Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Carseat Canopy Review


Somewhere in the money saving blogs I follow on Facebook, I came across a great deal on the Carseat Canopy. I thought I'd buy one to review. Let me start by saying that I absolutely refuse to buy and review the carseat covers they make. They are not safe to use. I bought the part that attaches to the infant carseat handle to cover baby.

They have alot of nice patterns to choose from. I would prefer it to be a solid color to match my carseat, but eh, oh well. When it arrived and I felt how thick the fabric was on the underside, I did not have high hopes. In my head I pictured it completely covering the carseat and air not being able to move freely, and that is known to contribute to SIDS.

I happen to have an adorable new charge that uses a Chicco Keyfit 30. I put the Carseat Canopy on her seat and was surprised to see that there are still little corners for air to get in. It has fabric tabs with huge buttons making you think the Carseat Canopy buttons onto the carseat handle. Well, you would be wrong. I was surprised to find the buttons are just for show and it actually velcros onto the carseat handle.

Even with a little air flow, I don't think it's a good idea to leave the Carseat Canopy over baby long term. Using it to create a dark room while Baby sleeps through the grocery store? No. Using it to keep wind off of baby while you walk from the house to the car? Yes. Using it to keep the sun off of Baby at the park? No. Using it to keep baby warm walking from to the mall in the winter? Yes. I think it's a nice thing to have if you use it for just a few minutes at a time. But just remember that it really needs to be open to let air flow freely and keep baby happy and healthy.