Keeping up

[Cathyliz]

Okay, I just got my CPST certification last week (YEAH!). I'm wondering, how does everyone keep up with ALL the different seats and features of those seats?!? There are SO many! Do you just go to Babies R Us and wander the isles for hours? Research online? Is there a list somewhere I'm not aware of? My own children aren't in CR's anymore (they're 11 and 13) and I do have daycare kiddos that are in seats, but that really only gives me 2-3 seats to compare. I guess I'm just feeling a bit lost or overwhelmed. I was given a list by my instructor of supposedly all the seats available in the US market, along with height/weight/RF/FF/BPB requirements. That's helpful, but I want more! Yes, I'm a bit of an overachiever. Any resources for me?

Oh, and how can I get the "registered user" by my avitar changed to CPST?

 

[Jeanum]

Hi there. :happy-wavehello: Hanging out here can be a great resource for seat info. and leads on new seat models thanks to the presence of many techs and carseat obsessed folks, as well as playing with display models at BRU and any other hands-on friendly stores. Subscribing to the Safe Ride News earns you CEU credits and is a good info. source, and http://www.cpsboard.org can also be very helpful, especially the Tech Update. The CPSList on Yahoo groups is chock full of techs, advocates, automotive safety and carseat manufacturer contacts. :thumbsup:

Here's a quote from Admin's sticky post about getting CPS technician status and access to the tech only forum here:

1) Make sure you include your name and technician/instructor number where prompted in your User CP control panel Edit Profile area for Additional Information. It is the last entry area at the bottom and is not visible to other users except for moderators/instructors.

2) Unless you are known personally to one of our Instructor moderators, you must be listed on the SAFE KIDS USA website as an active technician or instructor. If you cannot find your name in the SAFE KIDS online listing, you may need to access your account at the SAFE KIDS website in the Online Services area. You will need your SAFE KIDS User ID and password. Once you have entered the system, click to "Update Profile and Contact Information." In the Attributes section, please make sure the box is checked to give Permission to Post "Available to Public". If you cannot do this, please send an email to Admin or a private message to Admin to arrange to send us a copy of your current certification, but this can take a few weeks to process.

3) Apply to join the Technical Professionals usergroup. You may do so in the Group Memberships area of your User CP control panel. Locate the entry for "Technical Professionals" and select the "Join Group" circle and click the "Join Group" button at the bottom. Be sure to include your full name, address, zip code and technician or instructor number where it asks for a "Request Reason". A Moderator/Usergroup Leader will review your application, technician/instructor number and confirm your certification status. This can take a little while, as we are all volunteers. Sometimes we do overlook join requests, so bear with us! If you haven't heard from us, read the following-

Technicians and instructors registered on the SAFE KIDS USA website will be given access within a few days, hopefully faster If you are not given access within 72 hours, please:

4) Send a private message to the Admin and a copy by email to moderator JMMatlock . Please include name, your technician/instructor number AND your state or zip code, as this forum is intended for SAFE KIDS USA certified CPS technicians and instructors, with no exceptions.
Certified technicians from Canada and other countries may also request access. To do so, you must provide equivalent proof of certification. If the certifying agency in your country provides an online list of technicians like Safe Kids Worldwide, you may include a link along with your information as instructed above. If you are given a printed certificate with your name, an ID number and expiration date, you may scan it and send it by email or attachment. The certificate must be in English and it must include the certifying agency's name and contact information. No exceptions will be made. Approval for technicians outside the USA and Canada will be at the sole discretion of the Admins and moderators of the technical professionals forum.

Congrats on becoming a tech. I'm green with envy.

 

[scatterbunny]

Congrats on becoming a CPST! I'm fairly new at being certified, myself (completed the course in March, but my official date is May, that's when my instructors got my test scores uploaded, I guess).

I was a carseat junky (LOL) for almost 3.5 years before getting certified, I've been online that whole time, learning from the best (those awesome techs on this board that I look up to ). I do go to Babies R Us and Burlington Coat Factory/Baby Depot and Wal-Mart and Target to browse carseats when I can, but I live in the boonies so it doesn't happen as often as I'd like.

Somehow over the years, through tons of online research and some hands-on research in the carseat aisle, my brain became a child restraint encylopedia, LOL.

I like carseatdata.org (click on measurements) and carseat.org (click on color pictorial) for info on different seat models and their dimensions.

 

[Namegirl]

In some ways, you can't really keep up. That's why you have to read the manual and stickers for every seat that comes your way.

 

[skaterbabs]

Congrats on your certification and welcome! The best way to keep up is, honestly, to read here. lol The yahoo list and other links you were given are important too. As for keeping the seats straight, that's simply experience more than anything else. Make a habit of visiting your local baby stores and department stores to familiarize yourself with what's available in your area.

 

[Cathyliz]

Thank you for all the congrats! I've been wanting to get my certification for a couple years now, but there was never a class close to me (always in Denver or something--over an hour away!). Well about two months ago I got into an argument with my child care coordenator on the Air Force Academy (the one that does my inspections) about when babies should turn FF (she insisted at 20lbs, I said whatever the weight limit on the seat was, sometimes up to 35lbs--she flat out told me I was wrong) so I started looking things up to email her and found a class just 10 minutes from my house! I signed up that day. I only had one daycare child at the time (summers are usually light for me) and everything just seemed to fall into place so I could do this. Dh wasn't too thrilled about the cost, including loosing almost a week's pay (but with only one kid it wasn't that much) but I told him it's something I really wanted to do. He just told me after the class was over that if I don't use it at all, don't bother with my recert in two years. Oh, trust me--I'll use it!

I'll keep checking here for info on specific seats and maybe I'll head to BRU this week. I'm off Friday.

I did see that sticky about CPST status on here and I did what it said. I guess it's only been a few days. Maybe someone will get to it this week. Paitence isn't my strongest point.

Thanx again for the congrats and welcome. Some people just don't get my obsession with car seat safety. It's nice to be around people that do.

 

[Cathyliz]

OOOHHHH!!! I just found an awesome list on NHTSA's website! It's a "2007 Child Safety Seat Ease of Use Ratings" and it's got harness type, height/weight limits, catagorized by kind of seat and grades for different aspects of installation. That might take me a while to get through! lol Am I a geek or what??? :2thumbsup:

 

[joolsplus3]

OOOHHHH!!! I just found an awesome list on NHTSA's website! It's a "2007 Child Safety Seat Ease of Use Ratings" and it's got harness type, height/weight limits, catagorized by kind of seat and grades for different aspects of installation. That might take me a while to get through! lol Am I a geek or what??? :2thumbsup:

Look at the seats, but IGNORE the grades...that rating system is absolute crapola

Yup, just hang out here, that's how most of us learned everything we know (eventually it'll get really easy, you'll figure which seats are the same but have different names, for instance). Just showing an interest in seats makes you 10 times better than the average tech, too. www.groups.yahoo.com 'CPSPList' is a great listserve to subscribe to, they talk about fairly in depth technical stuff sometimes. Do you have a LATCH manual? www.saferidenews.com is where to get one of those (has all the tether anchor part numbers, and is an overall wonderful resource...that's also a GREAT newsletter to subscribe to!) www.carseat.org has a color pictorial of all seats (and they don't pretend to say which are easy to install, just the facts, ma'am, lol) and lots of printable handouts, and a CD with directions for all the seats made. And never go anywhere without a measuring tape (to measure slots and widths of seats) and a locking clip (just in case there's an emergency, someone REALLY needs one in a parking lot or something...who knows...)

:thumbsup:

 

[Cathyliz]

Great links! Thanx! I'm already on the yahoo list. I do plan on getting the LATCH manual. I'm just waiting until business picks up a bit. I really like the color pictoral! I could spend a lot of time on this. Not a big deal right now since dh is still in bed, but he's got big plans for the back yard when he wakes up! lol Maybe later tonight.

I wasn't paying much attention to the installation scores. I actually looked at the Scenera's scores and don't agree with them. We played with that seat a lot in my class and none of us had any trouble installing it--even those that had never installed a seat before. What's hard for one person may be really easy for someone else. I guess knowing little tricks here and there really helps, too.

 

[scatterbunny]

Yup, those ease-of-use ratings are worthless. I agree, the Scenera is 99% of the time a breeze to install. It can be fairly upright, so sometimes noodles are needed for an infant, but generally it's easy to install, quickly.

It took my instructors 2 months to get my scores uploaded and for my contact info to be listed online, so try to be patient. I know I was tapping my foot, LOL!