My ds is allergic to carseats

leighi123

Active member
He is allergic to the flame retardant stuff that I guess is in all carseat covers?

I know that aftermarket covers are a no-no, but is there anything else I can do? I have been dressing him in long pants/shirts, and putting a playsilk behind his neck/head (so SUPER thin, but the silk is enough to protect his skin), BUT we live in florida and its going to bee 100* out soon, so long clothes are NOT going to be an option.

We have a radian but had him tested with a couple different covers (EFTA and TF as well), they were different fabrics so the flame retardant stuff must be it, he is super sensitve to chemicals in EVERYTHING (cleaners, soaps, even plastics), and is even allergic to stuff like california baby products.

What am I supposed to do?
 
ADS

Wiggles

New member
Does anyone remember what company it was that had the organic seat covers that didn't have flame retardant chemicals? I KNOW I saw them somewhere. But I can't remember. Does that jog anyone's memory?
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
Does anyone remember what company it was that had the organic seat covers that didn't have flame retardant chemicals? I KNOW I saw them somewhere. But I can't remember. Does that jog anyone's memory?

I think you might be thinking of the orbit seat? I thought I read somewhere that they were coming out with a seat with wool in it that would be naturally flame retardant.

Personally, what I would do is cut holes in a thin receiving blanket to go around where the straps come out and spread it under your son when he's in the car. Make sure it doesn't interfere with the straps at all. That way your son is only touching cotton. I wouldn't attach it in any way, though, but loose under your son should work.
 

menfusse

New member
Yeah, I really can't imagine that a receiving blanket put between him and the seat would cause that much of an issue. I would cut it so that you can pull all the straps through and just adjust so there's no bunching.

I know it's not recommended, but there are just situations that come up when you have to look at things differently.
 

jaded

New member
You could even if you're crafty do the receiving blanket in such a way that it has elastic on the ends(hey..a bassinet sheet may work for what you need too)that way you wouldn't have to constantly readjust the blanket to make it stay where you need it too.
 

leighi123

Active member
What if you wash the cover with vinegar and oxyclean?

He is allergic to vinegar, and I dunno about oxyclean, we use soapnuts now b/c he is allergic to every kind of laundry soap I've tried including natural types. The EFTA cover I had him tested with has been washed a ton of times (its from a friends seat and has gone through 2 messy kids!)
 

leighi123

Active member
What do you guys think of using a peice of wool interlock (t-shirt weight stuff)? I was thinking of using this for two reasons - one that wool is fire retardant in itself, and two that the wool should protect his skin from the seat more.

The problem with the playsilk is that it moves around sometimes, and with the radian, I have those big headwings, so a flat peice of fabric wont stay. What about putting elastic just at the top (kinda like those showercap style infant seat covers), and putting long slits where the straps are, so that I could take it off and on without taking the whole seat a part, and I wouldnt have to worry about the slots lining up b/c of the long hole vs smaller slots. The bottom of it could tuck in between the carseat and the car (after it is installed and tight of course)

Most of the time he will be wearing a t-shirt or tank and shorts, so the main areas that need coverage are his arms, legs and face (the headwings), behind his back is where a shirt would be anyway.

This whole thing sucks b/c I tell people all the time NO aftermarket stuff, and now Im going to have to figure out something that will probably end up looking like a cover!

My ds is allergic to EVERYTHING and it is so frustrating, its always SOMETHING that we have to figure out how to work around.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
It is indeed Orbit that makes naturally flame retardant car seats/strollers. Of course they are expensive as heck.

I agree with the others that in this case, a cover of a recieving blanket or something similarly thin, carefully made to not interfere with the harness at all, is probably the least of the evils.
 

mommycat

Well-known member
Did you rewash the EFTA cover from your friend? I am just thinking that it is possible he was reacting to her detergent as opposed to the left-over chemicals... so it may be worth a try to re-test that idea after rinsing the the cover a number of times and then trying it again, if you didn't do that already.
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
I would have no problems with using wool interlock in place of the receiving blanket. IIRC, they are about the same thickness and you'd get the naturally flame retardant properties that you wouldn't get with the cotton blanket. I also think a little elastic at the top and tucking it in at the bottom is a good idea, as well as long slits. However, I'd make the slits 1.5-2 inches wide to accommodate the width of the straps so that they wouldn't bunch. If he has on a t-shirt, it shouldn't affect his back having wide slits for the straps.
 

DahliaRW

New member
I would wash with vinegar anyways (it's good at helping remove chemicals) and then run several additional rinses to get the vinegar all out. See if that works, if not, I'd be ok with the receiving blanket idea in this case.
 

cookie123

New member
I'd wash it more. Your friend may not have washed is as much as you think. I don't think my dd has EVER washed her covers and her kids eat everything in the car - you'd die if you say it.

Then, the last couple times, wash it with soap nuts, if you know he/she can tolerate that.

Good luck!
 

soygurl

Active member
I would have no problems with using wool interlock in place of the receiving blanket. IIRC, they are about the same thickness and you'd get the naturally flame retardant properties that you wouldn't get with the cotton blanket. I also think a little elastic at the top and tucking it in at the bottom is a good idea, as well as long slits. However, I'd make the slits 1.5-2 inches wide to accommodate the width of the straps so that they wouldn't bunch. If he has on a t-shirt, it shouldn't affect his back having wide slits for the straps.

:yeahthat: I'd also cut out ~2"x3" blocks around the hip and crotch straps to ensure no interference.

I agree, the flame retardant properties of wool would make it the best option in cases where you mustput something between the seat and the child (like this case!). Wool interlock can be quite thin, and certainly non-compressible.

{hugs} OP! Allergies can be so hard! Good luck! :thumbsup:
 

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