat unsafe to use b/c the straps are then weak 3) it's an aftermarket product and most carseat manufacturers will tell you not to use them b/c they have not been crash tested w/ their products.

Any over the top 'shower cap' style would work well. We only used Ilanas for about a week or when we had super terrible winds, but we used Evan's more. Ilana's seat came w/ a nice, warm boot that went over the end that worked well for her (except on those super windy days) to keep her warm. We also did a good, warm hat and layering. She wore baby legs under her pants or over her tights and a thin fleece jacket the next winter when she was still in her infant seat.

[avivaelona]

I haven't specifically tried the lands end one, and the one we have they don't seem to make anymore, (there is also one from Kiddopotomus) but I third or fourth the advice to use the elastic around the top kind. Besides the safety issue I also found it much easier to use. Its nice to just be able to pop it off if its in the way. We have two, a heavy fleece and waterproof one and a lighter but still somewhat insulated cotton one and they both got a lot of use while we still had the infant bucket in use. I expect they will again this time.

The bundle me btw IS great to use in many strollers.

[herins]

The Bundle Me is safer than using a snowsuit or thick coat, so you have to choose what works for you. I loved mine and would have had a rough winter without it.

[thepeach80]

Originally Posted by herins

The Bundle Me is safer than using a snowsuit or thick coat, so you have to choose what works for you. I loved mine and would have had a rough winter without it.

Neither are safe IMO and all are totally avoidable, it's not like you HAVE to use either the Bundle Me or the thick snowsuit, there are many options out there to keep baby warm and to do it safely.

[herins]

The Bundle Me IS safer than a snowsuit, as it doesn't add bulk in between the straps and baby. I don't know what winters are like in Nebraska, but in Canada, I needed the Bundle Me. Yes, it's an after-market product, and the safest is to have nothing, but with wind-chill temperatures as low as they get, this was my best option for keeping my baby safe.

[thepeach80]

As having lived in AK where the temps were -60 before wind chill, I'm no stranger to cold weather. We all make our own parental decisions, but there are safe, warm options w/out compromising safety. I will never endorse a Bundle Me, there are more problems w/ it than possible compression causing slack in the harness in a crash.

[nuwavemomma]

Originally Posted by thepeach80

there are safe, warm options w/out compromising safety. I will never endorse a Bundle Me, there are more problems w/ it than possible compression causing slack in the harness in a crash.

What did you do in AK, if I can ask? It gets way below zero here as well. Just curious about other options and how they compare...

We did use a Bundle Me for DS, but I'm open to learning other approaches for extreme cold. Also, if you check the straps every time doesn't that remove part of the risk?




I don't know, I'm of the mindset I guess that the most important things are installing the seat correctly, making sure the straps are fitting, and driving safely. Have there been reports of babies being harmed specifically from having been in a Bundle Me in a crash instead of using another style product?

[avivaelona]

Yes the bundle me is probably safer than a snow suit, but the point is that there are these elastic "shower cap" type carseat covers that are safer than the bundle me and just as warm and cozy. So there are better options out there than the bundle me.

Also obviously other people's preferences may vary but I found the elastic top ones so much easier to use than the bundle me type that they were a better option just for convenience.

[Malva]

Originally Posted by avivaelona

Yes the bundle me is probably safer than a snow suit, but the point is that there are these elastic "shower cap" type carseat covers that are safer than the bundle me and just as warm and cozy.

I'm curious about those, wouldn't the lack of insulation on the baby's back be a problem? When it's minus 30 inside your car (we have a no idling bylaw here), the car seat gets really cold right away.

[korintherin]

Thanks for the input so far!

I really didn't want this to devolve into another "Bundle Me = bad" debate. Nobody asked anyone to endorse a product they don't like.

If you have used a cover you like, what car seat did you use it with? I have heard some are difficult fits.

I guess I could buy the darn cover and take it to Babies R Us, try it on the seat, and return it to Lands End if it doesn't fit. Just looking for information if you have it.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by Malva

I'm curious about those, wouldn't the lack of insulation on the baby's back be a problem? When it's minus 30 inside your car (we have a no idling bylaw here), the car seat gets really cold right away.

Interesting point. Living in Houston, I have no direct experience BUT I would think that one layer, thin enough to claim to not be a danger in a wreck, isn't going to make a big difference in warmth. Instead I would choose an infant seat with a lot of padding. Perhaps one with both types of foam.

-Angela

[Changed]

I have read here on MDC that bundle me covers are bad. That said, the one I bought has a super thin later of fleece that wouldn't be any thicker at all than a light fleece jacket. I feel comfortable with it. If when I put baby in it, it seems to add any bulk off to the stroller it goes. I got the urban though, not the sherpa lined one.

[iowaorganic]

I have had both an Evenflo and a Graco infant seat and I bought 1 yard of polar fleece and a pack of 1/2" elastic and made my own 2 layer polar fleece cover. If you have minimal sewing skills you can handle this. But the quick cover type are very adaptable to about every brand of infant seat. I am about 100% sure that yours will fit together just fine.

[LuminosaJane]

Any suggestions for folks without an infant seat but with a convertible instead?