I haven't been able to find any instructions whatsoever, on how to make a head support cushion (head hugger) for a car seat.

I figured that I had fabric, I had wadding and I have a sewing machine - how hard can it be to make one!

I guess the end result speaks for itself - better than nothing but not really good enough!

head hugger


I could have made it better. I was rushing, I was frazzled and I was making it up as I went along.

I thought I would post the instructions on how I made it just incase somebody can improve on it and come up with a reasonable one! LOL

Costs were negligable, an old pillowcase in the appropriate colour and some left over 6oz wadding.


Firstly make a paper template the fits inside the carseat, mark on the position of the shoulder straps. Make sure that when the straps are in the lowest position that the template does not cover the crotch strap.

paper template for car seat support cushion

paper template for car seat support cushion


Double up the fabric and mark out the shape of the car seat and positioning of the shoulder straps.

template on paper

Cut out the fabric 6cm wider around the sides and the top, and 1 cm wider at the base.

cut out fabric & template


Lay the fabric on a piece of 6oz wadding and cut the wadding to the same size as the fabric.

Fabric & wadding for head hugger


Turn over the top layer of fabric so that the pencil makrs are not visible and pin both layers of fabric to the wadding.

pinned head hugger


Stitch around the curved edge and turn the right way out (so that there is fabric on both sides of the wadding!

stitched basic support cushion


Stitch around the pencil mark from the paper template.

stitched outer


Cut a strip of fabric 4 cm wide and 2 cm longer than the cushion.

cushion edging strip


Iron 1cm in at each end. Then iron the strip in half lengthwise, then iron in the raw edge towards the middle of the strip so that you have a neat edge for sewing.

Edging Strip

Edging Strip


Pin the edging strip over the bottom edge of the cushion, enclosing bothe layers of fabric and the wadding sandwiched between them. Pin and stitch in place.

Fix the edging strip


Cut a strip of wadding long enough to go all the way around the curved edge of the cushion and about 8cm wide. Roll the wadding into a sausage.

Fold the cushioned curved edge of the cushion in toward the centre, using the stitched line as your guide for the outside edge. Pin it down and insert the wadding sausage into the gap.

inserting wadding sausage


Stitch the stuffed edging down and then make two large buttonholes over the pencil markings for the shoulder harness.

Sort of finished head support cushion

It was at this point I realised that I hadn't left enough room for the babies head! :oops:

So I added a couple more "button holes" slightly further down, so that the support cushion could accomodate both the harness and the babies' head! I'm hoping that with the shoulder cushions it will do - chances are it will only be used once, when I need to get home from the hospital after giving birth!

Here's hoping!