You know you're a CPS addict when...

[scatterbunny]

...it's 1:15 am and you're still up reading the boards. :rolleyes:

[Robert]

I'm not so sure that addict is the word to use, how about dedicated

[Jeanum]

You're worried the ice storm that is coating everything in your area with a layer of ice will cause the UPS truck carrying your new Radian to crash, or the delivery person to slip and fall and damage the Radian. ;) :o

[chaoticoctopus]

...Your children can explain nearly as well as you yourself can, why their 2.5y/o sister is still RFing, the 5y/o sister is harnessed in a HWH, and even the 7 and 9y/o are sitting in full HBB... ;)

[AdventureMom]

... you can glance down the carseat aisle and tell in 5 seconds what seats they have on display by the covers alone...

[Jeanum]

I thought of another one: when your 5 year old DD tries to warn other parents about the dangers of propping infant seats on top of shopping carts when she sees anyone doing this when we're shopping. DD has earned some glares as well as some grins and laughs. She did this most recently at BRU, where one mom gave us the evil eye, and another friendlier mom's limited English and my minimal Spanish hindered getting much of a message across other than hola and adios, lol.

[lovinwaves]

You know you're a CPS addict when....Your husband starts pointing out misusage, and has the urge to say something :D :o

[hsjwmom]

....You're checking out the carseat section at a store and your 6 yo asks if they have a Radian!

[AdventureMom]

....You're checking out the carseat section at a store and your 6 yo asks if they have a Radian!

ROTFL! That's great...

[Lara]

... you walk into target and your 2.5 yo asks if she can sit in the carseats "just for a few minutes". (she said it like I was going to say no! hahaha, my child must not know me)

[skaterbabscpst]

....when your ten yo gets MAD when his friends don't listen when HE tells them they need boosters because they don't pas the 5 Step Test. rofl

[mominabigtruck]

Your 4yo is telling all the other little kids in preschool that they're not safe because they don't have carseats.

[Michi]

You go to visit relatives out of town, and you tell DH that you need to stop by the local Wal-Mart because you "forgot" something...( but it's really because you just want to see if they have the new Uptown in stock!) ;)

[Shaunam]

When everytime you go to the store, you have to spend at least 5 minutes in the car seat aisle, fiddling with the seats, hoping that someone will think you look knowlegable and ask for your help. :o (btw, it hasn't happened yet, in fact, I've NEVER seen anyone else in the car seat aisle and I'm there a LOT :rolleyes: )

[scatterbunny]

These are great! :D

And Robert, I think you're right--dedicated is the right word choice. ;)

[Patriot201]

You're worried the ice storm that is coating everything in your area with a layer of ice will cause the UPS truck carrying your new Radian to crash, or the delivery person to slip and fall and damage the Radian. ;) :o

LOL! I've been there! "That delivery person better not slip and damage my __________!"

[Patriot201]

... you can glance down the carseat aisle and tell in 5 seconds what seats they have on display by the covers alone...


LOL!

Or you can glance down the aisle to see if they have any new seats/covers on display! :)

[Patriot201]

You know you're a CPS addict when... you know more about the upcoming seats/developments in seats than the reps from the companies!

Have you ever gotten the "Well, I'll be darned..." response when speaking to a rep because you know more about the seats their company is about to release than they do? I have gotten that with the Graco rep (regarding the Safe Seat 2). It was pretty funny!!

[joolsplus3]

...it's 1:15 am and you're still up reading the boards. :rolleyes:

You can't get to the car in the garage without tripping over at least one seat, and most of the drawers in your house have at least one piece of carseat flotsam in them (how DID that locking clip get in my bathroom drawer with the cotton balls????)

:D

[cantech]

...your husband calls to say I just saw the "Roll over simulator" on the highway and thought of you!

The roll over simulator is the cab of a truck mounted on a rotating axis that demonstrates how easily ejection occurs for unrestrained occupants. The RCMP use it at schools and safety shows as a public awareness tool.

And yes...this actually happened just this morning! This threads alot of fun!

Belinda

[scatterbunny]

Belinda, that rollover simulator sounds AWESOME! I wish there was video of it so I could show people.

[joolsplus3]

When everytime you go to the store, you have to spend at least 5 minutes in the car seat aisle, fiddling with the seats, hoping that someone will think you look knowlegable and ask for your help. :o (btw, it hasn't happened yet, in fact, I've NEVER seen anyone else in the car seat aisle and I'm there a LOT :rolleyes: )

That happened to me once... it happened to be a deaf woman wanting 2 booster seats for her kids, and I had to try to talk her out of buying shield boosters (How to delicately inform her they are deathtraps without being able to sign...? So awkward... I think she didn't buy them though)

(hint, those have been off the market for 3+ years... another thread for 'how LONG have you been carseat-dedicated' might be good, lol)

[Splash]

Your partner calls you at work to tell you that your best friend's employer is ordering a Radian for her car and you will FINALLY get to touch it.

Or your child sees a car seat and goes ape wanting to sit in it and buckle up.

[Jeanum]

...when the doorbell rings and it's UPS delivering a package, and your 5 year old DD automatically assumes it's a new carseat before she can see the actual box or its contents.*

*Yayyyy UPS got here with the Radian, and DD1 has growing room before her shoulders reach the top slots. :D I haven't had a chance to try installing in DH's car because of a lap napping toddler and no backup child care until DH finishes his work day. At least it won't take him long to get home this evening since he's telecommuting from the basement, lol. Hmmm, since his car is here, maybe I could buckle up snoozing DD2 in the Radian and try to install it? Just kidding, I promise. ;)

[lovinwaves]

Belinda, that rollover simulator sounds AWESOME! I wish there was video of it so I could show people.

There is Jenny! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9LdtNdaLQ4

There are some better ones if you do a search.

[AdventureMom]

Here's one I posted on a previous thread, but's it's actual crash footage of a guy falling asleep at the wheel, without his seatbelt on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX3VBbf28Vo

ETA: Notice how the driver's seat is totally undamaged - he would've been fine with his seatbelt...

[scatterbunny]

There is Jenny! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9LdtNdaLQ4

There are some better ones if you do a search.

That is cool, but it doesn't show anything drastic like dummies flying out of windows. ;)

[scatterbunny]

Here's one I posted on a previous thread, but's it's actual crash footage of a guy falling asleep at the wheel, without his seatbelt on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX3VBbf28Vo

ETA: Notice how the driver's seat is totally undamaged - he would've been fine with his seatbelt...

Bookmarked it!

And Jean--woohoo! :D I can't wait to hear how it installs and how dd fits when it's in the car.

[lovinwaves]

That is cool, but it doesn't show anything drastic like dummies flying out of windows. ;)


HOw about this one then Jenny.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEkWmmqP3q8&mode=related&search=

[Shaunam]

That happened to me once... it happened to be a deaf woman wanting 2 booster seats for her kids, and I had to try to talk her out of buying shield boosters (How to delicately inform her they are deathtraps without being able to sign...? So awkward... I think she didn't buy them though)

(hint, those have been off the market for 3+ years... another thread for 'how LONG have you been carseat-dedicated' might be good, lol)

Aww man, I wish it had been me! I want to give out car seat advice AND practice signing. I haven't had a chance to sign with anyone fluent since I decided to learn ASL. I have no idea how well I can communicate and it's driving me nuts! It's like, I know many signs, but I don't know how well I'd do in a real situation, does that make sense?

[scatterbunny]

HOw about this one then Jenny.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEkWmmqP3q8&mode=related&search=

Good one, thanks! It's on my favorites list. :)

[Robert]

,,,,,,,,As an instructor, you have 50 cars seat in the basement and no children.

[JaRylan]

....you get excited when you find toy car seats that actually function like a car seat should (or at least they look like they would).

Jacqui

[cantech]

Jenny,

The links lovinwaves gave you are very similar to the one we have here. The last time I was at a demo I wanted to get them to put tennis balls in to show what happens to all the stuff most people leave loose in their vehicles but they wouldn't go for it.

Belinda

[Patriot201]

Aww man, I wish it had been me! I want to give out car seat advice AND practice signing. I haven't had a chance to sign with anyone fluent since I decided to learn ASL. I have no idea how well I can communicate and it's driving me nuts! It's like, I know many signs, but I don't know how well I'd do in a real situation, does that make sense?

That makes complete sense!! My best friend is fluent in ASL and has taught me a little bit. Even if I memorized a bunch of signs, I have difficulty with the sentence structure. It is very different from spoken English! :)

[Patriot201]

,,,,,,,,As an instructor, you have 50 cars seat in the basement and no children.
LOL!! I can see how that would prove you are an addict! :)

[broken4u05]

When you are not a mom and not an instructor and still have many seats and always go to look at car seats just for fun.
I am not completly nuts i do drive around kids i am a nanny to 2 and a godmother to 3 but i did not have to buy any seats and i have... I bought a seat just to keep the 4 year old in a 5 pt harness in my car..

[Mumoflittleguys]

...When your husband refuses to take you to Target when you have a head cold because he knows you're only going to peek at the car seat aisle.

...When you want your husband to get a new car solely because you'll need spare car seats to go in it.

...When you've spent much time and energy thinking about just how many people the kids could possibly ride with who just might need spare seats, and how to convince them to buy a Radian so that you can finally get your hands on one.

[Dillipop]

...when there is carseat misuse on TV and before you can mention anything, DH says "ok, enough with the carseats!"

...when you try your kid out in a booster and he wants to know where the seatbelt is.

[Lara]

[QUOTE=Dillipop;75074
...when you try your kid out in a booster and he wants to know where the seatbelt is.[/QUOTE]

My dd does this too! The first time she was JUST two, I put her in a turbo just for kicks and she started screaming "It's beoken it's beoken!" (beoken=broken lol)

I thought of another one.... when your marathon's extra d-ring is laying on your bedroom floor but you don't care. (anything else bothers me, but that d-ring doesn't for some reason)

[AdventureMom]

.... you have a dream that you're driving down the road and you look in the backseat. Someone has stolen the carseats...! (had this dream two nights ago)

[flipper68]

Belinda, that rollover simulator sounds AWESOME! I wish there was video of it so I could show people.

AAA helped the State Patrol get one here. It's pretty cool - the crash dummies go flying!

[Simplysomething]

What about, when you see babies that are over 12 months and over 20 lbs but...think, OMG that baby is totally too small to be ff'ing. Even though a year or two ago, it would have seemed perfectly reasonable.

Or when you see other people with kids you follow them (with your eyes, not all cps stalkerish---)..to spy on how they are restained in the car. (and it's almost NEVER in a way that is really safe.)

Iluvbabies? My second DS, he's forever proclaming that things are boke and that we need to bix them. I HAVE buckled him into a booster before! LOL. But he didn't care either way. (I was trying to install his carseat again, and no one was home to watch him while I did it, so I buckled him into my older DS's booster. Prevented him from running into the street..lol)

Or! Your family refers to you as the carseat police (but still doesn't listen when you tell them correct information. grr.

I go to the carseat aisle at target to drool. We did end up getting DS1's TB from there, but that was because both Kmart and Walmart were out. (Well, Kmart had a girly one, and he would go for that, and walmart only had the lowback). Target and Sears are the only places I've seen Britax seats upclose. Probably TRU too, but I don't go in there that often.

Babble babble babble?

So, how do we start a campaign to get baby clothing manufacturers to stop making those baby sacks that are as thick as comforters...with the "slot" for the harness to go through?

[DaniCPST]

**When you have a D-ring in every position in your car, your hubby's car, sisters car, moms car, SIL's car, and then extras hanging on the coat rack in the garage. Oh and you don't even have a kid that rf's in a Britax any more.

**When you can spend 4 hours on the internet looking at carseats and reading reviews, and feel like it has only been 20 minutes.

**When your husband knows he can get anything by offering to let you buy a new carseat...that you do not need!

**When you daughter says "she isn't as safe as me because she is in a booster!" about various classmate's who are no longer in 5-pt harnesses.

[Alicia-N-2SafeBugs]

- When you feel like you may need to ask for a paper bag to help with your hyperventilating as you watch a mom put her snowsuit clad baby in an infant seat (this happened today at ds' field trip).

-When it takes you 20 minutes to re-install your son's carseat in a different position b/c you "just have to see" how it fits in various positions in the van both RF and FF.

-When your spouse refuses to install the carseats because he's afraid he won't do it as well as you.

-When you want to have a new baby just so you can buy a new carseat.

[skaterbabscpst]

I, with great sadness, parted with my spare d-ring recently. Now I only have one....of course I don't have a child small enough to RF any more either. LOL

Alicia, my dh is like that too. He will do it, but only if he HAS to.

[drey]

... you dream that you own your own car seat store. So that you don't have to drive all over town to try out different car seats. And, every employee was a tech, so that parents would have access to information AND know how to install their seat correctly. And, each section had both a bench AND a captain's chair to try the seat on, before lugging it out to their vehicles to do a test install with a tech. Along with information posted on large posters all over the store (state law, advantages of rf to max of convertible seat, use of LATCH & seatbelts - NOT together, etc.)...

You guys have corrupted me... :p