The test was SO EASY. I finished the test, the course evaluation, and the instructor evaluation in 35 minutes. There were three questions that I paused over, and two of them had to do with the seating arrangements for a four year old 48 pounder (who I would put in a harnessed seat, but not everyone would, so I said booster). Then I read my book for a while and just relaxed. LOL
After lunch we did our check. I think they said we checked 15 seats and we took five of them (mostly tray seats). I checked four cars and of those three needed seats of some sort. But whoa!!! When the instructors said people do stupid things I naively assumed it was the odd person. We had a 100% fail rate on the carseats I saw today.
The first car was an elderly woman with the nearly six year old she watches a few days a week. The child was 57 pounds and in a tray carseat with the harnesses practically dangling. Oh man. She got the first seat of the day, a free booster.
The second car had two kids, a 3 year old 29 pound (the mom thought she was 64 pounds) in an Evenflo combo and an eight year old on a pillow. The 3 year old was harnessed (they were twisted a bit, but not bad) but instead of being installed the seat had the seatbelt in front of it. So she was harnessed and with the seatbelt. The eight year old was 64 pounds (there was the number! DUH! No way that three year old was 64 pounds) and needed a booster. They had a graco turbobooster in their trunk (?????). So in she went to that.
Third car was a grandmother without her grandkids (but with ice cream in the trunk). Eight year old 60 pound boy who had a graco turbobooster (yay!) and a two year old 30 pound girl who was in a tray seat (they really are popular!!). The tray was missing the fabric, or rather, the girl kept pulling it off, it had a crack in the tray, and the labels were missing. I told her the seat wasn't safe as it was, and she said fine, she'd buy a new seat, but her ice cream was melting. LOL She was awesome. So she got a new Scenera I think.
Last car was a young mom and her friend, her child wasn't there. She had some sort of seat, I can't remember now. Oh right, I think another tray. Her child also wasn't there, but was nearly 2 (I would have given her a convertible, but the instructor said combo). LOL It had been a used seat, she didn't know the history, and I think the labels were missing as well. She got a new Evenflo combo seat. Hers was a neat install, an ELR with a locking latchplate lap/shoulder in the back (did I mention it was a coupe?). And that belt wouldn't tighten. So I did it, got it in, then made her do it. LOL She did a GREAT install. Seriously much better than a lot of the people in class. I showed her how to tighten the seatbelt without it buckled in, guesstimate it, redo it if necessary, and then put her knee in the seat to help buckle it in and viola! She did a great job. And a nice new seat for her daughter.
That was a blast. I want to do more!!! Hopefully it won't take too long to get my card, though I'm going to be out of town for a while anyway.
I only lost one nail, too, and cut myself once. And no nosebleeds today. LOL Stupid evenflo seat, that was AWFUL to adjust the harness on.
Weeeeee! A friend asked me to check her infant seat tomorrow, so I get to do another one.
Wendy
After lunch we did our check. I think they said we checked 15 seats and we took five of them (mostly tray seats). I checked four cars and of those three needed seats of some sort. But whoa!!! When the instructors said people do stupid things I naively assumed it was the odd person. We had a 100% fail rate on the carseats I saw today.
The first car was an elderly woman with the nearly six year old she watches a few days a week. The child was 57 pounds and in a tray carseat with the harnesses practically dangling. Oh man. She got the first seat of the day, a free booster.
The second car had two kids, a 3 year old 29 pound (the mom thought she was 64 pounds) in an Evenflo combo and an eight year old on a pillow. The 3 year old was harnessed (they were twisted a bit, but not bad) but instead of being installed the seat had the seatbelt in front of it. So she was harnessed and with the seatbelt. The eight year old was 64 pounds (there was the number! DUH! No way that three year old was 64 pounds) and needed a booster. They had a graco turbobooster in their trunk (?????). So in she went to that.
Third car was a grandmother without her grandkids (but with ice cream in the trunk). Eight year old 60 pound boy who had a graco turbobooster (yay!) and a two year old 30 pound girl who was in a tray seat (they really are popular!!). The tray was missing the fabric, or rather, the girl kept pulling it off, it had a crack in the tray, and the labels were missing. I told her the seat wasn't safe as it was, and she said fine, she'd buy a new seat, but her ice cream was melting. LOL She was awesome. So she got a new Scenera I think.
Last car was a young mom and her friend, her child wasn't there. She had some sort of seat, I can't remember now. Oh right, I think another tray. Her child also wasn't there, but was nearly 2 (I would have given her a convertible, but the instructor said combo). LOL It had been a used seat, she didn't know the history, and I think the labels were missing as well. She got a new Evenflo combo seat. Hers was a neat install, an ELR with a locking latchplate lap/shoulder in the back (did I mention it was a coupe?). And that belt wouldn't tighten. So I did it, got it in, then made her do it. LOL She did a GREAT install. Seriously much better than a lot of the people in class. I showed her how to tighten the seatbelt without it buckled in, guesstimate it, redo it if necessary, and then put her knee in the seat to help buckle it in and viola! She did a great job. And a nice new seat for her daughter.
That was a blast. I want to do more!!! Hopefully it won't take too long to get my card, though I'm going to be out of town for a while anyway.
I only lost one nail, too, and cut myself once. And no nosebleeds today. LOL Stupid evenflo seat, that was AWFUL to adjust the harness on.
Weeeeee! A friend asked me to check her infant seat tomorrow, so I get to do another one.
Wendy
