Do you need to use the cushioned head protector in a toddler car seat?

Question

Our 2 grand-daughters have just turned one year old and are over 20 lbs, so can now go forward facing. I purchased a new toddler car seat for my car for babies 20-40 lbs. It came with a padded head rest. One step-daughter says that it is only needed for infants. I didn't understand why the head rest would even come with the car seat if it wasn't needed. This toddler seat is not designed for infants. Can anyone shed some light on this?

Answer 1

You can use the cushion only if it came with the car seat.

Never buy them somewhere else and add them to the seats.

When my boy was a few days old, I went to the police station to test the seat that we bought, police officer took a look at the seat and asked if the head rest came with the car seat? We said no, and she took it off and put it away. She said only to use what came with the seat, because that has been tested by the government. We could put folded blankets for the head, that was  ok she said.

Answer 2

I would use it and you can always just go to your local fire department because they will check everything for you at anytime instead of waiting for the police day.....

Answer 3

Yes, some forward facing seats do include head pillows, and yes, obviously you can use them with the child forward facing in the seat. You are right, it wouldn't come with the seat if you couldn't use it! Always always always completely read through the car seat manual, it will shed light on stuff like this.

Its AWESOME that you're taking such an interest in keeping your grandkiddos safe! Since you obviously care about them enough to want to make sure you're using the right seat and using it the right way, I wanted to share some incredibly important info with you: at only 1year old and just over 20lbs, they should NOT be forward facing yet. The 20lbs/1year rule is from the 1980's when our car seats only went to 20lbs rear facing! That's almost 30 years ago and car seats and knowledge have come a long way since then. Now all convertible car seats rear face to at least 30lbs, many to 33-35lbs.

Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life!

1)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.

2)A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.

3)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.

4)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)

It works this way: when you get in an accident and run into something, the car stop suddently, but everything and everyone in the car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when it stopped, in most accidents, this is forward. So in an accident with a child in a forward facing seat, his head, the heaviest part of the body on babies and toddlers, flies forward very forcefully and easily snaps. If that same child is in a rear facing seat, his head tries to fly forward but is supported by the back of the rear facing seat, so there is no stress put on the child's neck and spine.

Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum...  There isn't a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, however, lots of cases where children have been killed and seriously injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better.

So...turning them forward at that age is literally risking their lives. Return the forward facing only seat and get one that is a convertible car seat that can rear and forward face. A great choice for you to make it easy to change harness heights between the two kids would be an Evenflo Triumph Advance.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17", harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn't have built in lockoffs. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don't have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. It's one of only 2 seats that does this (The Britax Boulevard is the other, I believE), and it has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. No more tugging straps to tighten them either. You tighten and loosen the harness using k***s on the side of the seat. As a major bonus, it can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode. Awesome for kids who still sleep in the car. I LOVE THIS SEAT! LOL My son, who is too big for every other car seat at Walmart has the same amount of room in this as the Britax Marathon.

The Compass Tue Fit, also sold as The First Years True Fit, is a great choice, too. Here's a thread talking all about it: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t... Has 16.5 inch top harness slots, half inch shorter than the Britax Marathon and Evenflo Triumph Advance. Rear faces to 35lbs, forward faces to 65lbs, has built-in lockoffs, and you never have to rethread the harness to change harness height. (so would also adjust between the kids easily) The headrest is removable to fit better in smaller cars. $179 for the one cover Walmart offers it in, check Babies R Us and other stores for different covers at a little more expensive price.

If budget is a big issue, a Cosco Scenera would do the trick for $45 at Walmart/Target/Kmart. It rear faces to 35lbs. Then it goes to 40lbs front facing. It won't last child as long forward facing as some others, but for $45, its a great deal and will last most kids to age 2-3 years, at which time you would need to purchase another harnessed seat as the child would not be ready for a booster seat yet.

When shopping Remember these rules:

1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money! If its easy to use, you're more likely to use it correctly.

2)children need to stay rear facing as long as possible.

3)Once you do turn them forward facing, they need to stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. 4 years/40lbs is the minimum for riding in a booster, and most 4 year olds have no business using one yet. If they can't sit upright for an entire trip, they need the harness of a car seat still. And, even if they do sit properly, a 5 point harness is safer, so you want to keep them in one as long as possible. This is important to consider b/c most car seats only forward face to 40lbs. My son just turned 3, and is in the 95th% for height and weight - 40" tall and weighs 41lbs. He outgrew the 40lbs seats shortly after his 2nd birthday. It was a total waste of money. He now has a Britax Marathon, which goes to 65lbs, and will be able to fit it for some time yet. If I'd have bought it when he was born, I could have had one car seat this whole time instead of the 3 I wasted money on. They are more expensive for many reasons, this is one.