Is it safe to ride with the canopy up on a rear facing infant car seat?
July 5, 2009 by Bed Canopies and Outdoor Canopies Tips
Filed under More Canopy Answers
Can you answer kevandtrish@rogers.com’s question about Canopies?:
We have a rear facing infant car seat and have heard that you should not have the soft canopy/sun shade up while you’re driving. I’m curious as to why?
Canopies Tips
We have a rear facing infant car seat and have heard that you should not have the soft canopy/sun shade up while you’re driving. I’m curious as to why?
Canopies Tips
Canopies Feedback: You can have the canopy up..
It’s the handle that’s supposed to be put down…. And that’s not true for EVERY car seat…. It’s just a general rule of thumb.
You should check the manual for your car seat… You need to follow those rules exactly… ~
Canopies Feedback: I don’t think its the shade that’s the problem. Its the bar that needs to be lowered. Or I guess you could even call it the handle.
Canopies Feedback: idk
Canopies Feedback: I drive with mine up, just because I never found a shade that would stick to my window, so the canopy was the only other option… But I know your not supposed to drive with the handle up, why I’m not sure, but I remember the nurse telling us when we took our son home
Canopies Feedback: My manual specifically says the sunshade has to be back when in the car. But frankly its a light bit of plastic and cloth that unclips if you breathe on it the wrong way. I just don’t get why you can’t use it … but I don’t because I am paranoid.
Canopies Feedback: It completely depends upon what the manual says. If it says to keep the canopy down in the car then you absolutely need to keep it down b/c that means it either is not crash tested with the canopy up or it failed crash testing with the canopy up. Think about whether you want that thing fling in your baby’s face in a crash and suffocating him.
As for the handle - this depends completely on the manual/seat as well. Many nowadays actually allow it to be in the up position while driving. Evenflo does not. Graco does.
The truth of the matter is that crash test results are not released to the public, so we can’t be absolutely sure why a company says the handle or canopy can be up/down. But its best to follow their rules since they and they alone know how it performed best.