safe seat vs snug ride

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MJHY27

New member

• Oct 5, 2009

• #1

Can you use eiher of these seats on a 4lb baby? which has a better fit? I know a key fit is the preferred choice but could a safe seat or snugride be an option?

 

gecikuh

Senior Community Member

• Oct 5, 2009

• #2

i have never seen a snugride or safeseat fit a 4 lb baby well. or a 5 or 6 lb baby for that matter. not sure the min. weight on them, but i'm sure lots of other people do.

 

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MJHY27

New member

• Oct 5, 2009

• #3

The reason I am asking is I know someone who has a preemie to bring home from the hospital (might be 5.5lbs but could only be 4lbs when they get to come home), I am pretty sure they have a snug ride and I was wondering if offering my safe seat would be helpful or not.

 

Mommy0608

New member

• Oct 5, 2009

• #4

They both have a 5lb minimum. The crotch buckle is pretty far out for a preemie, and the harness might not be below the shoulders.

If these are absolutely the ONLY options, I'd measure both and see which has the lowest harness slots and shortest crotch buckle depth. It can be helpful to put a rolled washcloth in front of baby's crotch to fill the gap so that the baby doesn't slide forward (yes, this is a safe and approved modification). They'll likely also need rolled towels or receiving blankets around the baby's sides and head to prevent slumping to the side.

If the Keyfit or Safety 1st OnBoard 35 are feasible, I'd go for one of those.

 

gecikuh

Senior Community Member

• Oct 5, 2009

• #5

I don't think snugride vs safeseat will make much difference at all. Baby will not fit well in either one of those for a bit. It is still acceptable as long as the bottom slots are below the shoulders and he or she meets the minimum weight requirement. The hospital will also do a carseat test prior to discharge to ensure the baby can ride safely in the seat without dropping heart rate, respiratory rate, or oxygenation level in the blood.

 

Mae

Well-known member

• Oct 5, 2009

• #6

Here's a comparison picture of the SnugRide (left) and SafeSeat (right) so it looks like the SafeSeat actually has a lower first harness setting.

 

TheNimpsGirl

New member

• Oct 5, 2009

• #7

I would try and get a different seat honestly. I know all seats fit kids different but we brought DS home in the SS1 and honestly, if he has been any smaller he would not have fit. The harness was at his shoulders and I had the harness pulled as tight as I could. He was 7lbs 5 oz when he went home and 20.5" long. He has a short torso but still, I was only okay with the fit, not super happy. I can't imagine a 4 or 5 lb baby in it (though I'm sure others have fit just fine).

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Oct 5, 2009

• #8

Yeah, I'd go for a different seat if at all possible.

The Keyfit and the Safety 1st OnBoard are both rated from 4 lbs.

The Combi Shuttle is "from birth."

 

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chelle80

New member

• Oct 5, 2009

• #9

Baby probably won't fit in the safeseat at all, the chest clip is so huge my 5lb 8.5ozs little one almost didn't fit. My 6lb 2ozs (pic in siggy of her in it) little one just barely fit.

I would really try and get a keyfit, but if not possible I would definetly go with the snugride over the safeseat.

 

M

MJHY27

New member

• Oct 6, 2009

• #10

thanks for the replys! It's not for my use, I just know some people who need to bring home a preemie and the baby might only be 4lbs when they get released. I was just wondering if offering my SS1 would be helpful at all. I'm sure the nurses will release them only in a properly fitting carseat and they will buy a new one if they need to.

 

Jennifer mom to my 7

Well-known member

• Oct 6, 2009

• #11

What about the mia moda viva supreme?

http://carseatblog.com/?p=2398

 

Mommy0608

New member

• Oct 6, 2009

• #12

MJHY27 said:

thanks for the replys! It's not for my use, I just know some people who need to bring home a preemie and the baby might only be 4lbs when they get released. I was just wondering if offering my SS1 would be helpful at all. I'm sure the nurses will release them only in a properly fitting carseat and they will buy a new one if they need to.

Click to expand...

Don't be so sure of that. Here, the hospital only requires a car seat - doesn't matter if it fits, is installed well or anything, you just have to have a car seat. They aren't trained to check that it fits properly. I know that preemies will have to have the car seat test, but I don't know if they'll actually check the proper fit of the car seat or just whether the child's heart/respiratory functions are affected.

 

cookie123

New member

• Oct 6, 2009

• #13

Where I work the car seat test doesn't really include fit, so much. Most kids go home in Snug rides or Safe seats, and the harness height is generally above the shoulders. Occasionally they'll recommend a new seat for a really small baby in a 3 point harness.

Still, Graco, or any other 5 lb minimum seat manufacturer that I emailed for information, does not recommend using their seat if the weight minimum is not met or if the harness is not at or below the shoulders.

 

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DahliaRW

New member

• Oct 6, 2009

• #14

My 7lb dd barely fit in the SS1 a few days after birth when we first took her out. I would definitely do a keyfit for a smaller baby, or another seat. I was regretting not getting a keyfit30 at first, but within a few weeks she fit just fine and 6 weeks later I had to move the harness up!

If her baby is in the NICU, they do seem more stringent on car seat guidelines being met then a baby who is born early, but fine and goes home a couple of days later. I think mostly because they do do the car seat tests.

 

lynsgirl

New member

• Oct 6, 2009

• #15

Here are some pictures of a 5lb newborn in various seats. The pics are a few years old, but they are from one of our great members here

http://strollerfreak.itgo.com/carseats/5lbnewborn.html