If the handle can be up, do you leave it up? (infant seat)

thepeach80 · Apr 6, 2008

This was touched on Delphi and I'm in the minority over there so I was wondering what others here thought as well. If you have an infant seat that has a handle than be up or down, where do you put it or tell parents to put it?

Jewels · Apr 6, 2008

I tell them they can leave it up but then I also tell them all the approved positions.

joolsplus3 · Apr 6, 2008

I searched for when NHTSA released the crash tests of side impacts of infant seats, and the handle really acted like a roll bar on the one that was allowed up... http://www.car-seat.org/archive/index.php/t-10549.html (but it seems the crash tests are gone? The only one I know about is the SS1 on youtube with the handle down...). Plus, there's that letter from the graco engineers to the CPSPList that said they prefer the handle up....

Mae · Apr 6, 2008

Ive actually been meaning to ask this question. I put it down, but if I'm in a hurry I'll leave it up, as long as its allowed. I'm curious as to what others say too. I've been wondering if the handle would stop the rebound or what, making it less or more safer.

RubysGirl · Apr 6, 2008

I answered any approved. I'm more likely to leave it down, but that's because I almost never take it out of the car. It's just easier to put the baby in with it down.

Mama! · Apr 6, 2008

Well, I had no clue that handles werent supposed to be left up in the car when I had tiny babies. So I left it up.

It was more convenient, plus I was a toy hanger.

Patriot201 · Apr 6, 2008

Oops. I didn't read your entire question (in your post) before I voted.

I voted always down because that is what I do. I got so used to putting the handle down when the rule was down for most seats that I just can't keep it up.

scatterbunny · Apr 6, 2008

I answered that I always leave it up if that's an approved position, but that was before I read that you were asking what we also tell parents. I don't lead a parent to believe up or down is safer, I just tell them what their own seat allows and let them choose. I just don't have enough information to think one way is safER than another if both are allowed. I, personally, like leaving it up out of convenience.

mommy2zander+baby · Apr 6, 2008

Although I never used an infant seat for either of my kids, I prefer it down myself. When you want to talk to the baby or take the baby out of the car while leaving the seat in the car (I'm a sling mama), it's nice to not have the handle in the way. Starting out with it all the way down makes for less of a chance of it ending up in a non-approved position (around the shell).

At our seat checks if it can be up or down: I explain to parents that it can be up at the first click or down at the bottom 2 clicks for example with the new gracos. I also explain that it can't be around the top of the shell & that they will see this misuse a lot with this graco seat & they can remind their other mama friends to read their manuals. I usually leave the handle in the bottom position at the end of the check, because we recommend riding next to baby for the first few trips & they will be able to see baby better without the handle in the way. And get in the habit of not leaving it along the shell.

I would like to be able to say leave the handle up when it's allowed & convenient because it might help with rebound... But one of our senior checkers always tells parents she likes to see the handle down when it's allowed, so I don't want to make parents think we aren't on the same page...

if though we sometimes are not!!

oops... to answer the question, i answered either...

murphydog77 · Apr 6, 2008

scatterbunny said:
I answered that I always leave it up if that's an approved position, but that was before I read that you were asking what we also tell parents. I don't lead a parent to believe up or down is safer, I just tell them what their own seat allows and let them choose. I just don't have enough information to think one way is safER than another if both are allowed. I, personally, like leaving it up out of convenience.

:yeahthat: If it's tight between the front and back seat and the parents have a seat where the handle can be left up, I tell them to just leave it up for convenience. But I always tell them the approved handle positions so they know their own seat.

joolsplus3 · Apr 6, 2008

Oh, PS, so as not to sound like the biggest cheerleader in the world for up, I will edit my thoughts down here...yes, of course I mention all positions to other parents, and in fact I found Combi's 'must be up' rule to be kind of a pain sometimes when I was using those seats... I love the seats with freedom of choice

CRS · Apr 6, 2008

It's either "up" or "down" here, no inbetweens. I tell the parents WHY they have to have it down (i.e. it's not reinforced enough or something and they have been known to snap off and hurt children). Or for the seats that can, that it acts as a rebound type device to stop the child "smacking" in to the back seat, which is the truth. I also always let them know that some seats are up, some seats are down, not all seats are the same in case they go telling their friends with a different seat that it has to be up or something.

fyrfightermomma · Apr 6, 2008

I personally always put it down. It seems for years it was drilled into our heads they must be down. Everyone always said that. I guess now I wonder, how are the seats suddenly different where 4 years ago you couldn't have it up, and now you can??? KWIM?? SO for me, I always put it down. I advise parents to follow the manual and make their own choices on where to put it (unless of course it MUST be up)

CRS · Apr 6, 2008

My reasoning is I think some certain seats have the handles reinforced to take the brunt if you were in an accident, and, they've been tested and proven to be safe. I'd imagine that's what the difference is. Like the Graco seat you guys have there (safe seat is it???) lets you choose several positions but the seat we have here that is exceedingly similar to that one (and is from europe) MUST have the handle up, no ifs or buts about it. In fact quite a few European seats we have here either have to have the handle up or like this:

snowbird25ca · Apr 6, 2008

When ds was a baby and I used the carrier, I left the handle up. As he got older and he slept less, I left the handle down to make it easier to get him in and out. (He was preemie and slept a ton, the infant carrier was a lifesaver to not be waking him up.)

As for what I tell parents, I tell them what positions are approved and leave the choice up to them.

My instructor was very against leaving the handle up even on seats that allowed it, but that was because she was a first responder and had been to a collision where a baby died due to being in a seat that the handle had been left up on when the manufacturer didn't allow it. It was the handle breaking that injured the baby and caused her death. I don't think she knows about combi seats though... they're not very common to see around here.

mommy2zander+baby said:
At our seat checks if it can be up or down: I explain to parents that it can be up at the first click or down at the bottom 2 clicks for example with the new gracos. I also explain that it can't be around the top of the shell & that they will see this misuse a lot with this graco seat & they can remind their other mama friends to read their manuals. I usually leave the handle in the bottom position at the end of the check, because we recommend riding next to baby for the first few trips & they will be able to see baby better without the handle in the way. And get in the habit of not leaving it along the shell.

Just so that you know, the 2 clicks back is only for the snugride. The SS1 only has 4 handle positions. All except for B are allowed in the car, whereas the snugride has 5 and positions b, and c - the one along the top edge of the seat, aren't allowed. With the SS1 though, the position that's along the top edge of the shell is position C and it's an allowed position. :thumbsup:

thepeach80 · Apr 6, 2008

I feel better now. I was really the oddball on the other thread and I was wondering if I was missing something somewhere.

My instructor was very against leaving the handle up even on seats that allowed it, but that was because she was a first responder and had been to a collision where a baby died due to being in a seat that the handle had been left up on when the manufacturer didn't allow it. It was the handle breaking that injured the baby and caused her death.

One of the moms on the other board said this happened to her friend as well, but of course before the handles were approved to left up. I can see why she'd choose to have everyone leave the handles down, but I've never seen anything saying one is safer than the other so I feel I can't reccomend it as best. I can tell a parent 'this is what I do' and why, but that doesn't make it safer necessarily, kwim? I don't know, to ME it seems like a slippery slope b/c when I begin telling people to ignore their manual on some things (like the ability to leave the handle up) where does that stop? Just to reiterate, I have no problems w/ techs telling parents they reccomend the handle down, but they need to mention it can be up as well (of course for seats this pertains to) and NOT use the words 'best practice' when talking about it.

joolsplus3 · Apr 6, 2008

:thumbsup:

snowbird25ca · Apr 6, 2008

ITA Jennifer. I actually brought my SS1 in to class with me day 2 for my instructor to feel the handle on and see how different it is from the evenflo seats that you could literally bend back and forth. She still said she wouldn't trust it... I can see where she's coming from, but outright saying always have the handle down could lead to misuse too.

I found out through a recent discussion at a seat check though that many techs around here aren't comfortable with the choice of leaving the handle up on Graco seats. But that's mainly because cocooning is so drilled in to everyone's heads, and that's the first thing a parent asks about when they find out they have the choice of leaving the handle all the way up. There was some confusion about why combi required the handle be left up - prior to the combi recall I think the seat was largely unheard of. It's just not easy to find in Canada...

Anyways, just totally agreeing with you. :thumbsup:

leighi123 · Apr 6, 2008

I always leave it down, because its easier to get him in and out - - The carseat also never ever leaves the car though -Iive never ued it as a carrier!

jewlsvern · Apr 6, 2008

I always leave my SR handle up because once the seat is in the base I can't fit it down into the D or E positions and B and C aren't allowed.

If the handle can be up, do you leave it up? (infant seat)

Handle up or down?

Always up

Always down

Any approved position

Other

Senior Community Member

Senior Community Member

Admin - CPS Technician

Well-known member

New member

New member

Car-Seat.org Ambassador

New member

Senior Community Member

Admin - CPST Instructor

Admin - CPS Technician

Senior Community Member

New member

Senior Community Member

Moderator - CPST Instructor

Senior Community Member

Admin - CPS Technician

Moderator - CPST Instructor

Active member

New member

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics