Car seat confessions

[Minnesota]

So I've got a big face on right now.

Here's my confession:

I was strapping DS2 into his RF MA today and couldn't figure out why the heck one side of the harness seemed tighter than the other. I fiddled with it a bit, loosening and tightening and feeling to make sure the splitter plate wasn't hung up on anything. Then I take a peek back there and discover that the harness is threaded through two different slot heights in the shell, but the same slot height through the cover.

The biggest part: I re-threaded the harness myself, and it's been like that for a week. ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh


How about you? Any car seat confessions? C'mon, spill it, it'll make you feel better!

 

[Judi]

Um, I did the same thing, with Andie's baby.

 

[Madeline410]

When DS was a baby, I took him out of his infant bucket to nurse him in a store. I set him back in the bucket without buckling him in, then put a blanket over him. Then I forgot he wasn't buckled since the blanket was covering him and I couldn't see the harness and he rode home like that It makes me SICK still to this day to think about it.

 

[Minnesota]

Um, I did the same thing, with Andie's baby.

Whaaaaa? oops. That must have been embarrassing.

When DS was a baby, I took him out of his infant bucket to nurse him in a store. I set him back in the bucket without buckling him in, then put a blanket over him. Then I forgot he wasn't buckled since the blanket was covering him and I couldn't see the harness and he rode home like that It makes me SICK still to this day to think about it.

Argh, I have a second confession... I did that too! And then once again when he was older, in a FF convertible seat, after his brother was born... I was so flustered, taking them both out for the first time, and I got DS2 all buckled while DS1 climbed into his own seat. Then I just got in and drove away without ever buckling in DS1! I felt like I should have to turn in my CPST certification right there!

 

[joolsplus3]

The first time I brought DS home from the hospital, I didn't realize the chest clip (a one piece paperclip style) slipped off one harness strap so you could pull the harness apart. I shoved his head up under the clip to get him in the seat (and yes, I'd owned it for a month, put a teddy bear in it to practice and everything, even probably looked at the manual, lol). And I was so confused about how to keep him swaddled in there, I at least knew the crotch strap was supposed to go between his legs

There are a thousand other booboos I've made, but that's the least dangerous one, lol.

 

[HEVY]

I FF before a year.

 

[::er!ca::]

When DS was a baby, I took him out of his infant bucket to nurse him in a store. I set him back in the bucket without buckling him in, then put a blanket over him. Then I forgot he wasn't buckled since the blanket was covering him and I couldn't see the harness and he rode home like that It makes me SICK still to this day to think about it.

I did that too, with Brinlee, when she was a baby My sister was sitting in the back seat with her after we left Target, and about 15 minutes into our trip home (45 minute drive) my sister was like "Erica, you forgot to buckle her in!" I was sooooo upset, I pulled over and my mom had to drive the rest of the way home. It makes me sick, too, to think about it today.

My SIL also did this once, when her little one was a baby, after leaving a picnic. She was terribly upset too.

Seems to be something that's common.... unfortunately.

Oh, and DH and I were out with the kids one afteroon... doing some shopping. When we're all together, I usually am inchage of getting on kid in their seat, and he's incharge of the other. We're driving through the parking lot of the mall getting ready to leave and I look back. Brinlee wasn't buckled in! Just sitting there. Apparently I buckled Isabel in and got in the car. DH had Brinlee sit in her seat while he put the stroller up, then forgot to harness her in. Thank goodness we were still in the parking lot!

 

[::er!ca::]

I FF before a year.

I did that too, with Brinlee. I had no idea!!!!

 

[keri1292]

I've probably driven with each n00b unbuckled due to a blanket in the bucket seat. Maybe not the last, I've learned to buckle kiddo in ANY time they are in the seat. That eliminates the problem.

I also did the harness thing with the MA. I was practically in tears because I had to get ds1 from preschool, so I had to drive with one shoulder seriously squished and one loose shoulder. Luckily, it's three blocks in Suburbia and I did fix the issue in the preschool lot when I realized my mistake.

 

[jess71903]

I've driven off a few times without DS being buckled. Usually it's when I do something else after I put him in the seat, like take off his shoes and braces, or "just set him in" while I unload groceries or something. Thankfully, he thinks it feels funny and will talk to me and peek around the edge of his seat at me, so I have never gotten far. The rule now is that if he's in the seat, he gets buckled right then.

 

[Judi]

Whaaaaa? oops. That must have been embarrassing.

Yeah, since Andie AND Scatterbunny were in the car too!

 

[munchkin]

My brother wanted to take M and E in my dad's convertible (89 Mustang, so no top tethers and a huge roll bar in front of M's face and right at the top of E's head). I installed two high on bases convertibles FF for both of them, because I thought E would have more fun seeing out the front and M could see better higher up. They had a blast and I would install their seat like that again (because at least I had them in tight, unlike my brother!).

 

[Pixels]

Mistakes I've made AFTER I knew better:

Threaded the harness through different slots in the shell, though they were in the same cover slot. I use this story in teaching parents to make sure they turn the seat over and look from the back. It's an easy mistake to make. Rode with DD like that, even though I knew something was funky with the harness not tightening evenly.

Had forward-facing recline down on the Radian while rear facing. That made it really, really reclined, to say the least. Rode with DD like that, too, before I figured out what was going on. It was shortly after I got the Radian.

Rode around with DD's seat unbuckled. I'm not sure how long it was like that, probably several days. With the weight of the Radian, dents in the seats, top tethered, and braced, it still didn't move an inch at the belt path when giving it a firm tug, so I had no idea. I'm sure it wouldn't have held in a crash, though.

Luckily I managed to have it all together the one time it really counted, when we were in a crash.

 

[Andie]

Um, I did the same thing, with Andie's baby.

Yeah, since Andie AND Scatterbunny were in the car too!

Hey, nobody's perfect!

I always forget to buckle the booster in while not in use.

 

[tjham]

I rethreaded grandson's Roundabout after getting new harness straps because his mom washed them in the washing machine . I couldn't figure out why the velcro didn't line up. I didn't see any directions with the new straps, but it seemed pretty simple. except for the velcro. I came on here and found out about the double holes for the straps and redid them, but he did ride like that (through just one hole) for several days.

Then, when I was flattening the box the straps came in for recycling, I found the directions.

 

[Jonah Baby]

We've used quite a few expired seats.
I also used to pick seats off the side of the road to use.

I only recall forgetting to buckle the boy once, but I almost resolved to tears when I saw him climbing around in the back.

 

[cookie123]

These stories tend to point out no one is perfect. Even when we know, it's still easy to make mistakes.

I forgot to change the belt path on one of the gkids when switching to ff and it took a long time before I figured it out.

The Radians were used a few times, then later I realized the install wasn't really good at all - they moved a ton forward at the belt path.

Once I put Matthew in a ill fitting harness ff to go the few blocks from my house to theirs.

Many times I left up the infant seat bucket handle. I used to wash Jessica's harness practically every week in the washing machine. (She's 23, so I can at least claim ignorance back then!)

 

[Raegansmom4]

Forgotten to tighten harness after buckling it in until I looked in mirror and saw Raegan about bend all the way over still harnessed in. When I brought Raegan home from the hospital I had the belly pad facing OUT - as in - what good is it doing there then? Who knows what I was thinking - protect the buckle? Had Brinlee in our old-style backup Triumph and couldn't figure out why the harness was falling off her shoulders every time. Yeah, the bottom harness slot was at about the middle of her back... Oh, had the dangerous roller-style window shades until I learned better. Forgotten to unhook tether when removing the GN and about fell on my @ss when I tried to pull it out of the car. That was actually funny...

 

[bobandjess99]

I win.
Before I knew better, we bought an old clunker car ...there was an old cosco or something combo seat in there, and we USED it. For our forward facing under-1 year old. it was like hitting the jackpot, at the time, we were like "hey, free seat!" We really were that clueless about car safety, not to mention, quite disdainful of it, to be honest.

Yep...an unknown seat out of the trunk of a really old car we had just bought, FFing for our infant.

Ya. i'm cool.

 

[NicoleCPST]

I always say that everyone can always learn more. A

A few weeks ago Bella got into the drivers seat in a parking lot while I was loading the car and was "driving". I thought it would be cute to take a picture of her and make a siggy saying THIS is never a good idea... a woman was backing out from the other side of the isle and bumped the car next to us. I grabbed Bella and put her in her seat immediately, I was shaking thinking that what if she had hit us... What if the airbag had gone off?!?!?(shudder)

I have always put her in her seat immediately but that day I carried her through the store and she was sliding down my hip so I set her on the backseat so I could put everything in the car and she started crawling around the car.

Of all things I was there to buy pool noodles for installs.

I wonder how she "knows" how to drive? She's only ever ridden RFing.