how do you give advice?

To strangers?
In our church, there is a large Korean population, many of them immigrants, and I see SO much car seat misuse.
Today in front of me was a family of four, the youngest in the bucket.
He was: bundled in a puffy coat, too tall for the seat, only buckled in by the chest clip, and all the straps were twisted. Not to mention it has been a long time since I have seen that pattern Graco, I don't know if it was expired.
But, I didn't say anything, since, a) we were at mass and I didn't really get a chance to talk to them, and b) I just don't know what to say.
I have tried to talk to my SIL about car seat safety, and, let's just say, it is a good thing that we are still talking after that.
So what do you do? I just don't know how to approach strangers, but this is the second time in two weeks that I have seen a kid just buckled by the chest clip.
Lord help me when we start pre-school there in the fall- I am sure Ellie will be the only kiddo still RF, let alone in a car seat!

I left a note on someone's car when I saw their bucket FF. That's about all I know how to do. It's hard to know what they would say, if they would appreciate it or not, KWIM?
One of my apartment neighbors has her 12 mo old FF in a cosco high back booster seat. I "dropped" ERF print outs in the hall way. She apparently did take notice but did not appreciate it and wrote a rather nasty comment saying her child met the legal requirements blah blah blah.
So, yeah it sucks when you see misuse and can't do anything about it

I seriously almost wished that I had some sort of brochure to stick in the car seat while they were at communion. But we leave after communion, and I didn't want someone else getting yelled at for something that I did.
I have a very hard time talking to strangers, anyway, about almost anything. So something controversial is not up my ally, but part of me really wants to say something.
I did say, the other day, when my friend commented that she can't wait until her daugher hits 40 lbs, so that she can booster her, that she shouldn't be so anxious to booster her, and to keep her harnessed for as long as possible, since it is safer. She didn't respond, so I don't really know how that came across.

Usually nothing. Occasionally I'll start out with commenting on the baby, "Oh, he's so cute! Look at those cheeks," and then move on to, "Did you know this part needs to be buckled up for him to be safe?" If that goes well, then I'd mention the snowsuit, and on to other issues. If they scowl at me then I compliment them again on their child or children, and that's it.

Wendy

I'd talk to the minister about okaying getting safekids to set up a carseat check (not on a Sunday of course)

Then, when you get it set up, you can let him know and he can remind everyone about it on Sundays for a few weeks in advance, as well as have it in the bulletin and maybe put up fliers and some pamphlets (you can use google translator or get someone in the church who speaks both English and Korean to help you have it in both languages)

I don't usually say anything (hard though that may be). However, I did say something to a Mom this weekend because I was practically breaking out in a sweat I was so uncomfortable watching a very squirmy baby moving around in their unbuckled infant seat on the floor while no one was watching him. He could have very easily fallen out and to make it even better Mom had left her camera with a long shoulder strap in the seat with him and he was playing with it. I was just having visions of him getting tangled in the camera strap or the harness straps and it was making me squirm. I didn't really think he was in serious danger of getting hurt then and there (maybe a bit if he did fall out) since there were so many other people around, but I assumed he would be left unbuckled and unattended at home also and we know that is potentially lethal. Turns out Mom was well aware that babes should always be buckled in the car seat and she kind of chided herself for not doing it. She was very receptive and said she didn't mind me bringing it up. I used Wendy's approach of compliments mixed with comments - I actually opened by saying that I was about to be "one of those people" and I hoped she didn't mind. Thank goodness she didn't.

So I did that on the weekend but last week I kept my mouth shut while staring at the super cute little girl half-buckled in her infant seat wearing a puffy pink snowsuit. I guess it depnds on how courageous you are feeling in the moment. And that I had nowhere to retreat since we were both waiting for our kids to get out of their Taekwon-Do class.

I say something.. It depends on the person how I approach it. I actually feel much more at ease having the conversation with strangers. No backlash.. They don't like it, so what they walk away.. People you know.. Treat lightly..

A simple card or 1/4 sheet of paper with "I found this great website with all the car seat info you could ever want, there's SO much I didn't know and I was doing so many things wrong! I'm so glad I found it so now I know my kids are safe in the car. Check them out: www.car-seat.org"

Hand it to the parents and they can choose to read and toss or to actually check us out. Who knows, you may even get someone to ask you questions.

I have something similar that I keep in my car & wallet so if I see something really bad, I can leave them on a car or hand them out in stores. Of course, I'm a tech so I have my info there as well.