Your baby can certainly live without a car seat canopy. But you still need it for extra comfort and protection. You never know what factors can affect your baby’s mood. The moment you leave for an outing, your baby is exposed to a few things. It might be a sudden gust of cold wind, or the ever hot sun or the rain.
Before you actually get into the car, your baby might already become fussy and sometimes sick.
Moreover, there will always be that one passerby who will start touching your baby’s cheeks out of love and excitement. Many parents hate that or your baby can hate it too.
A car seat canopy can be a simple solution to limit the effect of these factors. But do you really need one? That’s what we are going to uncover here!
Getting to Know a Carseat Canopy
A car seat canopy is simply a piece of fabric that you can use to cover the car seat. Sometimes, the baby will be entirely covered with it and you can’t see her face from outside. Other times, it will hang over her head rather than completely covering her up.
You can find commercial canopies online and other stores. These come in a lot of patterns and designs. However, they are universal and you can use them with almost any kind of car seat.
Here’s a quick look at a canopy that hangs up over the baby’s head. You can still see her from the front, but not from the sides.
If you want to completely cover your baby for maximum protection, the canopy might look something like this:
All the Reasons You Need a Carseat Canopy
1. Protection from extreme weather
Most parents will agree that they need a carseat canopy to protect their baby from the winter air. Yes, summers can be tough too. But a sudden flow of cold wind can quickly make your child sick which is less common in summer.
Sometimes, you only have a few meters to cross from your home to the car. But there’s a slight drizzle outside. A canopy can certainly withstand drizzling rain.
2. Avoiding unwanted interactions and Germs
One out of two times, you go outside with your baby, there will be someone who will reach out to touch your baby. Maybe we all are guilty of doing so. When a passerby will find your baby covered in a canopy, he won’t be able to force himself to interact with the baby. Simple solution for keeping out strangers without even saying a word.
3. Turn it into a nursing cover
You can even remove the carseat canopy and use it as a nursing cover. So, you won’t need to carry a separate nursing cover.
4. Less noises, less stress
The canopy will certainly dampen the outside noise to some extent. New noises can stress out a baby and with a canopy you have an extra protective layer.
How Should You Go On About Buying a Carseat Canopy?
The first thing you should decide is what would be the material of the canopy. It’s best to have two canopies. One for winter and one for the summer. Winter canopies could be a bit more thick and will help prevent frost bites. Whereas, summer canopies will be thin and light-colored.
The style and design of the canopy also matters. Some canopies will have a small opening and you can see your baby’ face. Others will completely cover her up for maximum protection.
The color and pattern comes last. That’s totally up to you. But make sure the canopy looks cute and your baby looks adorable in it.
Blanket Vs Carseat Canopy. Which One Is Better?
Many parents have at some point have tried the blanket solution. But that’s not the safest approach. Blankets are heavy and can sometimes fall over and choke your baby.
If you don’t have extra money to buy a carseat canopy, why not make it on your own. They are extremely easy to make. Here’s a tutorial that can help:
Sometimes, you might get coupon codes from car seat brands with 40-100% discounts. You can certainly look for a coupon code.
Are There Any Safety Concerns?
A carseat canopy is safe to use. However, there are certain precautions you need to take:
- Never leave the canopy attached with the car seat handle when you are not with the baby. If the fabric falls down, your baby can be exposed to suffocation.
- Car seat canopies that zip close to a baby’s face can be risky. You need to be extra careful when you use it.
- Don’t keep your baby completely covered for too long. If you are traveling or walking on the streets for too long, get a canopy that will keep your baby’s face exposed.
The Final Verdict
Follow the safety guidelines we provided and a carseat canopy should be safe to use. Though it’s not a super super important baby accessory. It certainly has its own advantages and many of you will agree that you need one for your baby.