I braved it!

So, I braved it. I had a family come to interview for home daycare. They had their 7month old in a graco snugride 35. When they were taking him out they had the harness under his legs. So instead of going across his hips it went under his legs and up into the buckle. I can't even imagine how uncomfortable that is or how hard it is to get the kid in!!

When I saw it I panicked. At the end of the interview they were packing up to leave and I just couldn't let them go like that. I was like, ummm you don't need to put his legs through like that. The mom was like, "but the book said so and it's a pain in the butt to do". I showed how it should be done and the mom was on cloud 9! She was so happy. She said no one has ever told her she was doing it wrong. She was so excited to go home and show her husband...she said he will be thrilled to not have to wiggle the boy through the harness anymore!

Anyways, I briefly debated saying anything...but in the end had to. Luckily they were receptive and didn't get upset! Not sure if they will sign on as a daycare family yet but at least he is in the seat properly!!!

Very cool I was at dance and there was a mom putting the baby in and she hated the car seat because it was so hard to get him in and out. Of course wasnt talking to me but I said that is because those straps are supposed to go on top of his legs not under him. She said Uh no your wrong it goes like this. I of course said that I was a tech and asked how is the straps supposed to hold him in if it is under him not over him.

Good for you!!! Glad it went well.

I don't understand how anyone would get that idea that the straps go under the legs, but apparently at least two people have.

I see that all the time in the hospital. I chalk it up do the fact that newborns ball up and don't let you get it over their thighs so easily. But 7 months old??

I've seen that mentioned here but havent seen it IRL. Reminds me of the double harness that the Triumph used to have. People would put their kid's arms between the straps.

Lee-B- said:

The mom was like, "but the book said so and it's a pain in the butt to do". I showed how it should be done and the mom was on cloud 9! She was so happy.

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Anyone have a copy of the manual for a Snugride 35? I checked the manual for my own infant seat (not a snugride, though) and couldn't find anything that seemed unclear. I am wondering what wording might be confusing.

Nedra said:

Anyone have a copy of the manual for a Snugride 35? I checked the manual for my own infant seat (not a snugride, though) and couldn't find anything that seemed unclear. I am wondering what wording might be confusing.

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I can't imagine any manual could be confusing enough to think that's how a baby goes in! All I can think is that it was read during the first days after birth with complete sleep deprivation. Thinking back to those first weeks I could very much see misinterpreting anything I read!

I am curious what the hospital did for their mandatory seat check before leaving. Maybe they did a home birth?

Another thought I had was that the way they had it essentially made the 5 point harness a 3 point harness so maybe some older family members confirmed that was correct because it might have looked like what they were familiar with from when seats were 3 point harnesses?

thepote said:

I've seen that mentioned here but havent seen it IRL. Reminds me of the double harness that the Triumph used to have. People would put their kid's arms between the straps.

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Bad Mommy confession: DS definitely went home from the hospital like that. I just assumed I was doing it right. It was my sisters seat with no manual and I didn't think I needed to look it up. The car seat "check" upon leaving the hospital was lumped together with the rest of the stuff (he referred onbthe hearing test so we had to schedule that and wasn't thinking of anything else). Between that and my PPA/sleep deprivation it didn't get caught until a couple weeks later when I saw a YouTube video from The Car Seat lady and had an Aha moment.

Most horrible Mommy ever. :-[ I think that was the start of my passion though, realizing what I did wrong and how easy it was to make a huge mistake.

MotoMommaNH said:

Bad Mommy confession: DS definitely went home from the hospital like that. I just assumed I was doing it right. It was my sisters seat with no manual and I didn't think I needed to look it up. The car seat "check" upon leaving the hospital was lumped together with the rest of the stuff (he referred onbthe hearing test so we had to schedule that and wasn't thinking of anything else). Between that and my PPA/sleep deprivation it didn't get caught until a couple weeks later when I saw a YouTube video from The Car Seat lady and had an Aha moment.

Most horrible Mommy ever. :-[ I think that was the start of my passion though, realizing what I did wrong and how easy it was to make a huge mistake.

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Omg it doesn't make you bad... You wouldn't have done it if you would have known. Just like my kids' seats' issues... Ds1 coming home from the hospital in a t-shield tightened all the way, which made the shield about six inches away from his body, and the straps across his ears. Then him forward facing in the same seat at 6m. And him boostered at 2y because "he fits so it must be ok or they wouldn't make it like that." Or ds2 in the 3pt infant seat that buckled below his feet.

FWIW the Triumph is what got me "into" car seat safety. It just looked so much safer than anything I had for my boys before, so when I went to do a little research I discovered this whole world. I hung out on the car seat forum on Ivillage. I had registered here in 2004 but forgot my password and no longer had the same email so I had to re-register in 2007. Bummer! Lol

Yep, a friend of mine was using her infant seat that way until I pointed it out to her. It's somehow more common than you'd think.