Were you always so educated on car seat safety?

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U

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Just wondering if any of you car seat safety crazed people (like myself) ever had a time when you weren't so educated on the subject?

I can honestly say that since my DD was born 2 years ago i have been a safety nut and been well informed, doing research and whatnot. However, i have NOT always been this way. Back 6 years ago when i started working at a daycare and watching to kiddos on the side, i was rather ignorant! I remember seeing a woman from the daycare strapping her child (under a year) into a convertible seat that was rear facing. Me, along with 3 other co-workers stood there in shock, saying "that big seat cannot be turned backwards like that, she's going to severly injure her child." Ohh little did i know LOL! The kids i watched were 15 months and just turned 5 when i started watching them, and i just did as the mom did. Put the 15 month old in her old over head shield car seat and let him ride in an adult seat belt (i know!). Then i ended up buying my own Graco ComfortSport for the 15 month old and became just a tad more educated, even went to the police department to let him show me how to install and read the directions (found out the clip needed to be at armpit level and put pressure on the car seat for a snug installation). STILL i was no good lol. I honestly thought i was doing a GREAT job putting the LO in her car seat and doing a better job than her mom even, until i look back at the pics OMG (shaking my head).

I am going to post some pics in awhile!! Does anyone else have a story to share or some pics? I'm just curious how many of us had some OMG moments back in the day :)
 
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nmb

New member
I am going to post some pics in awhile!! Does anyone else have a story to share or some pics? I'm just curious how many of us had some OMG moments back in the day :)

It's not on this computer, but I have a "lovely" pic of my then 2 mos old DS in a 12 mos snowsuit (needed the 12 mos for length to fit his torso but there was a lot of extra bulk width-wise)...because we were driving around in a blizzard in MI... Could barely buckle him in because of the snowsuit... but no worries, the seat was installed nice n snug w/ that wonderful Mighty Tite. :eek: Terrifying now to think what may have happened on so many levels.
 

Judi

CPST/Firefighter
Nope. I didn't take the class until my son was about 11. That is when I figured out that the problems my son was having, was because of a crash we where in.
 

dmpmercury

New member
With my own kids it wasn't too bad since I was a member of another message board where talks about erf came up but I know a lot more now. I didn't realize about the coat thing and that the boulevard wasn't the best fit for a newborn. I remember my dd fitting pretty good and I thought her shoulders were even with the lowest harness strap but I don't have any pictures so I don't know for sure. I knew about tightening the straps and where the clip should go and what seats lasted the longest at the time and I knew I wanted to erf.

When I was a nanny I didn't know much at all. I don't know what seats the kids had or about ERF or any of that. The kids I watched did stay in booster until 8 but they were out of them on their birthdays. I was looking at old pictures and I saw one of my nepwhew before he was 2. Dh and I took him out for the day and we had the straps so loose that it wouldn't of been good if we were in an accident. Oops. I had no clue either. I definately didn't always know about car safety and see how people do what they do. I wish there was more awareness out there on car seat safety.
 

QuassEE

Moderator - CPST Instructor
My oldest was born in 1995. He was belted in with the l/s belt so that the seatbelt was locked (allowed with his infant seat), rear-faced until 14 or 15 months (20lbs, which was the maximum of his seat), and when he went forward-facing his seat was tethered and the retractor was switched on our (new) car.

For 1995-1997.. not too bad! Nobody knew anything back then.

-Nicole.
 

Twinklefae

New member
Nope, I didn't see what the big deal was before DS was born and did a lot of eye rolling about ERF. His first car seat was a bucket I'd borrowed from friends that I KNEW had been in a minor crash.

We couldn't install the seat ourselves, because I wasn't sure whether or not the seatbelt locked (though I knew it should) so my FIL went out and bought a cargo strap and used it to strap the front end of the base down. (Like a 2 ended tether)

We drove around like that until 2 months when I figured out on another board that it shouldn't look like that. We bought a Scenera, and moved DS to that - except I installed it with the FF'ing belt path. Took another month for me to realize that that was wrong. :rolleyes:]

We got there in the end.
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
I was fortunate enough to find a great CPST when I was pregnant with my daughter. However, she is 3, and I've been a nanny for 10 years. I know in my first nanny job, I just did as the parents did (or worse). My 30-some pound 5yo was in a backless booster. The van had integrated child seats, with a T-shield and the straps wouldn't tighten enough. I sent a baby I was sitting for, off with his other sitter, with the carrier wedged behind the driver's seat because we thought you needed a base. I also put the same baby FF before 1yr because he seemed big enough.
 

Admin

Admin - Webmaster
Hello,

As per previous conversations, I ask again that you please login to post, especially if you are going to include photos of children.
 
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