Vent terrible article

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Athena

Well-known member

• Jan 13, 2015

• #1

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...re-a-life-saving-pain-but-do-they-have-to-be/
I try not to let these things get to me, but this one is awful. Has she not looked at car seats for 10 years? I want to email her to suggest she do some research before she writes an article, but she conveniently provides no way to contact her. How about instead of writing this inaccurate article, she spends that time adjusting and learning how to use her children's seat? Ugh!

 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jan 13, 2015

• #2

I don't know. I'm not sure what she meant about having to take the seat out to tighten the straps, but a lot of people share her overall sentiment, and I don't really disagree. Car seats ARE hard. I pretty much agree with her wish list.

If you want to contact her, there's a link to her website at the bottom of the article, and her site includes a contact form.

 

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tmahanes

Active member

• Jan 13, 2015

• #3

LISmama810 said:

I don't know. I'm not sure what she meant about having to take the seat out to tighten the straps

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I made me think of the rear adjust SR 22 we had....

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

Dillipop

Well-known member

• Jan 13, 2015

• #4

LISmama810 said:

I don't know. I'm not sure what she meant about having to take the seat out to tighten the straps, but a lot of people share her overall sentiment, and I don't really disagree. Car seats ARE hard. I pretty much agree with her wish list.

If you want to contact her, there's a link to her website at the bottom of the article, and her site includes a contact form.

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I'm wondering if one of her kids is in an old Graco Cargo or the like- rear adjust forward facing only seats. Those haven't been on the market in ages though- late 90's, early 2000? Otherwise, why would you have to take out a carseat more than once a year or so to adjust harness height?

 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jan 13, 2015

• #5

Yeah, I think she was talking about harness height more than tightness.

But upon re-reading it, I actually agree with her more than the first time. How many of us recommend seats specifically because of the ease-of-use features she wants? (No rethread harness, lightweight, etc.) The Britax CTs are the next big thing because they're the closest we have to a foolproof install. It's absolutely true that the easier a seat is to use, the more likely it is to be used correctly.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: If car seats were easy, there would be no need for techs.

 

natysr

New member

• Jan 13, 2015

• #6

I the time it took her to write the article and publish it, she could have just read the danged manual.

Truth be told, the more we want these carseats to "do" for us (like truely keep kids of all shapes and sizes in all varieties of vehicles safe) the more pages there will be to the manual.

Where is the personal responsibility?

Carseats are not hard. They aren't easy either. But they are doable for anyone smart enough to raise a child that puts in the effort. They just take some time and effort. Yes, its true, some models are a B*tch to install, but those same models install like a dream in other vehicles.

 

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Athena

Well-known member

• Jan 13, 2015

• #7

It's not that I disagree that seats need to be easy enough for most parents to use correctly, it's the fact that this writer is asking for improvements that have already occurred and knowingly fails to fix her own child's seat, making her article unpersuasive and providing evidence for the argument that it's not the seat, but the parent's fault for kids riding incorrectly. Personally, I think it's a combination. If that many people are using seats incorrectly, then the problem has to be bigger than people not reading their manuals (and even if it was, then evaluate how to make manuals easier). On the other hand, parents need to do their share of the work too and, culturally, we need to start to take car seat safety seriously.

LISmama810 said:

If you want to contact her, there's a link to her website at the bottom of the article, and her site includes a contact form.

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Thank you!

 

thekatie

New member

• Jan 14, 2015

• #8

I agree that her wish list is pretty much available. Now, it's not pretty much available for a lot of parents' *budgets*, but it's out there.

And when she says her 3 year old's straps are loose so she would have to take the seat out to fix that - that doesn't seem like adjusting harness height to me?

I don't think carseats are really hard. The concept of a carseat is really easy, actually. Certain seats in certain vehicles are definitely a pain, but I have only found one seat I just could NOT use (and virtually everyone else I know in real life and online love it).

 

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tesslouise

New member

• Jan 14, 2015

• #9

thekatie said:

I don't think carseats are really hard. The concept of a carseat is really easy, actually. Certain seats in certain vehicles are definitely a pain, but I have only found one seat I just could NOT use (and virtually everyone else I know in real life and online love it).

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Oh, now I've got to know what seat!?

 

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griffinej5

New member

• Jan 14, 2015

• #10

At the end of the article, click the "is a freelance writer and editor" link next to her name. It goes to her website, where you can contact her. For someone who's personal website is "sciencebysummer.com" it's surprising how bad a job she did researching for this article.

 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jan 14, 2015

• #11

And just to be clear...yeah, there are seats available with most of what she's looking for. So it's kind of a dumb article, but it's not horrible in the sense that a lot of them are. She doesn't question their value or necessity, doesn't encourage people to do unsafe things, and doesn't argue with current recommendations and best practice. Given the types of articles that are usually written by "non-carseat-type" people, it's really not that bad. It could be far, far worse.

 

thekatie

New member

• Jan 14, 2015

• #12

tesslouise said:

Oh, now I've got to know what seat!?

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Graco MyRide - I just despise it

 

thepote

New member

• Jan 14, 2015

• #13

Ugh, I'd put that article in the " you're not helping" category At least ***** about actual continuing problems with seats. You know, since they all have adjusters now, might want to concentrate on something else that might be... I don't know... helpful.

Looks like that's Brigala from here participating in the comments. Thanks Brigala!

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jan 14, 2015

• #14

Maybe she's faking it? I've seen writers pretend to be all up in arms about stuff, just because they think their audience is? Maybe she's SEEN these problems, but is making excuses for why people HAVE these problems? (Like the guy I helped who didn't know how to adjust the height of his Boulevard and was wondering why his FF max-reclined 3 yo in the lowest headrest setting was uncomfortable, or the grandma who couldn't figure out the adjuster strap on her Symphony...or my young mom boss at BRU who couldn't figure out the adjuster on her Snugride )
I dunno, I just don't get the point of her article, why not research more and offer a guide to seats that have these features...? Doesn't carseatlady have links to good seats???
The whole article perplexes me, I guess, except I agree with her point about cars with folding out carseats, that's long been my dream, that carseats are as easy to use as seatbelts (though the lovely built in seats in a van my kids used once were uncomfortable enough for them to complain heartily, lol).