Brigala
CPST Instructor
I have to give Target some serious credit.
I had my first ever car seat check-up event today (not counting the one we did at the end of our CPST course). The first person who came to us was a very nice Grandma. She didn't have her grandson with her, but she had his stats (height, weight, age) handy. And an Evenflo Maestro which she had purchased just two weeks earlier and was having problems with.
Well, the problems she was having were exactly what would be expected of a 3 y.o. child in a booster... leaning out of the seat, tipping it over, etc.. The child was too heavy to ride in the harness (over 50 lbs, and she had stopped using the harness because it didn't fit around him), and the belt wouldn't say in the belt guide in booster mode, probably because he was several inches too short and didn't meet the minimum height requirement for using the seat as a booster. He was just a short, very stocky child and this was the wrong seat for him. The poor Grandma was actually in tears when we explained to her that at her grandson's weight and height she could not use this seat for him according to the manufacturer's instructions and we couldn't assure her of any safe way for him to travel in the seat. And besides that, he was really too young and clearly too immature (according to the problems she said she was having) to be riding in a booster. But she simply could not afford yet another (more expensive) car seat after having just forked out $80 for one she couldn't use.
I recommended that she take the seat back to Target with the receipt and see whether they'd give her credit toward a Graco Nautilus. She came back a couple hours later with a Nautilus and said they'd given her full credit! Even though the Maestro was clearly used (had crumbs in it and everything). I am feeling very good about Target right now. I may have to shop there more often.
I had my first ever car seat check-up event today (not counting the one we did at the end of our CPST course). The first person who came to us was a very nice Grandma. She didn't have her grandson with her, but she had his stats (height, weight, age) handy. And an Evenflo Maestro which she had purchased just two weeks earlier and was having problems with.
Well, the problems she was having were exactly what would be expected of a 3 y.o. child in a booster... leaning out of the seat, tipping it over, etc.. The child was too heavy to ride in the harness (over 50 lbs, and she had stopped using the harness because it didn't fit around him), and the belt wouldn't say in the belt guide in booster mode, probably because he was several inches too short and didn't meet the minimum height requirement for using the seat as a booster. He was just a short, very stocky child and this was the wrong seat for him. The poor Grandma was actually in tears when we explained to her that at her grandson's weight and height she could not use this seat for him according to the manufacturer's instructions and we couldn't assure her of any safe way for him to travel in the seat. And besides that, he was really too young and clearly too immature (according to the problems she said she was having) to be riding in a booster. But she simply could not afford yet another (more expensive) car seat after having just forked out $80 for one she couldn't use.
I recommended that she take the seat back to Target with the receipt and see whether they'd give her credit toward a Graco Nautilus. She came back a couple hours later with a Nautilus and said they'd given her full credit! Even though the Maestro was clearly used (had crumbs in it and everything). I am feeling very good about Target right now. I may have to shop there more often.