Anyone else bruise when installing seats?

oxeye

New member

• Aug 12, 2009

• #1

I'm taking my tech class this week and loving it, but OMG I am starting to look like a battered woman. Do I just bruise easily or does installing seats do this to everyone?

My shins are the worst. I've noticed installing my own seats that I will have a couple bruises on my shins the next day. But after the skills test today, I look awful! Even my hands have bruises, and there are a couple around my wrists. I don't even remember feeling like I hurt those.

Can't wait to see how awful I look after the seat check on Saturday.

 

NannyMom

Well-known member

• Aug 12, 2009

• #2

My legs tend to get bruised from some seats. But never as bad as it sounds like you have.

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Aug 12, 2009

• #3

I bruise easily and yeah, bang myself up pretty good putting seats in. On top of the bruises I BURNED through a hat, 50 UPF clothing, and 5 layers of 50+ SPF sunscreen at my tech class, too. But it was soooo worth it!

 

tl01

New member

• Aug 12, 2009

• #4

I mostly break all my nails when I'm installing seats.

 

agurlsride

New member

• Aug 12, 2009

• #5

Um...I bruised UNinstalling a seat. We were on an airplane and I had installed our MA....well, no one ever told me how hard it was to uninstall if the release plate was facing the car seat....oh my...I fought with that thing forever, they even had to call maintenance to try and get the seat out. On top of that, it was a connector flight so it was a plane full of people watching, and waiting for me to get off the plane so they could leave. The next day my arms and hands were covered in bruises.

 

cookie123

New member

• Aug 12, 2009

• #6

I mostly get cuts on my hands. Sadly, layering sunscreen doesn't make it better. 50 + 50 still = 50. Anyway, you must be quite fair!!

 

T

tanyaandallie

Senior Community Member

• Aug 12, 2009

• #7

I can't remember every bruising when installing seats. I've lost many nails and had more scrapes on my hands than I care to count from the lovely Evenflo Chase but no bruises.

 

TXAggieTech

Active member

• Aug 12, 2009

• #8

I look like I have been beaten after checks!

 

bethng

Active member

• Aug 12, 2009

• #9

here are some pics from one seat check I went to.

 

Last edited: Oct 5, 2009

oxeye

New member

• Aug 12, 2009

• #10

bethng said:

here are some pics from one seat check I went to.

Click to expand...

That is exactly what I look like right now! Glad it's not just me. I was afraid I was doing something completely wrong.

 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor

Staff member

• Aug 12, 2009

• #11

I look like Beth. I have bruises up and down my legs, on the back of my hands, sometimes on my arms, and I'm usually missing several nails and have scratches on my fingers and hands. But I bruise REALLY easily (I have a four inch bruise on my elbow that's six days old now because the midwife blew out a vein last week).

Wendy

 

BookMama

Senior Community Member

• Aug 13, 2009

• #12

I tend to bruise on my shins more than anything else, though I do have four matching scratches on my left arm from the Sceneras I installed at a seat check event last week. Most of the bruises I get on my shins are just about running-board height. And honestly, for me it doesn't even seem to matter whether I'm doing most of the hands-on work myself or having the parents do most of it - these days I try my best to have the parents do all the hands-on work and I still get bruised.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Aug 13, 2009

• #13

What about that bit in the new curriculum about only using your hands to install?

I'm just kidding, since carseat manuals recommend climbing in your seats to get them right

My knees get purple if I do too many Snugride bases...and I scratch up my wrists in AO's and FF RN's. Ugh.

 

Lea_Ontario

Well-known member

• Aug 13, 2009

• #14

I bruise if you look at me sideways, so yeah - any installations get me good.

My legs normally look akin to a 2yr olds legs in summer - shins covered in bruises at all stages.

 

tiggercat

New member

• Aug 13, 2009

• #15

I used to get pretty bruised up after clinics, not so much anymore. I think with time you learn to avoid certain techniques that cause pain later. LOL. I do still get some bruising around my knees and on my forearms, I think if you're installing a bunch of seats and have a tendancy to bruise, it's pretty much unavoidable.

 

BookMama

Senior Community Member

• Aug 13, 2009

• #16

joolsplus3 said:

What about that bit in the new curriculum about only using your hands to install?

Click to expand...

Smart aleck! I think I must bruise my shins climbing in and out of cars/vans more than anything else.

joolsplus3 said:

My knees get purple if I do too many Snugride bases...and I scratch up my wrists in AO's and FF RN's. Ugh.

Click to expand...

For harnessed seats, I pretty much do Sceneras and Cosco combination seats (plus my own seats), and they always scratch up my wrists. My own seats don't injure me much, though the narrow belt path of my newly-acquired Radians is driving me nuts.

 

waterbaby

New member

• Aug 13, 2009

• #17

Yes. I've always bruised easily and it's not very condusive with installing carseats, lol.

 

pastrygirl

New member

• Aug 13, 2009

• #18

Yes, but so far it hasn't been as bad as it was during my class. At least I didn't actually feel it happening. I was surprised to see all the bruises!

 

cookie123

New member

• Aug 13, 2009

• #19

I've thought of using gloves for car seat installs.

 

Madeline410

New member

• Aug 13, 2009

• #20

I'm not a tech, but my sister is and she always comes home from checks covered in bruises!