So what lit your internal car seat fire?

I've always wondered what has gotten others into car seats! I grew up loving them. My dollies had Evenflo Joyrides :p What got you into CPS?

(Sorry if this has already been asked!)

Kayden - 2.5 RF BLVD 65 & RF Truefit Layla- 6 FF BLVD 65 CS & HBTB
 
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flipper68

Senior Community Member
I've always been into babies and toddlers.

Then, I taught at an birth to 3 program for kids with severe developmental delays. A car seat person came out to check out the daily transport. She found the install and seat fit for almost all of "my" kids pitiful, if not dangerous. For example: FP T shield for a tiny kid with a g-tube, seats poorly installed, installed 2x each trip - for the ride in and the ride out.

Geesh - these kids already have several strikes against them (developmental delays, seizures, g-tubes, multiple surgeries, cerebral palsy, etc.) and while we're trying to help them at the program, the process of getting them there and home again was basically endangering them. . .

The lady explained the tech program and I was hooked. Been cruising the car seat aisle self educating every since and became a tech 2 years later.
 

Brianna

New member
When my godson was born I read the manual cover to cover just because I'm a nerd. Then when he was nearing the weight limit on his bucket his mom asked for help finding the next car seat and I came across Joel's Journey and cso. I joined here about a year after that.

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katymyers

Active member
I've ALWAYS been a nerd and obsessed over things to the point of exhaustion. And to be honest I don't know exactly why car seats ended up being one of those things for me. It wasn't even until my second kid was about six months old that I really became obsessed. Not that I was doing things wrong before I always properly installed and used car seats but things like erf weren't even on my radar. I must say though for having not been an expert and picking car seats mainly based on looks I did pretty well lol :)
 

ElfJewel

New member
I always wanted my kids to be safe, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job (and I was, some things could have been better but nothing horrible). But when I got my new van all the seats wouldn't fit, and I started looking for seats that would. I came here, learned about ERF and different seats I could use, and ended up re-RFing my 2 and 4yo and reharnessing my 6yo. I became a tech a year later.
 

CrazyBoysMamma

New member
ElfJewel said:
I always wanted my kids to be safe, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job (and I was, some things could have been better but nothing horrible). But when I got my new van all the seats wouldn't fit, and I started looking for seats that would. I came here, learned about ERF and different seats I could use, and ended up re-RFing my 2 and 4yo and reharnessing my 6yo. I became a tech a year later.

This is pretty much my story. I was always good, but not perfect, I had great installs, snug harnesses, chest clip right, no preschoolers in boosters or anything, but I knew nothing of ERF, or really much outside of I really liked my Britax seats, and my SILs set ups made me cringe. When I got my Jetta no way was I getting a MA 65, RA 40, and a companion in there! That's when I found here, and now I'm home! :love: I bought 2 radians, RFd my 4 year old, and became a CPST!
 

vangelder03

New member
my oldest was three months old. on new years eve 2004 we were hit by a drunk driver. the only one who didn't get hurt was Ethan.
 

longstocking

New member
When I was pregnant with my first I extensively researched to find the best/top rated infant carseat. I knew I wanted him to be as safe as possible. I was the worried new mother. I think that's when I stumbled across CS.O? Or maybe my friend introduced me?
I think I did pretty good, then I met KQ on CS.O and realized we were neighbors! She helped me better understand carseat safety, especially when #2 came along when #1 was only 14 months old.
 

tiggercat

New member
I found out I was doing it wrong. Jen (carseatmom) was active on a board I was on and I thought I was doing the best for my kid. Thanks to her, I always had the seat in tight, used the top tether as required FF in Canada, etc. Except that I had to FF my eldest at not even 6 months because seats only went to 22lb RF here. When I discovered (when he was just over a year) how deadly that was, and how fooled I had been by the 20lbs or 1 year guideline that was common up here at the time, I started becoming more and more passionate about CPS. I still couldn't RF my kid because he was now too big for the seats on the market, but I could make sure I wasn't caught unawares again! And I am so glad for it because otherwise he'd have been boostered at 2 when he outgrew legal Canadian options.
I finally managed to be certified in 2005 and an instructor in 2011, and am still very passionate about child passenger safety.

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geberika

CPS Technician
I used to be online friends with Maedze/3Beans and she was always talking about car seats. I was a doula and an apprentice midwife, and I thought becoming a CPST would be another way I could assist families.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
When my oldest child was only 3 months old we were in a very bad accident. I was not as into car seat safety then as I am now. I am ashamed to say he was in a yard sale seat and that I had taken "short cuts" with its installation in my friend's car at the time we were in the accident. It was a '76 Volvo and really needed a locking clip, but I didn't want to take the locking clip off my mom's car so I just wedged the shoulder belt under the belt guides and that made it pretty tight (similar to a lock-off on a modern car seat) and figured it was "good enough." Thank God I was apparently right. He was uninjured in the crash (unlike the rest of us).

I took car seat safety very seriously after that. I only became a car seat fanatic when I was pregnant with DD, though.
 

careynj

New member
I have always been interested in safety, but my car seat interest probably started a year ago when I found out my 8 month old niece was 3 pounds over the weight on her infant seat. Since then I have explained to my sister and 9 year old nephew why it is so important he still be in a booster. And also kept my very large 4 year old niece in a harness, her 5 year old brother in a harness the 22 month old rerearfaced last week and the 10 year old is back in a booster.
 
careynj said:
I have always been interested in safety, but my car seat interest probably started a year ago when I found out my 8 month old niece was 3 pounds over the weight on her infant seat. Since then I have explained to my sister and 9 year old nephew why it is so important he still be in a booster. And also kept my very large 4 year old niece in a harness, her 5 year old brother in a harness the 22 month old rerearfaced last week and the 10 year old is back in a booster.

That's a lot of little lives possibly saved. It's so great to hear! I've gained so much respect for CPST/CPSA's, all the care and work that goes into protecting kids, even when they are not your own, is heart warming. I'll be taking the course soon and hope to begin helping families like you all do.

Kayden - 2.5 RF BLVD 65 & RF Truefit Layla- 6 FF BLVD 65 CS & HBTB
 

careynj

New member
I would love to take the tech course, I just need to figure out where to take it in Canada. I'm glad my family listens to me about car safety, I would hate to know I could have done something if I'd just tried harder.
 

tiggercat

New member
careynj said:
I would love to take the tech course, I just need to figure out where to take it in Canada. I'm glad my family listens to me about car safety, I would hate to know I could have done something if I'd just tried harder.

What it your general location? There are many areas offering certification through CPSAC.

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kater-tot82

New member
My stepdaughter was in a car accident with her bio mom when she was 3yo. She was in a harness/booster combo seat (I think it was some Eddie Bauer FF only seat), in booster mode (her mom had told her that "the harness is for babies"), and got a seatbelt 'burn' across her abdomen from the accident...no internal damage though, thankfully. I didn't know a whole lot about carseats, but I knew a tiny 3yo should still be in a harness. I started researching and have really enjoyed learning more about and teaching other people about child passenger safety.
 

careynj

New member
I'm about a hour north of Toronto. From my understanding the st johns ambulance isn't accredited. Is that correct?
 

tiggercat

New member
careynj said:
I'm about a hour north of Toronto. From my understanding the st johns ambulance isn't accredited. Is that correct?

SJA doesn't have permission to use the current teaching manual and such, so anything from them will be outdated. I believe we gave some active members in TO, though. If you post on the Canadian section, I am sure someone can advise you. Or, if you ever visit Ottawa, we have an active group here ;)

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bnsnyde

New member
Good question!
I've always liked passing down baby stuff and making it last...it feels good to have a product go through lots of kids. Some of it is nostalgia. My kids use some of the stuff I used for my DOLLS. Like, real strollers and stuff that still works just fine. But I always figured carseats I wouldn't care about too much b/c they expire so I couldn't keep them for the grandkids. Our old seats were full of crumbs, and then, somehow, I began to care. Just knowing how fast the kids could die in a crash, and how easy it is to protect them in many cases...draws me in.

I don't allow any eating or drinking (except water) and our seats always look brand new, even when they expire! We've had 1 expire so far.
 

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