Our nurse put the carseat in the car and then pushed the handle back so it was bumped up against the front seat. I see so many people going home from the hospital or just in general driving with toys dangling from their carseat bar that is directly above the baby.
Did your hospital tell you to put the carseat bar back? Does it matter? We have been diligent about this since day 1 but I'm curious since it seems like few people do this...
pomegranate / 3604 posts
ours says on the handle that by law the car seat has to be in an upright & locked position.
pineapple / 12234 posts
Yes and so did the fire station when we had them check our car seat. They didn't say why but my mom (an RN) said when she worked in the ER, they would see infants further hurt/killed because the bar was left up (she don't go into detail).
olive / 67 posts
My husband took our carseats for a installation inspection at the CHP and the officer told him to put the bar back at all times. He also told him not to dangle anything from the carseat or the seats - primarily to minimize anything that could go flying and bonk the babies should their be a sudden stop or accident.
coconut / 8279 posts
In the users manual on our carseat it says to put the bar all the way back while driving. It's so in the case of an emergency you can get the baby out of the seat easily and they're not trapped in their seat. If you're in an accident it's just another thing in the way taking up precious minutes trying to get your LO out.
clementine / 878 posts
The nurses didn't show us - we just followed what the car seat owners manual said (handle down for extra protection). With so many different car seats out there, I would definitely go by the users manual over what someone told me.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
@Goldilocks1107: so there might be carseats out there that say to leave the handle up in a position you would use to carry it? I was curious if the hospital or place where you got your carseat installed showed you the proper way to put your carseat in the car. I'm also surprised at the number of people who don't follow the putting the bar back rule.
Thankfully, we'll be moving on to a convertible soon. I'm hoping that will give us some more room because that bar takes up some precious space in my little Mazda 3.
pear / 1946 posts
Our hospital told us that they couldn't tell us anything about the carseat or how to put her in it. I think it was a liability thing for them. So it was kinda scary putting her in it the first time and not having any feedback. I usually put the handle down though because it gets in the way of me seeing her in the mirror!
coconut / 8472 posts
We're planning to get the Britax chaperone, and instructions say the handle can be in any locked position.
coconut / 8279 posts
@BeachMama: same here. they actually told us it would be a liability and to read the instruction booklet. good thing I did a month before DS was born 
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
We were told to read the instruction manual, and that all car seats vary
ETA: I just read the manual for our Chicco and it says any locked position is ok, whether its up or down. but that's just the Chicco, other brands could be different.
persimmon / 1396 posts
The manual for our carseat (Graco Snugride 22) says to have it all the way down or up and locked. If it touches the back of the front seat, to not have it down. We keep it up at all times.
apricot / 475 posts
Our car seat has to have the handle upright when driving, it's part of the safety system of the seat. We have a maxi cosi cabriofix.
clementine / 824 posts
We have a Chicco Keyfit. The manual says that the handle can be in any of the locked positions, so we keep it in the carry position for space purposes.
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
I have the keyfit, which i'm seeing PPs say can be any. I lock it behind her because I envision it snapping and hitting her in a crash..
also my ped said back.
coconut / 8498 posts
We have the B-Safe and the manual says it can be in any locked position. The car-seat expert at Great Beginnings told us that for the Britax seats, it's extra protection to have it up.
pomegranate / 3414 posts
Our car seat says to put the bar back but we can't because there isn't enough room (DH has to have his seat back as far as possible due to his long legs). We just make sure the seat is in a locked position.
pear / 1698 posts
We have a graco snugride. The manual said the handle had to be down, however at the inspection the firefighter looked it up and said Graco had updated their manual and our version of the car seat could have the handle in any position safely.
pomelo / 5000 posts
@Beachmama: I have a friend who is a nurse. A family asked for the hospital to check if the baby was in the car seat correctly, and she said he was. The family drove home and was in an accident, and the car seat wasn't secured in the car correctly. They came back to the hospital, upset because the nurse had told them it was okay. They are no longer allowed to say anything about the car seat, or what is (or is not) tucked in in the car seat, etc.
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