Why Certify?

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Mommy0608

New member
There are sooo many reasons! :) The biggest one is that I know that there is a LOT of misinformation out there, and that the majority of people are unaware of what the "best practices" are. So many kids could be riding much safer if only they knew. My DD's pediatrician encouraged me to turn her forward as soon as she hit 20lbs. She even told me to keep weighing her so that I could turn her as soon as possible! :eek: (She is still RF at 3 years old, by the way). This was what convinced me I needed to do something about it.

I participate in as many public seat check events as I possibly can and also do private checks. I have a background in teaching, so I enjoy working with parents and educating them about how they can make their kids safer in the car. Knowing that I've helped more children ride safely is priceless. :love:
 

bethng

Active member
I have been "obsessed" with car seat safety for a long time. I was always up to date on the most current seats, installation etc.... Friends started to call me the car seat know it all and would ask me to help them with their seats or ask me questions regarding seats so I decided that I had better get certified if I was going to be handing out information or helping with an install. Besides, I love being able to say I am a CPST :love:
 

April

Well-known member
Cause its fun to do seat checks, and cause its fun taking the class and learning all of the technical stuff. I find crash statistics and the like very interesting, so I guess for me, its and exciting hobby.
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
Because now that I'm certified I get to go play with carseats at seat check events, meet other people who are just as nuts as I am about carseats, and just generally have a lot of fun and meet new people.

Oh, and bonus: I help save lives! :D
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
It gives me a reason to buy and play with more car seats! ;)

Seriously, I love helping keep kids safe. I feel like it's something I do that matters. I was helped by a wonderful tech and I feel I need to pass that gift on, now that it's my passion. Everyone needs a hobby anyway, right? And the president says we should volunteer! :p

But back to seriously, I guess I feel like if I know something that others don't know or don't understand, and it relates to the safety of children, I have kind of a moral duty to help try to teach others, spread that knowledge, KWIM?
 
U

Unregistered1

Guest
For a while I thought I'd be happy advocating from a non-tech standpoint. And while advocates who are not techs make a HUGE difference (there is no doubting that around here) there were some perks to becoming a tech that I just couldn't turn down. First of all, I LOVE working community seat checks. I look forward to them more than I look forward to my birthday (pathetic?). I love the seat check process and educating parents and getting them hands-on. Most of all, I love watching a family drive away and knowing that because of us, their children are safer than they were when they drove in.

Being a tech also gives me some big words to throw around. As someone who is not yet a parent, I was finding it difficult to be taken seriously about car seats by parents in my community. Now that I can tell them I'm a certified technician who has gone through four days of training, they seem to realize I know what i'm talking about. Also, I know it is not this way for everyone, but I learned A LOT in the tech class both about car seats and about ideal ways to approach issues with parents. The people-skills I learned there have helped me in other areas as well!

I love it. I would never let my certification lapse. This is probably the best thing I ever did for myself :love:
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Yes, that's true-- you say, "Actually, I'm a tech" and people who were politely dismissing you sit up and take notice. Sad but true-- in this society, credentialism rampant as it is, sometimes you have to have the credential to have authority with parents.
 

SillyMommy

New member
Thank you all for replying! I'd pretty much thought the same things and I do think I'll become certified, there is finally a class nearby! :)
 

Splash

New member
It makes my name green :love:

I work in a children's hospital, it's passion for me but I can make it part of the job, which is a huge bonus. I can do most of my stuff on the clock.
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
Just wondering what the reasons/benefits are that prompts you ladies to become certified. :)

This forum got me carseat obsessed. I wanted to have a leg to stand on when I give parents helpful advice. And since I'd started helping parents properly install their carseats anyway, I wanted to make sure I really knew what I was doing. So, I got certified.

As a nanny, it'll also look good on my resume in the future :whistle:
 

aaminnky

Senior Community Member
I'm a little late on this, but I agree with the other posters (obsession ... I mean hobby, credentials, getting information about 'best practice' out, etc, etc, etc,).

After having issues with my son's infant seat installation and doing research I became obsessed with car seat safety. It was the overwhelming statistics that got me. How can you argue with the #1 cause of injury and death?! I saw a HUGE need in our community and was amazed that so many parents don't seem to know how to properly restrain their children in cars. I had the opportunity to certify with DH's (volunteer) fire dept where I wanted be become more involved anyway. It has been wonderful working with the families, most have been really receptive and thankful for the help. Being a tech has been a natural fit for me, as my BS is in Health Education/Promotion.
 

cookie123

New member
I didn't know it made my name green. I did it thinking I'd do more seat check events than I have. I like having it anyway, because I also work at a children's hospital, and I like having it there - it gives me more credit with the parents I talk to.
 

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