Infant Seat Covers - BundleMe or Kiddopotamus?

[babychi]

Hi - I have a December baby on the way, which means lots of bundling up for the Chicago winters! I have always considered purchasing the JJ Cole BundleMe for my Chicco Keyfit 30, but I've read some reviews that say the fit on it isn't the best on the Chicco. Anyone use both effectively?

Which is better - the JJ Cole BundleMe or the Kiddopotamus seat cover (which goes over the top of the seat)? It seems to me like the BundleMe is a better deal since you can also use it in strollers or anywhere else with a 5-point harness. TIA! :)

[Jacksmommy2b]

The bundle me may be more versitile, but there are some questions of saftey with any product that goes between baby and restraints.

I am also expecting a Dec baby and was all set to buy the bundleme, until the girls here talked me out of it.

This is the one we are buying:

http://www.target.com/Babys-World-Microfiber-Fleece-Cover/dp/B0011YUIKG/qid=1247582566/ref=br_1_16/175-6837167-1216368?ie=UTF8&node=13760421&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1

There are tons of varieties of covers out there - but I really like the dual zippers on this one. I think it will make taking baby in and out a lot easier.

As far as the bundle me on a stroller - we tried that with Jack who was a May baby and it worked alright through most of his first winter - but since it is designed for the baby bucket - he did outgrow it quickly. So I'm thinking, for a Dec babe, I'll keep him in the seat through the winter - but by next winter he will have outgrown the bundleme anyway.

We ended up buying the footmuff that was made specifically for our stroller. It was more expensive - I think around $59.00, but J is 3 now and can still be zippered up in it when it gets cold.


Good luck! (and we are almost 1/2 way there!)

[Joolsplus2]

The Kiddopotamus is what we call a 'shower cap' style cover, it's definitely the safest choice. The problem with the Bundle Me is that it hasn't been crash tested with your seat, and if it interferes with the strap placement or tightness on your child, your child could theoretically launch right out of the seat in a crash. And that's a risk we'd rather you not take with your precious little one. The Shower cap style ones just cover the top and don't interfere with crash performance.
You're right, though, the Bundle Me is great for strollers... there are also lots of style of those, I have a Company Kids one I got for $17 in the toddler size and used it from birth to age 3. You could spend as little as $30 and have both products :)

[HIU8]

You should get a showercap style cover only. These do not interefere with the harness at all. the bundle me, and covers like that one, can interfere with the harness making it loose fitting and dangerous to use. I had a polar fleece showercap cover from LL Bean. It was wonderful and very warm. I did put a blanket on top of DD inside the cover (but again, it did not interfere with the harness).

I could not find the one I had on llbean, but I did find a similar fleece cover on lands end:
http://www.landsend.com/ix/index.html?store=le&action=newSearch&search=carseat+cover&imageField.x=0&imageField.y=0

[DebbieJ]

Do NOT get the Bundle Me.

I'm in Chicago and just bought this one: http://www.landsend.com/pp/FleeceCarSeatCover~137028_-1.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::IVO&CM_MERCH=SRCH_00001&origin=search

It was on a sale a couple weeks ago, but looks like it went back up to full price. :(

[babychi]

Thanks - I will definitely avoid the BundleMe (just wish it wasn't so darn cute!) :) I found this one at Target, it's a showercap style by Baby's Cozy World...has anyone used this one? Thanks!

http://www.target.com/Babys-World-Microfiber-Fleece-Cover/dp/B000VQT4XC/sr=1-3/qid=1247591900/ref=sr_1_3/182-6385299-7483542?ie=UTF8&search-alias=tgt-index&frombrowse=0&index=target&rh=k%3Ababy%26%2339%3Bs%20cozy%20world&page=1

[mom2binsd]

The infant seat in that picture is a pretty old one (slightly smaller than the KeyFit you're getting)....I would keep the reciept just in case it doesn't fit.

I know the Lands End ones have been a good purchase for many BUT I had a winter baby in Utah and never had anything like this...I just used blankets and it worked fine....

[HIU8]

Oh, I forgot. I used my showercap style cover with a Safeseat. It just barely fit. It was a stretch, but it never popped off or anything. I don't know how the size of the keyfit 30 compares to the SafeSeat/Snugride 32 though.

[happymom]

I didnt know that the bundle me wasnt crash tested. I used it for my DD for 4 or 5 months, and I never noticed that the straps werent tight or anything like that. I don't understand why it would interfere with the efficiency of the harness. Can someone please explain this to me? Thanks

[Joolsplus2]

I didnt know that the bundle me wasnt crash tested. I used it for my DD for 4 or 5 months, and I never noticed that the straps werent tight or anything like that. I don't understand why it would interfere with the efficiency of the harness. Can someone please explain this to me? Thanks

Well, it may or may not interfere with the harness. All manuals strictly forbid adding padding and unregulated products to their seats, though, and we don't *know* that this will be harmless (they claim to have crash tested it...but with what seat? There are a couple dozen seats, different sized dummies, different crash pulses...they don't bother to elaborate if they spent those hundreds of thousands of dollars to be sure it's safe in every scenario). Also, remember that 99% of people are doing something else wrong with their seats...loose install, loose straps, wrong slots, chest clips at belly level, seats over reclined, thick winter jackets, extra harness padding, handles in the wrong position...if you add extra stuff under the baby, the chances that they will get things even more wrong goes up...what might have been a slightly loose harness without a bundle me, could be deadly loose with it, because there is extra padding under the baby that could add even more slack into the harness in a crash.
It may be completely safe, or it may be the straw that breaks the camel's back...I'd rather give the stronger warning that keeps kids as safe as possible, if that makes sense :)

[happymom]

Thanks for explaining!