A friend's experience at a carseat clinic

Vanessa618

New member
Here is her post from another board. (I have changed the name's of her kids.) What do you think of the advice she was given? FYI: Her child is 2yr 8months and she lives in Canada.




I went to a carseat clinic today - I'm so glad I did!

I got reassurance that the car seats are installed correctly - he was very impressed at how well they were installed
I learned that when a child is rear-facing, the straps need to come from UNDER their shoulders...I knew that at one point, but must have forgotten (they are currently above Daniel's shoulders )
I learned that for forward facing, the straps should be coming from slightly ABOVE their shoulders - Liam's were coming from below
I was reminded at how snug they need to be - I'm very anal about ensuring the boys are in TIGHT, but Daniel was not snug enough - a good reminder for me to be careful and to take the time to secure the boys properly
I learned about the importance of the child's height in relation to being in a 5pt vs. booster - Liam is rather tall for his age and very heavy (40lbs & 39") and I have a new Evenflo Triumph that goes to 47lbs (Daniels's only goes to 40lbs) and I said how I wanted him in a 5pt as long as possible b/c I felt it was safer; he said it's just as important that his head be positioned properly - he said he'd be better off in a booster (he said there is no age restriction, rather it's based solely on height and weight) than in a 5pt that isn't tall enough. He did say a carseat with a higher back & 5pt would be ideal (which Liam's is!), but that he's safer in a booster than in a 5pt that isn't tall enough for him...makes sense, but I'm not ready to put my 2 yr old in a booster - good thing that he's got some room yet to grow!

On a side note, the inspector was in LOVE with the Triumph - he wants to get one for his son, he loved the knobs, loved the seat and loved that it goes to 47lbs and loved that it had a higher back
 
ADS

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
Sounds good to me. A properly used booster is safeR than an improperly-used (outgrown) harnessed seat, and most children do outgrow harnessed seats by height rather than weight.

And no, 2yos do not belong in boosters. If a 2yo outgrows a harnessed seat, a larger seat MUST be obtained. If a 5yo outgrows a seat, it's a parental choice and since it's the real world, some kids do go into boosters due to financial concerns.
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
I'm confused as to how a 39" less-than-3 year old would be too tall for the EFTA and need a booster.
 

Vanessa618

New member
Sounds good to me. A properly used booster is safeR than an improperly-used (outgrown) harnessed seat, and most children do outgrow harnessed seats by height rather than weight.

And no, 2yos do not belong in boosters. If a 2yo outgrows a harnessed seat, a larger seat MUST be obtained. If a 5yo outgrows a seat, it's a parental choice and since it's the real world, some kids do go into boosters due to financial concerns.

:thumbsup:
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
My DD is 41 inches and all torso and she has tons off shell in an EFTA in terms of FF'ing. If it was an old Triumph he might be close to outgrowing it.
 

canmom

New member
Just curious... what city was the check in? Asking because I did a check stop today with police (I'm a woman so it wasn't me).

ETA: he thought it was cool it went to 47lbs...he would have died on the spot if he saw a 65lbs seat, LOL.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
It sounds to me like the seat still fit by height, but it was more an education of how to know when the seat was outgrown?

Sounds like she learned lots and was given accurate info and her kids left safer than they came in. I don't see anything to fault the technician on. :thumbsup:

(From the description one is an old triumph and one is a new triumph? The tech did recommend that a seat with a higher height allowance would be preferable to a booster, so I think it sounds like everything was good overall. It's always hard to say without being there to hear the actual conversation though.)
 

Jennifer mom to my 7

Well-known member
It sounded as if the tech was talking about IF the seat is too small, and he did state that the eta wasn't too small. I think this tech just wasn't aware of the newer seats with the taller shells available in Canada now. ANd as aside, my 41 inch, 42? pound dd outgrew a decathlon in January:whistle:
 

Qarin

New member
I'm confused also, though, because aren't the new Triumph's straps always right at the shoulders, by design? How could they have been coming from below?
 

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