Another car seat PSA :)

ASmallWonder · December 2013

I want all of the littles here to be as safe as possible so take a minute to read this over and see if any of it applies to you

1 - Read your manual cover to cover and then read it again. Everything else that comes after this is actually covered in the manual for your seat

2 - After market products are not allowed. This isn't a ploy to keep you from spending money on another company's product

Harness strap covers, non skid mats for underneath, head positioning pillows, BundleMes and home made car seat covers (minus shower cap style) are not safe. They alter the way the seat was tested and can cause your little to become unsecured in a crash and actually eject from the seat

3 - Chest clips need to be at the chest, even with the armpits. Lower than that and they can actually cause damage to internal organs in a crash

4 - Do the pinch test. Pull all the slack from the harness and tighten. Straps are sufficiently tight when you slide your fingers over the harness at their collarbone and you aren't able to pinch any fabric.

5- A lot of us are getting ready to transition to a convertible. Make sure you choose one before your LO maxes out ANY of the limits of their seat. Obviously there's height and weight but most seats also require that there is 1" of shell above their head, even if they haven't met the overall height limit yet.

ASmallWonder · December 2013

You'd think so but seats are actually tested with pool noodles so they're recommended by the manufacturers. After market things are more of an issue when you're talking about potentially changing the way the harness functions (i.e. straps covers, etc) or if something could mask a bad install (like a non slip mat).