Cybex Cloud T Lie Flat

[jolies1]

Hi,

I have the Cybex Cloud T car seat which reclines fully when attached to the travel system.

I know that baby shouldn’t be in car seat for long periods, but is this the case when the car seat is fully reclined as part of the pram?

We have a short trip away when baby will be 4 months and wondering if we can get away with just taking the car seat section for the travel system instead of bassinet/pram seat?

Apologies if this is a silly question wondering if the lie flat function makes a difference?

[BertieBotts]

It's not totally flat. It's about a 23 degree incline, which is certainly much flatter than other car seats (which are somewhere between 30-40 degree incline).

Officially, I understand that the "2 hour rule" on the guidance is nullified if you have a true lie flat e.g. a car carrycot. However, there is no research specifically on these "lie flat" seats which aren't truly flat. In terms of sleep safety, it is too much of an incline to be considered safe for overnight sleep - the Fisher Price Rock n Play was recalled in the US due to being found to be responsible for the deaths of dozens of infants due to positional asphyxiation. While this is not a car seat, it was marketed in the US as a sleep aid suitable from birth and the incline of that product was 30 degrees. The FDA (American safety agency) who recalled it recommend that sleeping products should be at a maximum incline of 10 degrees.

OTOH, a 4 month old is not a newborn, and does have some head control and is considered OK to be propped in a semi-reclined position, as long as this is not for overnight sleep. If you wanted to use the guidance as a rule of thumb, 2 hours is a fairly long stretch - I did use a (non reclining) car seat on a pram fairly often at this age and I didn't find it difficult to stick to the 2 hour limit per stretch at all. All you have to do in terms of breathing safety is remove them from the seat for a few minutes and allow them to change position. IME, you naturally do take the baby out of the seat fairly often anyway - to feed them, to change them, to give them a cuddle, to show them something, to let them have a stretch and roll around. You wouldn't strap them into the car seat and leave them in it for hours because it would be boring for them. If you were thinking to bring the pram to restaurants in the evening and let LO sleep, that might turn out to be a longer stretch - you might want to consider this with your partner and see what you feel comfortable with.

Sorry it isn't a clearer answer. It really is a bit of a grey area and down to parental decision.

If you want to understand a bit more about why an incline can be dangerous to young babies I have a link I can share but it doesn't work properly on MN so you have to do a bit of a workaround to get it to show up.

[jolies1]

Thank you for such a detailed answer! We will have a carrier also but mainly wanted to see if it would be an option for some naps on the go (over lunch or the odd dinner if baby will settle).

[Toomanychoices123]

Hi, just wondering about this same car seat. We do a lot of driving and also I wanted something that isn’t too heavy, how have you got on with this seat? Is it worth the price tag?

[Matildahoney]

@Toomanychoices123 it's a pretty heavy car seat, but so far we really like it. It seems pretty sturdy.

[Toomanychoices123]

Hmmm, looking for a lie flat car seat that isn’t too heavy but I guess that safety is the main concern. Want to put it on a pram too if baby falls asleep

[BertieBotts]

@Toomanychoices123

Hmmm, looking for a lie flat car seat that isn’t too heavy but I guess that safety is the main concern. Want to put it on a pram too if baby falls asleep

What is the reason that you want a lie flat? As explained above, the "lie flat" isn't actually flat, so it is mostly marketing and some of the reasons people choose lie flat can be met by other methods in other seats, which might be lighter.

(This is not to say that lie flat is totally pointless - it is one way of achieving the things that it does! And the Cybex seat is a very good one.)

[Toomanychoices123]

@BertieBotts this is my 3rd baby and the other two didn’t have a lie flat baby seat, on longer car journeys (within the 2 hours) I felt that breathing was still a bit compromised as they looked quite squashed so I guess it’s more for comfort. We do hour, sometimes hour and half car journeys regularly so need something comfortable and to be as flat as it can possible. I can see how it might be a bit of a marketing ploy though so trying to weigh up the options as it’s a pricey seat!

[BertieBotts]

OK I would look at Avionaut Pixel Pro 2 or Avionaut Cosmo. It's not lie flat, but the seats have a different design so the position for babies is much much flatter than an ordinary car seat, it's very clever and does look comfy for them. It's also really light (2.5kg) and compatible with all the major pram brands (goes onto the standard Maxi Cosi/Cybex adapters). It's quite hard to find a photo of a newborn in one but here:

https://www.facebook.com/kidsonboardsafechoices/posts/709329067902807

You could also look at the Britax Babysafe 5Z2 which is slightly lighter than the Cybex.

[Toomanychoices123]

@BertieBotts thanks for that. Have never heard of that brand so will have a look. I do feel the lie flat option might be a bit of a gimmick. Can I ask, how do you know so much about car seat?! I’m impressed! It’s a bit of a minefield out there!

[BertieBotts]

Honestly? It's an ADHD special interest 😆

I did also work with car seats for a bit in a baby shop getting people fitted etc. I'd say I learnt more overall information on my own by self-teaching, but I did get some useful hands on experience by fitting - different children, differences between seats, different vehicles - which can't be self taught.

Also I have three children so have been through a few car seats (13...+?) with them.