7 AM ENFANT Nido Car Seat Cover Review

The first time I saw a picture of the 7 A.M. ENFANT Nido, my Carseat Safety Sensor started wailing: “Not safe! Not safe!” But then I looked a bit closer, and my Mommy Blogger Beacon started blaring: “This is genius! Must tell world!”

By now, hopefully all parents know that any extra fabric behind baby’s back is a car seat-safety no-no. We want to avoid traditional bunting bag-style car seat blankets and snowsuits, because while they keep baby warm, they do not allow car seat harnesses to be tight enough to keep her safe in the event of a crash. If you want more info on this, you’ve got to visit The Car Seat Lady. In fact, The Car Seat Lady had a hand in designing the Nido (and doesn’t benefit from it financially, interestingly enough).

So how does this thing work? Check it: The stretchy oval cut out in the back means it does not interfere with car seat straps in any way: Baby’s back is flush against the back of the car seat so straps can be tightened appropriately.
Little Miss’s legs aren’t quite long enough, but there are little footies, too:

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Here she is, swaddled and ready to head out to the car:

I use the car seat canopy my Mom made for us to protect her from the wind and sun:

Once we are in the car, I can easily unwrap her as the car warms up. Of course, the Nido is perfect when we are out in the stroller, too: I like using the Nido more than just a blanket because it envelopes her so nicely, offers warmth around her head and neck and can’t be kicked off. While the model we selected is just fleece, 7 A.M. ENFANT also makes a warmer, quilted model that looks like this:

I opted for the lighter-weight model so I could use it in the fall, then add a shower-cap style cover on top or dress her in her single-layer fleece snowsuit for additional warmth.

{update 11/21/15} What about in a convertible car seat?

Assuming you are carrying baby out to the car under a blanket or removing the snowsuit at the car, you can totally use the Nido in a convertible car seat. I happened to have a convertible car seat in my living room, so I tried it out: Shop & Connect