Carseat safety

Twindling

https://honorableliving.wordpress.com/2015/07/22/the-day-a-friend-corrected-me/

Came across this article and thought it was pretty on point. For the FTMs, I hope this sparks your interest and encourages you to do your research. STM+, this is not my way at picking at your parenting. I promise. When we know better, we do better I'm glad that the person who told me I was doing something wrong had the courage to do so. They could potentially save my kiddos lives!

DrillSergeantCat

Thanks for sharing.

wisco29

“Listen, candace. Hear me, please. Salems car seat straps are incorrect. The manual states he needs to have his chest buckle at his arm pits. In an accident, that buckle would dig into his soft stomach and cause serious damage to his organs, his upper body would have no support, flinging his so sweet and adorably large head so hard he is guaranteed to have serious spinal, nerve, and brain damage....


All of this, so true and this is the most common mistake even for rear facing babies! I had no idea about this until I learned from my old Bmb!

brushesnbrunch

Definitely bookmarking this to read later!

ashes1010

I had a friend say something to me about my twins' being buckled in incorrectly when they were babies. I was so grateful that she was brave enough to do it. I've become such a huge advocate for car seat safety, but still feel nervous to say something.

strlitemiss

I loved every bit of this today because I am constantly trying to help people keep their kids safe and nobody cares. I've shared so much car seat crap in the last year my car seat tech friend keeps trying to get me to join her.

Twindling

I've come to accept that I can only help the people who truly appreciate the help. My BEST FRIEND, knows how big of an advocate I am for extended rear facing and still thinks her children can defy the laws of physics. Despite all my desperate attempts, she still turns all her kids to forward facing at or before 1yr.

DrillSergeantCat

My state just changed the law (beginning Nov.1) that all children must be rear-facing until 2 years old instead of 1 year and 20 lbs. I didn't really understand why (it's been half my life since I've had a baby) until I read that article. 

Wurrkingurrl

Fantastic article... thank you for posting!

bredoll

Thanks for this! I just shared this on my FB page. I have a few friends and family members who have posted pics of their LOs already forward facing and I am never sure on how to address it since I don't have kids yet (and people tend to take things like this from people without kids as preachy and overstepping), but it scares me to see them turned already.

lrobb004

There are so many car seat issues that people don't realize or think about. Like buckling your child in with a winter coat on. I try to point things out to my friends in a loving manner. Another scary thing to me is when people put infant car seats on top of shopping carts. Makes me cringe, but I am not brave enough to say anything to strangers.

ohbaby714

What a great article. My best friend just had a baby and she has the strap covers on the straps of her daughter's car seat and it causes the chest buckle to be at her stomach and the straps falling off her shoulders. I'm having a hard time saying something but at the same time I'm thinking it could potentially save her life. I think sharing this article would be the perfect way. Thank you!

SoSweetTea1124

Love it! Car seat safety momma's to the rescue!

Sprinkles07

Yes to all of this!! Be warned though you may loose friends for saying something. It doesn't always go over well. Also please check out car seats for the littles in Facebook. It's the best for finding out what kind of seat will work for you and for all things car seat safety info'

wisco29

Twindling said:

I've come to accept that I can only help the people who truly appreciate the help. My BEST FRIEND, knows how big of an advocate I am for extended rear facing and still thinks her children can defy the laws of physics. Despite all my desperate attempts, she still turns all her kids to forward facing at or before 1yr.

Yup my mom, sister and a few other people I see on fb feel exactly the same way.
Their child and/or children won't fly out of the car seat that is loosely buckled and the chest clip isn't even clipped....... Ugh makes me crazy!!!!

minivanmafia

I have not read the article yet but the comments are a sure thing that I will love this article. I am a HUGE carseat safety advocate and we have extended rear facing until about a week ago (at 21 months) and that was a hard decision to make on my part. I have shared plenty of links on my personal FB page, I have posted about it SEVERAL times on my IG and have posted a blog post about it on my blog… that is how I try to "reach" people because honestly, no mother wants to hear that they are doing something "wrong" so I try to go about educating people on their own accord and in a round about way. Now.. I have said something to one mother that I saw a pic of her baby that was NOT 1 turned facing forward. I sent her a private message asking when his first birthday was because it didn't seem like time had flown that much and she responded that he wasn't 1 yet… I then, very nicely, told her that he needed to be turned back around that the law (here in GA) is 12 months AND 20 pounds but also sent her several links about extended rear facing. I told her I really hoped she didn't think I was over stepping but I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened I hadn't said anything. She took it really well and said thank you stating she was uneducated on the laws. Now, whether she followed my advice I don't know, But I know that I did the best I could. Now Ill go read your shared article  

nikki_rose7

Yeah this was a tough topic on my J14 group. As a few of us turned LO around at 1 year and over 20lbs. It wasn't illegal to turn our LO's around in our state at 1 years so we did. Let me tell ya we spend long trips in the car and she has been extremely happy facing forward (almost 19 months old). I am not saying to face them forward, but don't be haters of those who decided to turn them around sooner. It's a judgment call. We are super safe drivers and drive extremely save vehicles. Still accident free our whole lives.

Twindling

nikki_rose7 said:

Yeah this was a tough topic on my J14 group. As a few of us turned LO around at 1 year and over 20lbs. It wasn't illegal to turn our LO's around in our state at 1 years so we did. Let me tell ya we spend long trips in the car and she has been extremely happy facing forward (almost 19 months old). I am not saying to face them forward, but don't be haters of those who decided to turn them around sooner. It's a judgment call. We are super safe drivers and drive extremely save vehicles. Still accident free our whole lives.

I'm passing no judgement. Just information. You can keep your child however you deem them safe. But statistically, between ages 1-2 they are 532% safer rearfacing. New parents should be aware of this and be able to make an informed decision. Unfortunately the law is a minimum and hasn't quite caught up to the AAP recommendation but some states are getting there!

minivanmafia

Twindling said:

nikki_rose7 said:

Yeah this was a tough topic on my J14 group. As a few of us turned LO around at 1 year and over 20lbs. It wasn't illegal to turn our LO's around in our state at 1 years so we did. Let me tell ya we spend long trips in the car and she has been extremely happy facing forward (almost 19 months old). I am not saying to face them forward, but don't be haters of those who decided to turn them around sooner. It's a judgment call. We are super safe drivers and drive extremely save vehicles. Still accident free our whole lives.

I'm passing no judgement. Just information. You can keep your child however you deem them safe. But statistically, between ages 1-2 they are 532% safer rearfacing. New parents should be aware of this and be able to make an informed decision. Unfortunately the law is a minimum and hasn't quite caught up to the AAP recommendation but some states are getting there!

This and you can't control what other drivers are doing (or not doing.) I pass no judgement either but one has to be educated and make an educated decision that is best for your family in all things that concern ones family.

blueberrymomma

Omg so many of my friends and cousins turn their children way too early. I mean when they're not even to the weight limit. One turned their little one at 6months!!! My DD wasn't even 20lbs at a year and her LO is smaller than her. Another always posts pics of her kids with the clip at their bellybottons. But I'm too afraid to say anything. Several of DHs cousins put their kids in a booster at 2! Im like they're not big enough and all the recommendations say it's best to stay in a convertible till 4.
My one friend did have an accident when her LO was about a year. He was rearfacing and didn't have a mark on him even though her SUV was completely smashed.
I actually sometimes wish I wouldn't of turned DD around. We did at 25 months and she was a much better rider rearfacing.

DrillSergeantCat

I was babysitting for a friend this weekend and her LO is 7 weeks old. The clip on his carrier was down at his belly button and the straps were so loose, he could have gotten his arms out had he wanted to or had the muscle control to. I told her she needed to tighten the straps and she gave me an excuse that they were too tight before. Ugh

purpletulip

I'm happy to see this post. I think it's not talked about enough. I just happened to come across good sources of car seat safety info after my first was born, and I feel like I had to seek it out-it wasn't readily available.
Just recently I learned that you're not supposed to put anything between the child's car seat and the seat of the car, unless it's sold by the maker of the car seat. It's also a bad idea to use those toy bars that attach to the infant seat handle.
It's so confusing though because there are all these products sold in stores and you wouldn't think they'd be allowed to be sold if they weren't safe!

twinmom1121

Thanks for posting this! I'm pretty passionate about car seat safety too and hate when I see friends' babies not safely strapped! One of my sis in laws friends turned her baby at 8 months because she was 20 lbs and it was way more convenient since she drives a 2 door mustang. Well turns out her baby was only about 18 lbs at her dr visit and she still kept her forward facing!
I'm always so cautious of when others strap my boys in and make sure their straps are always tight enough and the chest buckle is high enough. I'm just way too paranoid about the other bad drivers on the road!

Quazel

This is a issue I'm very dedicated to. DS used to be quite short, he remained rear facing until he was almost three. Our pediatrician shook our hands and thanked us when he asked what seat he was in at his 3 year appointment and we told him he was in a 5 point convertible and we had just turned him.

I have mentioned it to a few people when I see pics of low chest clips. I've been lied to by my brother's gf (I loosened the straps to take the pic). Really, in every picture since you post 100 a day? My one SIL is more concerned about comfort, it makes me so sad. You can only say so much but I feel I have to say something.

jaimeruns

This thread and the story you shared are awesome! As a FTM I don't know anything about car seat safety so I really appreciate this.

I plan to do much more research and attend the checks and local training class. Geico has one here and they give you a free car seat for attending. Maybe they do it in other states? You don't have to have them as your insurance; anyone can attend.