where do I go to get certified?

twinkletoes

New member
I've been wanting to do this for ages now - so many of my friends use their car seats incorrectly (mostly car seat straps are too loose or too loose and twisted:(

I care very much for my friends and their children and just want their children to be as safe as possible - I work with young babies and children and want all children to be as safe as possible.

when a friend left I noticed their childs straps were loose - but her response was that her child can tighten if herself - however, when you allow your child to pull on the adjuster harness when already strapped in the seat, they are lifting it up and this is not as effective - but the child is also leaning forward, so is not able to tighten as much as it should - so I still noted this to my friend as well as showing her I could put my whole hand through the harness..with slack! I was trying to mention that it was still too loose but this didn't go down very well at all :(... my friend responded by letting me know that if it were tight it wouldn't be comfortable.. she said it was 'fine'.. and just said the chest clip needed to go up higher, that's all... she was really upset with me.

Is it normal to get this kind of response? I really upset my friend by mentioning anything at all. now I feel bad and know i've upset her :( - my dh said I should just keep quiet - this isn't the first time someone has tried to give advice out of caring and it didn't go too well at all :( but if you see something that isn't correct and you know it can cause injury then wouldn't you say something? I seriously thought my friend would have come around to her child's side of the door to double check the harness , but since she didn't I was just 'letting her know' it wasn't tight yet! I guess I should have said, 'is this tight enough'? instead of saying, it's not tight enough :( she was adamant that it was tight enough - so I kept quiet after that. but she was also upset that I was saying something in front of her child; like I was undermining her authority and judgement as a mother, but not everyone knows that the car seat straps need to be tighter - this same friend had shoes on her child that were very stiff and thick soled - her then one year old would constantly trip all over the place, so I mentioned that softer shoes were better for a one year old; that didn't go down very well either :( I know I would have really appreciated the advice; but we are very different individuals.


sometimes I wish I didn't know what I know already :(

anyway, I would just feel better if I were a certified tech - as much as I know about seats, i'm not 'certified' and that matters here in the US.

thanks in advance -
 
ADS

wvmommy007

New member
OoooOOhh! I can't wait to hear the answers to this. I've been wondering myself. I just checked the list of techs and noted NONE in WV. I would love to be #1. :)
 

Crystal.

CPS Technician
http://cert.safekids.org/

Then on the right hand side there should be a menu option that says "Find a Course" :)

When you get to the next screen, put in your state and also be sure to click the button that says "Also show invitation only/controlled courses," That should open up your course options and you may be able to convince an instructor to let you in their controlled course.

ETA: I completely forgot to respond to the other part of your question. I find that some people get that way about you trying to inform them about CPS. I think they see it as an insult to their parenting. So, I try to make it more of their idea... for example, "I think you forgot to tighten the straps to the harness." Then if they go on to say "it's fine" or something of that nature... then I would attempt to educate them on the dangers of the harness being too loose (like ejection from the car seat.)
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
Alot of people see it as an attack on their parenting. I've learned to keep my mouth shut alot. One of my best friends has her 3 year old in a big puffy coat, 2 sizes too big. She knows how I am about seats, and has had me help her. But my little comments about the coat have been ignored. I care about my friends's children, but I am not their parent.

You also could have phrased it as.... "I recently read the harness needs to be tight enough that you can't pinch any webbing at the shoulders. I didn't know that, so I wanted to pass the new info on". If she said she was fine, leave it and protect the friendship.
 

jourdysmom

CPST Instructor
their stand-off-ish attitude may not change after you get certified either :(

just to warn you... only one person so far has actually asked me to check her seats since I got certified... and I don't offer even if I see gross negligence...everyone that knows me knows that I am a CPST... I leave the ball in their court. (Though the RF Scenera with a HUGE aftermarket cover AND aftermarket head support AND tethered somewhere under the seat it is in is KILLING me having to see it every day at preschool):rolleyes:
 

twinkletoes

New member
Thanks everyone! we are very different personality's! I personally would be very greatful for someone to mention it to me, so I guess I think about that and pass on my wisdom without realizing that I'm offending someone because they feel i'm attacking their parenting skills - which I am fairly sure that is the case here :(.. but it wasn't something I wanted to let go, when it came to the tightness of the harness - but I realize that I should have done so. It brakes my heart to turn a blind eye though; esp. if a parent doesn't know any better and would appreciate the knowledge - but you just never know how it will turn out..

Thanks again though. I still want to get certified - if nothing else, for my own knowledge :)
 

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