FAQs

All SnoozeShade products are guaranteed for one year from the date of purchase.

Cara says: “I am very proud of the fact that we set such high standards in our manufacturing
that we very rarely get faults.”

We sell thousands of SnoozeShades every year and the vast majority are perfect. If, however, a small problem occurs, please email customercare@snoozeshade.com and our team will be happy to help you.

You can also sign up for an extended, quibble-free warranty for two years - simply sign up here.

I get asked all the time about the safety of my products and quite right too! I have always been obsessed with product safety.

Discover more about how SnoozeShade was created, how it protects your baby in the sun and how it also helps maintain your baby’s sleep routine.

If you still have a question, please get in touch with us at customercare@snoozeshade.com and we’ll be happy to help.

All black SnoozeShades give maximum sun protection, blocking 99% of UVA and UVB rays, with a rating of UPF50+. Created especially for us, SnoozeShade fabric is also air permeable.

The Deluxe range (coloured silver) blocks up to 97.5% of UV. 

SnoozeShade offers the highest level of sun protection on the market and is approved by the Melanoma International Foundation.

While other sunshades claim to offer UPF50+ protection, many have transparent panels for baby to see out. This won’t offer the same sun protection and UV rays can get in.

SnoozeShade’s fabric is darker than others on the market because it offers the most protection; just one layer of our fabric blocks 80% of UV and we use two layers.

Clever, child-safe zips allow you to check on your baby frequently.

All SnoozeShade products block 94% of light, which means it will be significantly darker inside your baby’s pushchair, cot or car seat.

SnoozeShade helps your baby sleep by removing visual distractions. How many times has your baby fought against going to sleep because they are interested in what’s going on around them?

Parents have reported that their baby will happily nap under their SnoozeShade, no matter where they are.

Your child can still make out shapes and movement and tell if it’s day or night but it takes away their ability to latch onto anything stimulating.

One question we’re often asked, jokingly, is: ‘is it soundproof?’ It’s not but parents have successfully used SnoozeShade at noisy weddings, at festivals, in airports, at theme parks and in brightly lit shopping centres with great success because it takes away their baby’s ability to latch onto anything stimulating. 

The end result is a well-rested child, which is great news for everyone.

Visit our instructions page for detailed information on how to fit your exact SnoozeShade. Some quick tips for each type are below:

SnoozeShade for prams and pushchairs
Great news; SnoozeShade fits every pram and stroller.
The size and shape of your pushchair determines whether you need to use some or all of the straps. Not using all the straps? Tuck unused ones away to avoid the Velcro catching the fabric.

SnoozeShade for Infant Car Seats:
Wrap the two top straps tightly around the rigid carry handle as shown in the image here. This enables you to carry the car seat as normal, with your arm through the carry handle.

For Maxi-Cosi car seats with a canopy; lower/remove this when using SnoozeShade. For car seats with a hood, in cooler weather use SnoozeShade on top of the hood, as it provides support. In hot weather, lower the hood to allow hot air to escape. Car seat hoods are not made of air-permeable fabric - SnoozeShade is.

SnoozeShade for Cots and Travel Cots:
Attach all the straps around the legs of the cot for safety purposes. If possible, double wrap the straps for the safest fit.

SnoozeShade’s unique fabric is woven and air permeable. You can put it over your face and breathe comfortably through it. This means that air can circulate freely to keep your baby healthy and happy.

Fabrics called ‘breathable’ are not necessarily air-permeable, so avoid cheap copies and buy the best.

The colour of a fabric has little to do with how hot it gets but there are lots of great reasons why our fabric looks the way that it does:

• SnoozeShade is made from air-permeable woven mesh containing lots of small holes that allow fresh air to circulate
• SnoozeShade’s fabric is tested by a well-respected, independent laboratory and scores highly for air permeability
• Black is the best colour for UV protection, as it blocks the majority of UV rays without needing to be chemically treated

To find out more about how SnoozeShade’s fabric keeps your baby protected and happy, read this piece where we were helped by one of the UK’s leading thermal physicists to explain the science behind the colour versus heat question.

In one word - absolutely!

You can use SnoozeShade products at any time of year when you want to encourage your baby to sleep in the pushchair, baby car seat or cot, or when you want to protect them from strong sun.

In cooler months, SnoozeShade stretches over foot muffs and keeps light rain, wind and chill at bay. It’s great at protecting your baby’s eyes when the sun is low in the sky in the Spring, Autumn and Winter or on a bright sunny Summer’s day.

It's also great for protecting from cats, mosquitos, midges and other biting insects.

Yes, but don’t just take our word for it.

Consumer group and respected test site Which? said: “Our tester was impressed. Her baby slept for twice as long as he usually would when in his buggy. It even helped her baby get to sleep in the middle of a noisy toddler group.”

Using SnoozeShade helps you maintain your baby’s sleep routine wherever you are – in restaurants and cafes, while camping, in shopping centres, at theme parks, in airports and even during festivals. The possibilities are endless.

SnoozeShade is like a portable blackout blind for families on-the-go, allowing you to get out and about while still maintaining your baby’s sleep routine.

It’s the only baby sun shade of its kind to be endorsed by international baby sleep experts, be approved by the Melanoma International Foundation and to have won more than 70 awards including Mother & Baby Gold for Innovation, Dadsnet Gold and Made for Mums Gold.

Cara says: “Until I invented SnoozeShade, the only option for parents was to throw makeshift items like blankets or muslins over the pushchair. These aren’t always made of air permeable fabric, don’t provide sun protection and may simply fly off at the slightest breeze. You also have to lift them to check on your baby, letting in light that wakes them up.”

• SnoozeShade becomes a ‘sleep trigger’ for babies – like a bedtime routine or closing the curtains in the nursery. Your baby starts to recognise that when SnoozeShade goes on, it’s time to sleep.
•. SnoozeShade removes the external distractions that stop your baby getting to sleep. It creates a cosy, comfortable and healthy nap environment wherever you are.
•. Deeper, longer sleep with no interruptions means your baby gets the sleep that he or she needs - and we all know that well-rested, happy babies mean everyone in the family has an easier time!
•. Many parents also use SnoozeShade to prevent well-meaning people from touching and disturbing their sleeping baby.

If your baby is under six months, doctors recommend they are kept out of direct sunlight completely; their skin does not have enough melanin to prevent burning. If you can’t prevent your tiny baby being exposed to the sun (such as at a wedding), apply a small amount of sun cream and wash off when you are no longer in the sun.

Over six months, you should use a child-friendly (and preferably organic and reef-safe) sun cream on all exposed areas of skin of at least UPF30+.

You can also protect your child’s delicate skin by using lightweight, long sleeved and legged clothing, sun hats and baby-safe sunglasses. Seek shade as much as you can and try to avoid going out in the midday sun.

For further advice on keeping your child safe in the sun, we recommend the UK’s NHS advice here and, if you are travelling abroad, it is worth checking local advice for the country you are visiting.

SnoozeShade offers your child a safe place in the shade, protected from the sun in a safe and air-permeable environment.

Try to avoid going out between 11am and 4pm when it’s very hot and sunny. If you do have to be out in excessively hot conditions, SnoozeShade protects your baby’s delicate skin from the sun’s harsh rays. Evidence shows that sun damage in the early years of life can increase a person’s risk of skin cancer later.

Remember
* If it’s hot and sticky outside, it will be hot and sticky inside the pushchair. Get to a cooler place. Consider buying a small bladeless or soft bladed clip-on pram fan
* If you’re not moving around, seek shade and turn the pram or car seat out of direct sunlight
* Be sure to check on your baby’s comfort regularly
* Pull your pushchair hood back under the SnoozeShade; hoods are not breathable and can trap hot air.

Cara says: “As a mother, I invented SnoozeShade to use with my own daughter; therefore, safety has always been at the heart of SnoozeShade product design.

“For me, safety must come first above all else and I am proud that SnoozeShade is a ‘function over fashion’ product. I won’t compromise on safety.”

SnoozeShade has been through rigorous safety testing. This level of testing is mainly voluntary as most baby products only need to be safe enough for a 3 year old with the viewpoint that an adult will be using it versus the baby. However, this wasn't taking it far enough for Cara and so all SnoozeShade products are designed to meet the same strict safety regulations as for a newborn toy.

SnoozeShade straps are shorter than 22cm to prevent being a strangulation hazard. This potential problem was highlighted on ‘Britain’s Next Best Thing’ (BBC2, 2011) when a pram accessory was rejected by safety experts for having overly long straps.

We use velcro and high-quality zips designed to comply with anti-choking regulations. The poppers we use are the only baby-safe certified poppers in the world.

Every product has been designed to comply with European Standards, particularly BS EN 71 (the standard for the safety of child use and care articles).

In addition, the SnoozeShade range has been designed to meet, tested, and is compliant with, the following UK, European and US safety standards.

BS EN 71-1:2014+A1:2018 Safety of Toys – Mechanical and Physical Properties
BS EN 71-2:2011+A1:2014 Safety of Toys – Flammability (our fabric self extinguishes)
EN71-32013+A3:2018 Migration of Certain Elements
CEN/TR 13387: Safety Guidelines
BS EN 13758 PART 1 (2002): UV Radiation Through Clothing
BS EN 13758 – 1:2002+A12007: Textiles Solar UV Protective Properties with measurement made in the visible light range
BS EN ISO 9237:1995 Air Permeability of Textile Fabrics
BS EN ISO 105-X12: 2002 Colour Fastness to Rubbing
BS EN ISO 5077: 2008/BS EN ISO 3759: 2011/ BS EN ISO 6330:2012: Dimensional stability to washing

BS EN ISO 14184-1: 2011: tests for presence of formaldehyde - not detected
REACH 1907/2006 Annex XVII: Cadmium content - not detected
REACH 1907/2006 Annex XVII entry 43: tests for presence of banned Azo dyes - not detected

US CPSC 16 CFR 1500.48 - sharp parts in toys

US CPSC 16 CFR 1500.49 - sharp metal in toys

US CPSC 16 CFR 1501 - choking, aspiration or ingestion hazards for children under 3 years of age

US CPSC 16 CFR 1500.44 - method for determining extremely flammable and flammable solids (Did NOT ignite)

US CPSC 16 CFR 1303  - Lead in paint

US CPSC 16 CFR 1307 - Phthalates content

Title 16, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter II - Consumer Products Safety Commission of USA - Part 1303 - Ban of Lead

CPSIA section 101 - Total Lead content

CPSIA section 101(f) (1) Lead in Paint

CPSIA section 101(a) (2) Lead in accessible substrate materials

US 16 CFR Part 1307 - Phthalates