You know your a car seat freak when.....

Shanora

Well-known member
(hopefully this hasn't been already posted) Got this off of a facebook group!

Feel free to add your own answers to this list :)
Thanks to all the contributers on IVillage's Car seat board.


* You spend your precious time while baby naps looking at a manual for a car seat that isn't even sold in your country, just in case someone online has questions about it.
* You have owned more than one car seat for each year of the sum total of your children's lives.
* You consider the wider selection of car seats available as a major perk when moving to the states.
* You see that "follow me to the car seat board" blinkie and can name a vast majority of those seats, what their weight and torso height limits are, and any install issues they have.
* You won't allow anyone but yourself to install your DC's car seats, or you spend more than 20 minutes teaching your SO/babysitter/daycare provider how to install it and then leave a detailed list of instructions on how to do it just in case they forget anything.
* You try to look in vehicle windows in parking lots to see if there are car seats inside, and if they are being used correctly.
* It takes you an extra five minutes to make it into your office from the parking lot because you're checking out everyone's car seats.
* You swear you're going to get arrested for looking into other people's cars.
* You lose sleep because you’re addicted to the car seat board.
* You keep copies of "Are You Using it Right?" in the trunk of your car, diaper bag, and stroller.
* You drive 30- 45 minutes to BRU just to try your kids in different seats even if you have no intentions of buying a new seat.
* You can tell by a quick glance what the name/ type/ requirements are of about any seat you come across.
* You have ever purchased a seat just to get an extra 2 lbs RF or 1" FF.
* You can spot a Marathon a block away in someone else's car.
* It makes you mad, truly MAD, to see misuse. So much that you steam for more than ten minutes over that poor child's parents lack of literacy - after all, the manual and stickers are right there!
* You are an emergency responder and you know how to - and take the time to - correctly install a car seat in an ambulance. This child isn't dying right now, and they will need it on the ride home. Besides this is a great opportunity to educate the parents.
* You are not an emergency responder and still know how to correctly install a car seat in an ambulance.
* You have ever posted your personal phone number on public websites (i.e., Craigslist) when offering to inspect carseats or help with installs.
* You avoid going to BRU because you KNOW an associate will give out bad advice and you can't help but correct them.
* You go to BRU so you can correct the associate giving out bad CS advice!
* If you see parents at any store carseat shopping you cannot resist the urge to advise them AGAINST the crappy sport or 3-in-1's - which seem to be the only seats parents look at.
* You have gone to a USA Baby to look at a car seat and ended up taking over the entire car seat section. Parents are now wanting to talk to you instead of an employee.
* You stalk the Internet and surrounding WalMarts waiting for the Nautilus to appear.
* Your dream car will have LATCH and tether points at all seating locations.
* You go through your local Craigslist and Ebay searching for expired/ nasty seats to report and send info to the author.
* Your MySpace or Facebook page has at least five articles about car seat safety on it.
* You have a nickname such as the car seat psycho.
* You have a picture of your child in their car seat on your desk at work.
* Your siggy includes your kids in carseats
* Some of your bookmarks on your favourites list include things like
<http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/4211/Car_Seat_Safety:_5-point_Harness_is_Safest.htm> and <http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/FFalbum.aspx>
* You go to other boards and you see your name in messages because someone has a question about carseats.
* You see your name and info posted in places you didn't know existed because someone was sharing them.
* People who don't know you email you because they know this person who knew this one that sent them to you.
* You have dreams about Target carrying Britax cover sets in the store.
* You are trying to raise 250 bucks and figure out a babysitter so you can take the CPST course this year.
* You already have downloaded and read the entire course manual.
* People feel it necessary to title a post "[your name here], question, NOT about carseats..." because almost every other shout out you see is for carseats.
* Your kids have stopped asking you why they have to sit in their seat for yet ANOTHER picture. Or they already know it's for the car seat board without you having said anything.
* Your kids and/or SO point out car seat misuse on TV and real life with other people
* Your SO comes in the room and says, "What are you doing? Oh wait, I already know. You're on that car seat board, aren't you?" and he's right.
* Your DH/SO tells you to PLEASE do something besides talk about carseats! After all, "How much can there possibly be to talk about?"
* Online friends (even gamers) come to you to ask for help.
* Your mom thinks you’re nuts because when she starts talking about a new car you tell her, without anything in front of you, which ones allow centre LATCH.
* Your coworkers know that rolling their eyes won't get them anywhere, you are going to educate as many people as you can, where and whenever you can, so they might as well get used to it, or go wait in the truck.
* You rearrange and reinstall your friends’ car seats without being asked.
* You know what the following stand for: AO, AOE, BV, DC, EB, EH, ERF, CPSA, CPST,EFTA, FF, FPSVD, GN, LATCH, MA, RA, RF, RN, SKJP, UAS.
* You know what the following are: alligator hooks, buckle stalk, D-ring, locking clip, lock-off,outboard, seat bight.
 
ADS

TerisBoys

Well-known member
* You meet up with friends from over 3 hours away just to play carseats :)
* You exchange seats with said friends as the mood hits.
* When cleaning out your car before trading it in, you find several stray locking clips in the glove box and a Britax D-ring still strapped to the passenger seat leg (last child stopped RF over a year prior).
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
*Your eleven-year-old can install a seat almost as well as you - and is just as likely to lecture on ERF.
 

mommy_quigg

New member
hehe looks like I was too slow. I'll have to figure out how to delete the thread I just posted. Mind if I add your responses to my list? I have it saved in my "Car seat info" folder on my desktop.

ETA: LOL thanks for locking the other one Jean. Can you delete it?
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
hehe looks like I was too slow. I'll have to figure out how to delete the thread I just posted. Mind if I add your responses to my list? I have it saved in my "Car seat info" folder on my desktop.

ETA: LOL thanks for locking the other one Jean. Can you delete it?

Sure, I'll delete it in a moment.
 

Shanora

Well-known member
EA = Extended Harness (believe)
UAS = Canadian version of the LATCH..means Universal Anchor System

As for the other one....I'm not sure
 

mommy_quigg

New member
okay, I might as well list all of them because someone is going to ask :)

AO = Alpha Omega (convertible car seat - often not recommended)
AOE = Alpha Omega Elite (convertible car seat - often not recommended)
BV = Boulevard (Britax convertible car seat)
DC = Decathlon (Britax convertible car seat)
EB = Eddie Bauer (most common in reference to their 3-in-1 seats which are often not recommended)

EH = Extended harnessing (beyond 4 years and 40lbs)
ERF = Extended RF (beyond 1 year and 20 lbs)
CPSA = Child Passenger Safety Advocate
CPST = Child Passenger Safety Technician
EFTA = Evenflo Triumph Advance (convertible car seat)

FF = forward facing
FPSVD = Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe (convertible car seat made by Britax, sold under Fisher Price name. Now discontinued.)
GN = Graco Nautilus (combination car seat)
LATCH = Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren
MA = Marathon (Britax convertible car seat)

RA = Roundabout (Britax convertible car seat)
RF = Rear-facing
RN = Radian (convertible car seat made by SKJP)
SKJP = Sunshine Kids Juvenile Products
UAS = Canadian version of LATCH
 

Mae

Well-known member
gotcha! after I thought about it, I sat here going... sunshine kids... sunshine kids what?!? lol thanks for that!
 

Ice Princess

New member
SKJP actually call themselves SSK. I think I'm going to adopt that. :) (even though their website is skjp.com)

What's CPSA? I'm guessing CPS advocate.

I am pretty sure it is Child Passanger Saftey Advocate

Your toldder tells his uncle he cant be in the car with out his 'race car' seat
You toddler adjusts his own chest clip to the right height ever time and gets mad if it is to low.
You have nightmares about the kids you couldnt help becuase their parents thought you were a nut job for suggesting erf
 

Shanora

Well-known member
Reading that list...and know that 90% of it pertains to you.....and when you read off some of it to your spouse, they agree that you are a freak ***thanks DH*** LOL
 

Lara

New member
*when you go to thrift stores all over town, and if you find expired carseats you make the employees compact them. Oh, and if the employees at said thrift stores know you as the 'carseat police' :whistle:
 

Starlight

Senior Community Member
*Your eleven-year-old can install a seat almost as well as you - and is just as likely to lecture on ERF.
Your 11 yr old??? Hehe. My 6 year old can install his Radian, top tether and all, with LATCH ***or*** seatbelt. :D

* You have carseat manuals for carseats you've never even owned.
* You have carseats for that neither of your kids fit in.. JIC
* Your 6 year old... and your hubby ... both regularly educate strangers on car-seat usage.
* Your 6 year old can correctly install a carseat that many seasoned techs have difficulty with.
* When you have your own book club that reads nothing but car-seat and vehicle manuals!
 

Judi

CPST/Firefighter
-You buy seats, and don't have have children car seat age!
- You teach a 8 yr old to install a car seat and he keeps hounding you to teach him to install a MA RF.
 

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