Car Seat Sun Shade Cover - Keep Your Baby's Carseat at a Cooler Temperature - Covers and Blocks Out Heat & Sun - Protection from UV Sunlight - Mommy's Helper

(Orig review: August 2012)Prior to this I was using a thick sheet to cover our car seat (Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite Convertible Car Seat, Nitron). I desired something a bit more "neat," lightweight, and easier to store.USEDeploying this with one hand can be difficult, but I have not found it to be impossible. To aid in one-hand use I sort of peel it off and tuck under the car seat rather than completely remove it so that I can just pull/stretch it back over when ready.I have a very bulky car seat and this stretches fine to provide more than adequate coverage.PERFORMANCEThus far I have been more than satisfied with the results. Once stretched on it stays on; no issues of slipping once in place. The car seat (buckles) remains a temperature in which I can still safely use it even on our hottest days.DURABILITYThe product is quite thin. I expect to have to replace it at some point, but with care it should last long enough to not make this fact a concern. For those who completely remove it to store there are elastic bands sewn in to help in neatly and safely storage.BOTTOM LINEI recommend this item. In fact, I'm purchasing another one for our other car seat. It is easy to use and does the job [if expectations are realistic]. No device is going to keep the interior of your car (and the things inside it) cool if you leave it baking in the sun. This product is great in protecting your car seat [fabric] from sun damage and can help in keeping the plastic and metal at a safe temperature. This is a great tool, especially when used in conjunction with other preventive measures (sun shade for windshield, side window shades for back seat, parking in the shade, etc).**UPDATE** (June 2013)Just ordered a new one as a replacement. The reflective layer detached from the fabric layer and tore off. I think I've been pretty gentle on this, but it was used on a regular basis as I keep the seat covered when not in use so frequent tugging during the weekly commute. I'm satisfied with the use I got out of the first.

This product was a life saver when I lived in a hot climate. It kept my child’s buckles from becoming hot. This kept the car seat several degrees cooler. I did not find it hard to use. And it fit well over our bigger car seat. It was durable enough to pass onto a friend when I was done using it.

This product is everything. I live in the southwest where it can get to 116 degrees in summer and I have to park my car outside. I was dreading switching my baby from the carry carseat to the convertible carseat because with the carry one, you bring it in the house and it never heats up. I was so worried about the sun beating down on the carseat and knowing how hot it gets for me, I couldn't imagine it for the baby. I bought this before it got really hot out and have been using it all summer. I absolutely love it. We have the Graco convertible turn to me carseat and it covers the whole seat portion. I can get it on with one hand while holding my baby and getting it off is even easier. It makes such a difference and keeps the buckles from getting ridiculously hot. While the chair does still get hot, it's so much more bearable and I don't feel as guilty putting my baby into the seat. If I want to add extra protection I throw a blanket or towel into the seat covering the buckles etc, and then put this on and that helps too. Everyone should have one. Not only for the heat but to protect from sun exposure that can degrade and damage the fabric and plastic of the seat!

Works nicely, it does help with the heatI put a pillow to help absorb more of the heat

I'm a little baffled by the reviews that say this product doesn't work. It does exactly what it is supposed to do: reflects the sun's rays and keeps the surface of the car seat from heating up too much. We used to use towels on our car seats; I feel that this sun shade works better, both because it covers the seat more fully and because it reflects light better. Yes, the car seat is still a bit warm on a hot day, but it is cool enough to be safe for my child.These covers stretch a lot. The shade covers my Chicco Nextfit very well, but it also covers the Diono Radian 100 in my husband's car. (We got the two pack of sunshades, just for the record.) The cover has to stretch more to cover the Radian, but it does cover it.The one complaint that has some truth to it is that it DOES take two hands to cover a car seat. In this respect, using an old beach towel is easier: you may be able to just flip a towel over the car seat with one hand and go. (Actually, I CAN'T do that, but maybe you can; I am clumsy!) So, yeah, it can be difficult to safely control your child while you cover up his/her seat. But I think the better protection you get from a sun shade is worth the extra work of covering up the car seat.Bottom line: these shades are really quite inexpensive. I don't know why you wouldn't want one, to be honest, especially if you live in a hot, sunny climate.

It helps keep the car seat cool, but not as much as I had hoped. Depending on the size of your car and car seat, it can be challenging to get the cover on and have it stay in place.