Seat protectors

[PAfirsttimemom]

Are products like the ones in the links below safe? Does anyone have experience with using them? We just bought a new car, and my DH wants to keep the car seats from damaging the leather seats. He currently has towels underneath the seats. Is that ok to do?

http://www.albeebaby.com/prince-lionheart-two-stage-seatsaver-grey.html

http://www.albeebaby.com/sunshine-kids-ultra-mat.html

http://www.albeebaby.com/sukisu.html

[KrisM]

The dents will pop out of seats pretty quickly. I have 3 seats installed in my car with leather seats. I took them out yesterday morning because I needed to haul something. I put them in today and the dents were gone.

If you really feel you need to use something, a thin towel is best. Anything thicker can affect the installation of the carseat.

[GraceH]

Are products like the ones in the links below safe? Does anyone have experience with using them? We just bought a new car, and my DH wants to keep the car seats from damaging the leather seats. He currently has towels underneath the seats. Is that ok to do?

http://www.albeebaby.com/prince-lionheart-two-stage-seatsaver-grey.html

http://www.albeebaby.com/sunshine-kids-ultra-mat.html

http://www.albeebaby.com/sukisu.html

STAY AWAY from the Prince Lionheart one (your first link) for sure... it is thick and not flexible at all and interferes with a proper installation in the majority of cases.
Other liners that are really flexible and thinner to allow proper installation and snugging in should be fine, but you'll have to install with and without yourself to compare and be sure.

[Joolsplus2]

Here's a handy chart (scroll down), made by one of the best tech instructors I know... http://carseatblog.com/?p=3275

[PAfirsttimemom]

Thanks for the link, Julie. So it sounds like the reviewer is saying don't bother with any seat protection. What do all you parents out there do? Does anyone use anything under their car seats? Julie, what do you do/recommend to parents yourself?

[arivecchi]

The dents will pop out of seats pretty quickly. I have 3 seats installed in my car with leather seats. :yeahthat:

[Joolsplus2]

I used to just use a thin one (Prince Lionheart made an original plasticy rubbery one that was perfect, I want to knock some sense into them and make them stop with this two-stage nightmare, lol), but honestly? I got tired of them. I have leather, and my van has had a variety of very tightly installed seats over the last 6 years, and the leather on the seats is the only part of the car that still looks nice and new. BRU has this one, I actually think it's the one that got a thumbs up for safety, and if I felt compelled to use one, I'd buy it... http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3721430&siteID=.xtN7GhgJEk-_q0WV9nWd9AupcfAYkbTeQ

[PAfirsttimemom]

Julie, I don't recall seeing the Sassy brand in that chart. Do you mean it got a thumbs-up for safety from some other source? Or were you referring to the Especially for Baby one from BRU? The reviewer said she got a secure install using that, but I don't think it helped at all with the indents in the seats. I would think it'd have to offer some protection, though.

[Joolsplus2]

Yeah, sorry, they renamed it from EB to Sassy, same thing, though.
Anything that actually will prevent dents is just plain too thick for a safe install, and dents just pop out after a day or a week, so don't worry about it :)

[PAfirsttimemom]

Thanks! I'm not the worried one...it's DH and DH's dad, who takes our DS once a week and just got a new car with leather seats, too. As long as a thin towel or protector won't be unsafe, I might let the men win this one.... :)