StillThankful
New member
I had to get this off my chest and you guys are the only ones who can relate:
Three situations concerning car seats frustrate me--one more than the other (#2):
1. My friend just had their first baby--a cute baby boy. She and her husband had just come from shopping and came back with some car seat accessories. I mentioned to her and her husband that harness comfort-covers aren't good to use because 1/car seat companies don't test their product with the harness covers on and 2/ most of the harness covers prevent you from positioning the chest clip where it's supposed to be--at armpit level. The father of the baby told me that the chest clip goes in the middle of chest--pointing to his diaphram. I disagreed and restated the above, then he disagreed with me. I then snapped and said I have two kids, have used both an infant seat and a convertible seat, and am a member of Car-Seat.org and I know what I'm talking about--I didn't yell but was "snappy and curt." The room fell silent. I then explained why the chest clip should be at arm-pit level--compression issues. I then apologized for being snappy and blamed it on my cousin's lack of judgment or whatever you want to call it concerning her car seat--story of her is below.
2. My cousin has a 9 month old son, which she turned around FFing because the EFTA wouldn't fit RFing in her 94 acura integra. While we attended a rival high school football game together, she saw me putting DD2 in her Rfing seat and stated that she took her son out of the infant seat and put him in the EFTA. She turned him around b/c the seat was so big. It didn't alarm me then because I kept thinking that he was close to DD2's age--20 months--not sure what I was thinking--cold, tired, ready to go home after the game. Then I got home and thought about it--HE IS 9 MONTHS OLD FFing! I called her the next day but her grandmother answered the phone and told her about the importance of Rfing--internal decapitation, lack of neck muscle development and strength. She defended my cousin's actions by saying that there wasn't any room to keep him Rfing and "you know how kids are today--they don't listen to nobody." This is the kicker--WE SOLD HER THAT CAR! I told her that while we owned that car, we had a convertible car seat which fit fine both in the center and outboard positions just fine and that I would be willing to install it for her today. Well, when my cousin came home, she still used the excuse of "it won't fit" even after her grandmother relayed my message and importance of Rfing.
3. I have explained to my friend previously about the importance of using the top tether while FFing. While she and her fiance were watching, I strapped the top tether into the proper position. They were surprised because they didn't know the purpose of the anchors in his car--I said that the tethers help reduce head excursion. Well, she comes over the house yesterday and I walk out to the car with her to see her daughter. I notice that the top tether is not being used--I get frustrated and ask her why she is not using it. She said that she takes the carseat out alot and forgets to use it. I told her the she is lucky to have anchors already installed in the car--I had to order parts from Honda--get a knife, cut the felt-like material in my back dash to install the anchor! I said it only takes about 10 seconds to install it. To top it off, she has her little one FFing in a Cosco Scenera but she's not at the proper weight to do that yet (30 something #s). She ignored me on that point about a year ago--saying that she had never heard anything like that before--even though it's in the manual.
GRRRR..... All these women above are great moms. I'm just perturbed that something so simple in keeping your child safe is constantly ignored or rebuked. It's not like it costs more to keep your child Rfing--I just don't get it. I really don't. I post so many things on my facebook page about the importance of Rfing and I feel like I don't make a difference. I am not exaggerating--I DON'T KNOW ONE PERSON WHO ERFs!! I feel like my efforts are in vain. I just feel defeated.
Three situations concerning car seats frustrate me--one more than the other (#2):
1. My friend just had their first baby--a cute baby boy. She and her husband had just come from shopping and came back with some car seat accessories. I mentioned to her and her husband that harness comfort-covers aren't good to use because 1/car seat companies don't test their product with the harness covers on and 2/ most of the harness covers prevent you from positioning the chest clip where it's supposed to be--at armpit level. The father of the baby told me that the chest clip goes in the middle of chest--pointing to his diaphram. I disagreed and restated the above, then he disagreed with me. I then snapped and said I have two kids, have used both an infant seat and a convertible seat, and am a member of Car-Seat.org and I know what I'm talking about--I didn't yell but was "snappy and curt." The room fell silent. I then explained why the chest clip should be at arm-pit level--compression issues. I then apologized for being snappy and blamed it on my cousin's lack of judgment or whatever you want to call it concerning her car seat--story of her is below.
2. My cousin has a 9 month old son, which she turned around FFing because the EFTA wouldn't fit RFing in her 94 acura integra. While we attended a rival high school football game together, she saw me putting DD2 in her Rfing seat and stated that she took her son out of the infant seat and put him in the EFTA. She turned him around b/c the seat was so big. It didn't alarm me then because I kept thinking that he was close to DD2's age--20 months--not sure what I was thinking--cold, tired, ready to go home after the game. Then I got home and thought about it--HE IS 9 MONTHS OLD FFing! I called her the next day but her grandmother answered the phone and told her about the importance of Rfing--internal decapitation, lack of neck muscle development and strength. She defended my cousin's actions by saying that there wasn't any room to keep him Rfing and "you know how kids are today--they don't listen to nobody." This is the kicker--WE SOLD HER THAT CAR! I told her that while we owned that car, we had a convertible car seat which fit fine both in the center and outboard positions just fine and that I would be willing to install it for her today. Well, when my cousin came home, she still used the excuse of "it won't fit" even after her grandmother relayed my message and importance of Rfing.
3. I have explained to my friend previously about the importance of using the top tether while FFing. While she and her fiance were watching, I strapped the top tether into the proper position. They were surprised because they didn't know the purpose of the anchors in his car--I said that the tethers help reduce head excursion. Well, she comes over the house yesterday and I walk out to the car with her to see her daughter. I notice that the top tether is not being used--I get frustrated and ask her why she is not using it. She said that she takes the carseat out alot and forgets to use it. I told her the she is lucky to have anchors already installed in the car--I had to order parts from Honda--get a knife, cut the felt-like material in my back dash to install the anchor! I said it only takes about 10 seconds to install it. To top it off, she has her little one FFing in a Cosco Scenera but she's not at the proper weight to do that yet (30 something #s). She ignored me on that point about a year ago--saying that she had never heard anything like that before--even though it's in the manual.
GRRRR..... All these women above are great moms. I'm just perturbed that something so simple in keeping your child safe is constantly ignored or rebuked. It's not like it costs more to keep your child Rfing--I just don't get it. I really don't. I post so many things on my facebook page about the importance of Rfing and I feel like I don't make a difference. I am not exaggerating--I DON'T KNOW ONE PERSON WHO ERFs!! I feel like my efforts are in vain. I just feel defeated.