Hi all, my son just turned 3 years old. I can not find a car seat that is comfortable for him to sleep in. You know how they fall asleep while riding around and their head tobbles over to the side or in front of their little bodies. I can't stand to see him like that but i'm not sure if there is anything I can do about it Do any of you know of a good car seat for a 3 year old that helps with this? He weighs about 38 lbs. Thanks in advance to any responses. I need them!!!!!!!
Hi everyone, thanks so much for responding. I love this webstie. ha! I have tried a neck pillow and they don't seem to do that much more. I will start researching your responses as far as what carseat to get. I don't really want to spend a fortune but fromn what i've found I guess you have to,to have a reliable, comfortable, safe carseat. Now, from researching, I am understanding that at 3 years old they are required to still be in a 5 point harness, correct? Is there a booster carseat that will work for his needs now and when he's able to go to just the booster or do I have to get a big ol' carseat and just deal with the fact that we still have to lug around a big bulky one? When I research it online there are several different ages, weight, height restrictions I am not sure which one is correct. Thanks again everyone for taking the time to help. I really appreciate it.
what about a neck pillow? Unless you are in need of a new seat I would try that first. My 3 yr old doesn't really sleep in the car but when he has fallen asleep in his nautilus it doesn't seem like his head goes forward. He seems to at least look comfortable.
Hi, this won't exactly answer your question, but my mom bought my toddler one if those wrap around neck pillows before taking a long road trip. It's cute - a green turtle - and my son loves it. It keeps his head from lolling around when sleeping You might try that before spending a lot of money on a new car seat.
We have the Britax Frontier, it has these big wing thing on the sides of their heads, whch helps keeps them from the scary looking slumped neck position! It is a great seat to keep them harnessed until 65/85 pounds and eventually turns into a booset that goes up to 100lbs, so it's thelast seat you would need to buy.
No... No carseats are really built for a sleeping toddler.. I put a neck roll around my daughter's neck when she sleeps in the car.. (the U shaped pillows). Target has a cute selection to choose from.
Good luck.
If anyone reading this is using a car seat forward facing in the recline position, READ THE MANUAL!!! Most car seats do not allow recline for forward facing, only for rear facing and if you are using recline for forward facing you are incorrectly using the seat which could mean a disaster in a crash! READ THE MANUAL!
Now onto moms question! First off, make sure your son hasn't outgrown his current car seat. A forward facing car seat is outgrown when one of three things happens; the tops of the ears are level with the seat back, the shoulders go over the top harness slot, or the child reaches the weight limit. At 38lbs he's close to outgrowing a traditional car seat, so read the manual, know the limits and make sure he's not outgrown the seat in height either (by guidelines above, shoulders over top harness slot, ears level with the seat back).
Graco Nautilus has a slight recline and large side impact wings that support the chids head. It will harness to 65lbs and the nbooster to 100lbs. Its $150 and will be the last seat he needs.
Britax Frontier again has a slight recline and large side impact wings that support the head. It will harness to 80lbs and then booster to 120lbs. Its $300 and again the last seat he will need.
Otherwise having a bobbing head won't hurt him. If he's uncomfortable he will wake up and adjust himself, trust me. It won't hurt his neck (at 3 his spine is not fused with his skull yet and his bones are still very bendy), and kids dont' get sore necks like adults do. You can try a neck pillow but remember to never use anything that goes between the child and the car seat or the child and the harness. A U-shaped child sized neck pillow put on backwards (with the opening to the back) will also support his head.
We needed a new car seat and had the same issue with our old one. After alot of research on the safest seats with the best user reviews, we bought the Britax Frontier 85 car seat. It is truely worth the money and his head does not hang way down doubled over. I liked the fact that the 5-point harness can be used to 85lbs and then as a booster after that. There is also an accessory for the booster mode that allows for a middle strap between their legs to keep the lap belt in the proper place. I love that seat and will be purchasing another one soon for our other vehicle. http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/frontier-85/videos
I agree with the Britax Frontier, it's pretty straight up but he sleeps comfortable with the side wings on 2 hour trips.
We 've had several car seats with side impact "wings" and boys have always been comfy while sleeping.
I have a carseat the my 2.5 year old son sleeps in while in the car and when i bought it i made sure it was capable of reclining. there is a lever on the bottom that you can pull and the seet reclinces for them and they are still safe. Good Luck
