How do you talk to people about car seat safety

So I had to run by target today to get a few things and of course had to swing by the car seats and see what was new. There was a woman, her mother, and a 10 month old girl shopping for her next seat. Of course when I heard them with some wrong info I stuck my nose in their business... I'm not comfortable doing that!! My mom's the social butterfly. They are going to turn her FF the moment she turns one and there was nothing I could have said to change that... At least I could redirect them from a seat that was low harness/weight and booster combo, but I really felt like an idiot trying to explain why I keep my DS (16months) RF and that you can go beyond a year and have the baby be happy. After I moved on they made a comment that there's no way his legs fit and he's got to be sooooo uncomfortable (yeah DS has never looked uncomfy He loves his seat)

OK all that is asking... how do you do it?? How do you approach people that need help and offer the best info possible without looking like an idiot? I'm sure they thought I was just blowing info out of my ear and since the law says they can turn the baby around at 1 year it's got to be the best option. I'm not sure I'm getting this question out right hopefully someone will understand

Usually I stick to a few facts such as:

~ RF is 4-5 times safer. 1 AND 20 is the bare minimum.
~ There are no documented cases of broken legs from extended rear facing (if they bring it up).
~ The AAP has recommended rear facing as long as possible since 2002 (I think that is the right year).
~ I usually tell them how the spinal column isn't fused until closer to 3 years old, and can stretch 4-5", but the spinal cord can only stretch 1/4".
~I make sure to add that my baby will be ERF as well.

I go slow and just test the waters a bit by saying #1. If they are interested, I will go on, but only the facts-I try to go slow and not rattle off lots of info, they tune you out when you do that. I haven't really approached a stranger yet, though. Friends, I try but I dunno if it worked (babies aren't 1 yet) I'm much more outgoing on the internet though. Sometimes if I see a child in a car next to me improperly restrained, I'll say to my son "MAKE SURE YOUR CHEST CLIP IS AT YOUR ARMPITS!" when he is buckling himself in. I make a big show of tightening the harness properly too. Yes, I'm pretty passive-aggressive, but I hope that other parents see that and think oh, maybe I should do it that way too.

I refer parents to this site. LOL.

I also do say that there has been no documented cases of hip or leg injuries due to ERFing.

Easy - I work at Babies R Us !

Kashi said:

Easy - I work at Babies R Us !

Click to expand...

that is good. too often you find someone who works somewhere and has no idea how to use the things they are selling.....

Thanks for the replies! I totally need a supply of business cards with this site and a few ERF facts. Is that a violation of some rule for this site?? That way I don't have to worry about sounding like an idiot and they can ask more questions if they want. I guess I could get an ERF bumper sticker for DS's booty LOL

I think it just depends on the person. 9 times out of 10, random people who are lost in the carseat aisle are welcome to info. Then there are people like the lady I started talking to last weekend who informed me that older kids did NOT need head protection (in the form of sides on their seats - she was looking at a cosco combo) and that I didn't need to "educate" her. She did leave with a chase though, guess thats better than the cosco thing. At least it has EPS foam.

I was telling my mom this story, and she's like you should have told her "if you are so educated, why are you looking at that seat?? it has low top slots and no side impact protection" yes...she has come to the dark side :evil grin:

I tell them that up to age 2, a child is 5 times safer RF than FF. I tell them that their child's neckbones don't completely ossify (harden) until sometime between the ages of 2 and 6. I then talk to them about internal decapitation and why it happens when you turn a child FF too early. This ties into the first 2 points. Finally, if Dad is present, I point out to him that rushing to FF his child is wasting good money by not using their seat to the RF limits that they paid for. If they're looking at a booster seat for a child too young to safely use a booster, I'll bring up the fact that NASCAR drivers use a 5-point harness because it's the safest type of seatbelt out there, and if it's good enough for a NASCAR driver, then why wouldn't they want their child in one?

well, that's why I like to really direct parents to the EFTA... it harnesses most kids till they need a booster, it rf's to 35lbs, and it has more legroom than most convertible carseats.

but when I talk about rearfacing specifically, I point out how big baby heads are, how their spine isn't remotely solid, and I give them a new minimum by talking about that old msnbc article that said it was 4x safer for kids under 2 to be rearfacing.

so when I point out that it's just one more year and then talk about either reclining the vehicle seat a little (1-2 notches) and or using a seat with more legroom, it seems like another year wouldn't be that bad at all.

And if neither of those is an option, I get into what my own kid did with her legs.... how she flipped them over the sides, folded one or crossed both, bent her knees and put her feet against the back seat. And then I throw out the fact that when kids do face forward, they don't have anywhere to put their legs except the front seat's back... and kicking that person.... and how my own kids hated going forward facing because their legs would dangle.

Now, that said, I of course always work in extended harnessing, and use the words... "but even if you do decide to put baby forward facing sooner" (really making sure they get that it is THEIR decision... THEIR choice... and I'm not saying they HAVE to do this my way) and point out how much longer the child can be harnessed, and how that way their child can be safer until the spine is solid, till the child is mature enough for the booster, which also helps their driving because they won't have to turn around and keep nagging the kid to keep the seatbelt on right or not to bend over to get a toy.

I try to talk to parents in the BTDT way... telling them I've been there, know how hard it is, but that this is what I've learned from all of it.

and I do direct people here. compared to other boards, other resource websites, it's easier to remember the link.

my other favorite, as a resource, is cpsafety.com, because it has all the pictures, so much info.

but this is definitely the one people will remember.

Oh... and another big thing... remember to let them know how to let the seat be less reclined. People always are wondering how babies can "tolerate" being "laid back" after 1yr old. Once they know baby doesn't have to be so reclined, they get it a little more.... because baby can sit up and play and be more entertained, not just leaning their head forward.