What do you do when...?

kdkm · Nov 11, 2009

I am not sure where to post this but its been bothering me so much lately so I have to get it out somewhere!

What do you do when you meet up with a tech to get your seat checked and they give you wrong/bad advice?

I brought my nieces snugride to be installed 2, almost 3, months ago and I have felt uneasy about it every since. The guy was nice and the seat seems very secure but something was off. First he told me I can't use the car seat without the base which I knew was completely not true. Then he proceeded to say that you can keep the handle all the way up but most people put it down (in the position even with the seat which I know is not allowed). The he said you can get baby a bigger seat and turn them at 1 and 20lbs and that some people keep them RF for a couple more months. I am sure there are other things I am forgetting.

It just all rubbed me the wrong way. I know I should have spoken up but thats just not in my nature. I am working on it though!

Oh, and he was certified. I looked him up on the website. He is a sheriffs deputy at my local sheriffs department. It really worries me that he is giving other people bad/wrong advice.

How are these situations supposed to be handled? Is it too late to do anything?

NannyMom · Nov 11, 2009

Call your local Safe Kids coalition and let them know.

triscuitsmom · Nov 11, 2009

Does anyone know what to do if you are in Canada (maybe I should post this in the Canadian forum)...

I helped a friend install her Comfort Sport rearfacing for her baby (who is the same age and a just a little smaller then my second son, stats in signature). She took it to the carseat check in this area to get double checked and they uninstalled and reinstalled it to show her how to properly do it (which I had already done, but he said it was in wrong). She left with it installed by him (he didn't take it out and get her to show she could do it) and when she got home she realized the reason his install looked off to her (she knew it wasn't the same as mine) was because it was through the FORWARD facing belt path. She uninstalled it and resintalled it and got me to double check it the next day.

I was appalled. They do clinics once a month year round and tons of people go to them. This was blatant misuse. I've also heard multiple people be told that they can flip their under 1 year olds here, and they should flip them once they are 1 and that it is just as safe as long as they are big enough. :thumbsdown:

jeminijad · Nov 12, 2009

I know... I cringe thinking about what it is going to be like, sitting through the CPST class, if I get an instructor that is like one of these techs.

We have a sucky one here, too.

joolsplus3 · Nov 12, 2009

The handle can be all the way up on the Gracos, or all the way down, or on the back, just not in that 'diagonal right above the baby's head' position B. As for the rest of the advice, um...yeah, not exactly best practice like we say here, but not really awful, really. He might have seen parents totally mess up baseless installs and so just have said 'no' rather than giving a speech about why he doesn't recommend it. And he probably learned turning ff at 1 and 20 is just fine, that's standard in the curriculum and not 'bad' advice (except for seats that don't allow FF till 22/23 pounds). If you know who he works with (SafeKids?) you could try emailing them, but I'm not sure I'd bother.

kdkm said:
I am not sure where to post this but its been bothering me so much lately so I have to get it out somewhere!

What do you do when you meet up with a tech to get your seat checked and they give you wrong/bad advice?

I brought my nieces snugride to be installed 2, almost 3, months ago and I have felt uneasy about it every since. The guy was nice and the seat seems very secure but something was off. First he told me I can't use the car seat without the base which I knew was completely not true. Then he proceeded to say that you can keep the handle all the way up but most people put it down (in the position even with the seat which I know is not allowed). The he said you can get baby a bigger seat and turn them at 1 and 20lbs and that some people keep them RF for a couple more months. I am sure there are other things I am forgetting.

It just all rubbed me the wrong way. I know I should have spoken up but thats just not in my nature. I am working on it though!

Oh, and he was certified. I looked him up on the website. He is a sheriffs deputy at my local sheriffs department. It really worries me that he is giving other people bad/wrong advice.

How are these situations supposed to be handled? Is it too late to do anything?

What do you do when...?

kdkm

Member

NannyMom

Well-known member

triscuitsmom

New member

jeminijad

New member

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics