Nursery product reviews
£17.99
Sarah Queenan 'Living With' the SnoozeShade Infant Car Seat
I’m Sarah, I’m 33 and I live in Poole in Dorset with my lovely husband Alex and gorgeous baby boy Charlie, who was born in December 2012 and will be my little testing helper. I am currently enjoying maternity leave and when I get time, I like to fit in some crafts and baking alongside seeing friends and fellow mummies. We are lucky to live in a beautiful area of the country and try to get out and about as much as possible for days trips, walks and picnics - so lots of opportunities to use the SnoozeShade!
Living With Review
Jump to a Month: September 2013 | October 2013 | Final Summary
First Impressions
With the lovely hot summer we have been enjoying I am really pleased to be testing the infant car seat SnoozeShade as I think it will come in really handy when out and about with my BeSafe iZi Go car seat. My first impressions are good… It looks and feels like really good material and workmanship, with zips and seams that can take a lot of use. I also love that the edging and Velcro straps are fluorescent yellow, plus the zip is a bright green – there is no struggling to find them amidst a tangle of black fabric! Also, it comes in a handy little drawstring bag that you can get the shade back into without a fight, very compact and lightweight so easy to carry. The packaging and instructions are very clear, fitting it looks like it will be very simple. I’m looking forward to trying it out!
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I have now had a good play with the three fitting positions for the SnoozeShade. Unfortunately, due to the height and shape of the handle on the BeSafe iZi Go car seat the ‘over the handle’ fit is not an option – the fabric cannot fit underneath the front of the seat sufficiently enough to avoid it springing back. Suspended from the handle seems to work fine with the car seat empty so I will be able to use it this way, including folded back up as a sun canopy.
September the 15th 2013
Charlie has always been quite a long baby and his toes have been peeping over the edge of his Stage 0+ car seats since he was only 4½ months old. When I saw that the SnoozeShade was secured around the car seat by its elastication only, I did wonder how it would handle this problem. I think when Charlie was a few months younger and less active we would have got away with it – now at 9 months? Charlie 1, SnoozeShade 0! This may be due to the shape of the BeSafe iZiGo car seat, I plan to give it a go in out other car seat (MaxiCosi Cabriofix) when the opportunity arises.
September the 20th 2013
When Charlie is awake it continues to be a fight
to keep the SnoozeShade on – he kicks it free from the bottom of the seat, and if I am using it in shade mode he tries to grab it and pull it down. However, I did get to use it yesterday when he was asleep – I was caught short without the waterproof cover for my car seat so used the SnoozeShade to briefly shelter him from the rain, not its intended purpose I know but it does show how handy it can be, especially as it is so small and easy to stow away.
September the 27th 2013
We are visiting relatives for a week so looking for new opportunities to use the SnoozeShade. We used it successfully once on the journey up, fitting it whilst Charlie was asleep to encourage him to remain so whilst we popped into the services for a quick break. It did keep him asleep though he seemed more upset than usual when he woke up, not being used to waking up to it being so dark. Maybe if he had become used to using one from a younger age it would not be a problem.
We went for a walk down by the river today and were attacked by midgies – Charlie was snoozing so we slipped on the SnoozeShade to protect him from being bitten, another use that hadn’t occurred to us before!October the 11th 2013
We had to use our other car for a few days this week so were using our other car seat - a MaxiCosi Cabriofix. The SnoozeShade fitted this seat better as there is more of a lip for it to hold onto and Charlie's geet don't hang over the edge so much. When hung from the handle as a sunshade it also seems neater, and more effective that the seat's own solution. When used as a sun shade on the BeSafe iZiGo it hangs more loosely and Charlie has succeeded in grabbing it, also, as the iZiGo has a very good sunshade it doesn't actually provide much extra benefit used like this.
October the 17th 2013
Just in the duration of doing this review Charlie has become so much more active - he is now crawling and cruising with confidence, and has undergone another big growth spurt. We haven't had a chance to use the SnoozeShade this week as whenever we have tried it has been kicked off, even when Charlie was asleep!
October the 24th 2013
A friend who is expecting saw me with the SnoozeShade today and I told her about my experiences with it so far. She will be off on holiday when her little one is only 3 months so thought it would be great for protecting her little one from the sun. I also wondered if it could be used to help keep a car seat a little cooler when left in the car in the sun - sadly, not something I can test unless we get an autumn heatwave!
November the 3rd 2013
Again, we haven't really been able to use the SnoozeShade this week. To be honest, due to doing this review I have probably persisted with trying to use it for much longer than I would have normally, and by now would have already packed it away ready for our next new arrival and upgraded to one of the larger SnoozeShades designed for pushchairs.
The SnoozeShade for infant car seats is a great product though I would recommend trying it out on your choice of seat before buying as it doesn’t fit some types as well as it does others. It is likely to be invaluable in your little one’s early months for naps and protection from the elements, plus it is very easy to use and carry around. However, its usefulness will become limited once baby’s feet reach over the edge of the car seat and you’ll be packing it away quite a bit before you stop using your infant carrier.
