Seat Protectors

[Marmy]

For the Techs out there. What is the latest standing on the use of seat protectors under car seats? I was specifically looking at the one in the One Step Ahead/Leaps and Bounds catalog that claims to be made of foam to protect the seat from indentations.

Thank You
Maria

[Joolsplus2]

I'm not sure the compressible foam ones are a terrific idea...I'm more inclined to use the heavy duty prince lionheart seatsaver (doesn't compress at all), as it rarely if ever interferes with proper installation. Plus, I've found my leather seats tend to bounce back from seat indentations whether I use a protector or not.
I've seen a cps tech at a check tell a mom that he would not install the seat if she insisted on the seat mat she brought, but I think as long as the seat installs properly with or without the mat, then it's perfectly safe.
I've used the sassy mat that is fleece on one side and nylon on the other, and it made my seats slip all over the place! I think they've updated that one so it's grippy stuff instead of slippy nylon on the bottom, though (sorry, you aked about that foam one, and I'm just rambling on here! I think I would not feel perfectly comfortable with a foam mat...that's what you asked :) )

Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[dhardawa]

I have to totally disagree. The only thing approved by NHTSA to go under car seats in shelf liner. At clinics, we refuse to put anything else under seats and that is the recommendation I would go with. It isn't worth a dead kid to find out if the seat protector was okay or not. Shelf liner has been crash tested.

Dana

[CPSDarren]

A thin layer (say 1/8" or less) of non-compressible material under a carseat is not likely to affect the installation. I use a Price Lionheart SeatSaver for some of our carseats, especially ones with sharp edges on the bottom.

Shelf liner is also OK, but like anything else under a carseat, it can give a false sense of security. Sometimes, a loose installation on leather seats will be prevented from slipping by the liner. The liner won't hold in a crash, so the seat is still loose.

It's a good idea to install a seat without anything under it first to make sure you can get it in tight. If you can, then it's usually OK to go back and put in a single layer of thin material under it to protect the seats. Thick, compressible material or multiple layers of folded towels or other items should never be placed under a forward facing child seat.

Darren
www.seatcheck.net