Sun Shades

[Photomutts]

I apologize for this not really being a carseat question but it is just driving me nuts. Our son is still in his infant carseat(Graco SS1) in my SUV and I am able to position the sun shade to keep him from getting blinded by the late evening and early morning sun but we will be getting a convertible seat for my vehicle soon and we already have one in my husband's truck. We have a stick on shade for his back window which cuts the glare a little bit but not much. We have a sun shade from Protect-a-bub that is supposed to tie on to the carseat, but after spending $40 on it, I didn't put it on because I worried about it making the carseat unsafe and it also didn't seem like it would block the sun coming in the back window of the truck and also I couln't even figure out where I was supposed to tie it anyway. If anyone has a sun shade that they really like or if anyone has figured out the solution to this dilemma already, especially someone with a RF kiddo in the back seat of a crew cab pick-up, would you give me some ideas of safe ways,for the baby and the driver, to block the rays. Thank you so much in advance, Michele

	Rear Facing Car Seats A rear-facing seat is one in which the infant faces the back of the car. Always install a rear-facing seat in the back seat of your car. This is the safest position for an infant. NEVER place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with passenger airbags.

	Convertible Car Seats Convertible seats are for infants and toddlers. The seat can be used as a rear-facing seats for younger children, and switched to a forward-facing seat on the child's first birthday if the child weighs at least 20 pounds. However, experts recommend keeping the child in a rear-facing position until he or she outgrows the weight or height allowed by the safety seat.

	Infant Car Seats Infant-only rear-facing seats are for babies up to about 22 to 30 pounds, depending on the specific car seat. You will need a new seat when your child gets bigger. Infant-only seats have handles that allow you to move the seat from the car to the house or other locations. Some have a base that you can leave installed in the car, so you can just click the car seat into place each time you use it.

	Graco - Click for more info Graco is one of the world's best known and most trusted juvenile products companies. They started the entire juvenile products industry with an invention called the Graco Swyngomatic. Since then they have invented products that have changed the way that parents travel with their children such as the travel system, which has made it so parents can lock an infant car seat into a stroller easily, without waking their sleeping baby. Their Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat is pretty much synonymous with the term “infant car seat” because of its safety and design features coupled with its affordability. Today Graco continues designing and developing top-quality products that inspire parents and keeps children safe. Check out the new Infant Safe Seat Step 1 and Toddler Safe Seat Step 2 for proof of Graco’s continued commitment to child safety.

[Papooses]

This is a great question: such add on products are one of the most common forms of misuse

As long as it does not interfer with correct installation/use of the carseat + your vision is not hindered + there are no hard/sharp edges ... then it's considered an acceptable risk, especially if the sun is causing a medical or behavioral concern which distracts the driver.

The basic "test" to see if the suction cup style shades are OK is to have your spouse or friend throw it at your face as hard as they can -- if you don't want that to happen then you really don't want it in your vehicle where it would come loose flying at your child's face with crash force speed!