Is there a preferred/safer side of the car to put the car seat on? My BIL told me that they did the middle because he researched it and said it was safer. I haven't really ever seen anyone put their car seat in the middle before that. I have a Highlander with buckets in the second row, so not really an option for me... but made me start thinking about it!
@cagncoo12 middle seat wasn’t really an option for my RAV so we had A on the passenger side, which was great when we parked on the street. We still have him there since he’s 4 and runs around so when we park on the street, I can have him on the sidewalk while I unload or whatever. I will say that with E behind me, if it’s just us two, it’s a little easier because I don’t have to cross the car but street parking is a little nerve wrecking when getting her in and out.
The middle seat is considered the safest, when we just had DS1 that’s where he was. Next safest is behind the passenger seat (door opens onto the sidewalk rather than the street).
Nasal congestion solutions? My nose is so dry and stuffy I can NOT breathe at night or during the day for that matter nasal spray helps a little, wonderingif anyone else has any ideas? Or just one of those annoying pregnancy symptoms I have to wait it out...
I've always heard middle is safest if your car allows it. I like passenger side because it's easier for me to glance back when driving if needed. SS will move to the driver side. (we also have buckets in the 2nd row in my car)
At the hospital prenatal classes they said the middle too which I found surprising. We are signed up for a workshop/install/inspection with our regional fire department in September. It’s completely free in our city and it’ll be good to have the peace of mind. You should see if anything is offered in your city.
Ive recently been schooled a lot on car seat laws and recommendations. Make sure you do your own research, especially before you make a transition. I did NOT know my state laws had changed until just today when the topic was brought up by another MI mama in my other BMB.
We put Enzo in the middle when he was born. There’s been talk of turning him FF, which I am against, but he’s started screaming bloody murder. I get miagraines and can pass out from them. It’s been a lesser of two evils argument: impaired driver vs. FF my not quite 2 year old. Hopefully he grows out of it before he turns 2 in October.
But the whole point of that bit was that #3 will go behind the passenger seat if Enzo turns FF at 2. Enzo will be more vulnerable FF than #3 will be RF, which means he would need to stay in the middle.
@sammierose464 I didn’t know that it was illegal to FF before 2 in Michigan. I thought it was still 1. I guess it changed last year. I’m trying to hold off until at least 2 anyway, but the conversation has been happening. Now I can at least shut it down until October.
For example CT just passed a law about when kids can be forward facing. But MA doesn’t. So technically before Ev was a certain weight, if we got pulled over in ct visiting family I guess we could be in trouble?
Rear facing until 2 is California law too! My guess is that if you have out of state plates, they might give you a little leeway? It’s hard to remember which states have which laws.
For those that are going to have their car seat installed. Make sure YOU know how to do it correctly as it will need to be taken out and put back in eventually and knowing how to do it is good vs depending on someone else to install it. I have heard install it yourself and take it to one of those places to check it..they will show you what you did wrong and show you want to do.
Rear facing until 2 is California law too! My guess is that if you have out of state plates, they might give you a little leeway? It’s hard to remember which states have which laws.
Yes because like, we are from ma. I get the law, it just seems complicated to enforce. Like were we gonna flip her around each time we crossed state lines?
(Ps to clarify I believe in rear facing as long as long as possible. We waited until 2, she was just slightly shy of the weight component.)
Also, everyone, installing a car seat looks hard but it’s rely not. Don’t be scared!
I hate to be the preachy mom, but because it was asked I’m doing it!
The safest place to install the car seat is wherever you can get the best fit - and that is not always the middle seat depending on which vehicle you have and the seat you chose. Also, not all seats work with every vehicle.
There are clinics put on by the techs (CPSTs) who have been certified in car seat safety and getting assistance from one of them (and recommendations on best seat fit for the vehicle and your child’s age/size once you are transitioning into whatever the next seat might be and you have that info) is your best bet if you want a correct install as some seats are really hard to get right on your own, especially the first time or if you’ve never had to install a seat before.
Also, there is a difference between car seat laws and minimums and what best practice is, and knowing the difference can be helpful. We are allowed to turn babies FF here at one year and 20lbs but that’s definitely way below the safety recommendations for their development at that stage.
Car seat safety is one of the issues I took up big time when I had DD and did a lot of research on (and did the training to be a CPST just for my own knowledge) so I know I get super preachy on the topic and try and contain myself most times as I know no one wants lectures on it, but if anyone does have questions it’s good to ask!
@kellitama920 If it's within your budget, get a humidifier! It did wonders for me back in the winter when my nose was super dry and stuffy, so I would end up breathing from my mouth which dried it up and made me cough myself awake. So not fun.
We actually had a car seat discussion with some friends this AM and we're looking up MI laws. It is recommended in MI to RF until 2, but law we were seeing was 1yr 20lb. @krzyriver, where did you see it changed?
I hate to be the preachy mom, but because it was asked I’m doing it!
The safest place to install the car seat is wherever you can get the best fit - and that is not always the middle seat depending on which vehicle you have and the seat you chose. Also, not all seats work with every vehicle.
There are clinics put on by the techs (CPSTs) who have been certified in car seat safety and getting assistance from one of them (and recommendations on best seat fit for the vehicle and your child’s age/size once you are transitioning into whatever the next seat might be and you have that info) is your best bet if you want a correct install as some seats are really hard to get right on your own, especially the first time or if you’ve never had to install a seat before.
Also, there is a difference between car seat laws and minimums and what best practice is, and knowing the difference can be helpful. We are allowed to turn babies FF here at one year and 20lbs but that’s definitely way below the safety recommendations for their development at that stage.
Car seat safety is one of the issues I took up big time when I had DD and did a lot of research on (and did the training to be a CPST just for my own knowledge) so I know I get super preachy on the topic and try and contain myself most times as I know no one wants lectures on it, but if anyone does have questions it’s good to ask!
All of this! Read your manual! For us the safest place was behind the passenger seat NOT the middle. DH is tall and with his seat reclined it touched the back of the car seat. Also, the AAP recommends RFing until at least 2, but apparently 4 is ideal because of spinal development. Many state laws have not caught up. MD’s just says appropriate child restraint. That being said we just turned DS around (2.75) because we can not safely RF two car seats in our cars.
I always planned to follow the recommendation of max weight for the seat (45lbs, which Enzo is nowhere near) so this shouldn’t even be an issue for us. But this screaming thing he’s doing is so distracting and dangerous for me. Someone just fix my kid so I don’t have to turn him until he’s 4!!
Looking at it, it says "should". It might be ideal, but given the situation it might not be the best. However, we couldn't find any law other than the booster seat on SOS.
Also check for the anchors in your car to attach the car seat. We went to a free session where the local fire department installed our seat for us and explained everything. I definitely recommended rear facing as long as possible, until at least 2, despite your state laws. Their bones are not strong enough to withstand injury while front facing before 2, if you read into it you'll see children in rear facing car seats are much less likely to sustain life threatening injuries than those in front facing. If you follow the car seat lady on Facebook she has great tips.
I'm trying hard to enforce until 2 with DS. I have no push back on the safety front - however the space could be an issue. DS will be 21 months when this one is born - I can (and currently do) have DS rf behind my driver's side, and will put baby behind the passenger seat. My H is 6'2" and his seat brushes the side of DS's seat, which is rf in the middle in his car. I'm not sure how safe it would be to have baby behind the passenger seat on H's car so we can keep DS rearfacing. I haven't figured out if it would be too weird/confusing if I kept DS rf, but we have to turn him ff in H's car. That would be weird for him, yeah? Experience is welcome. I would be willing to make it more difficult for us to keep them both rf for a bit, but difficult is different than unsafe driving. As it is my car is a 2 door, so it's already work. Who cares if it's more? The other thing is DS is only barely 23 lbs - we can't even take out the extra pads yet (25lbs.) Our state law is 20lbs and 1 yr ff, but I'd rather I can comfortably take out the extra pads before ff him at minimum.
Im pretty sure I’m looking too much into this... but want to check for sure...
For the completion discount on Amazon, can you make multiple, separate purchases using it? The way it’s worded is a little confusing. So I wanted to make sure it wasn’t like a one time time purchase discount, where you have to buy everything you’re missing at once.
Mine’s about to start and I have a big cart of stuff like nursing bras and junk. Wondering if I could add to my registry and then buy in a few days at the discount. But didn’t want to f-it up and it be a one time thing for some reason.
Just a tip on the car seat installation thing...not all fire departments or police departments have a CPST with their department, and if they do then they don’t always install them for you. Most of our local departments that have a CPST will not install them, but they will check them after you’ve installed them to make sure they’re installed properly, and if the seat is not installed properly then they’ll tell you what to do to fix it and watch while you do it. It’s entirely a liability thing so that you can’t come back later and sue them if you’re in an accident and your child is injured. I’d also recommend calling ahead of time to see if they have a CPST and finding out if an appointment is necessary.
Also a HUGE thing to know is all cars/ car seats have latch weight limits. I believe mine is 45lbs, but I have to double check. So whatever convertible car seat you get, make sure you're comfortable installing with the seatbelt too!!
When I did my wedding registry I'm pretty sure it was one time only, but I haven't looked at this one. And only certain things were eligible for the discount. Make sure you pay attention to that. Just because it's on your registry, doesn't mean you'll get a discount on it.
@sammierose464 I think the car seats should be fine to fit that way as his is supposed to be able to do 3 in the backseat. And I could sit that far up, that's fine. But we would have to make sure H can see around me if my seat is up that far, which is my biggest concern. With me as the driver - my vision is further forward to check out the right side for coming cars. But if H is back, and my/passenger seat is further forward, can he see around me to what is coming from the right? Occasssionally he'll get frustrated with me if I sit too far upright because I'm more in his vision than normal. He can adjust if it's an expectation, but if it's a safety issue then I think we'll have to reconsider.
Was anyone able to wear a nursing or sleeping bra during delivery? I understand how some or most women might not like the feeling of having any clothes on but I feel like I would be way more comfortable with a soft nursing bra instead of the no bra and a full gown. What’s the reason for not being able to wear a bra?
@belo290 I wore a tank top under my gown (I don’t know why, now that I think about it) and when DS was born, the nurses put him on my chest immediately for skin-to-skin and were fumbling around, wondering what the extra shirt was for, haha. I ended up taking it off right there which was hard, so maybe it’s the skin to skin thing and attempting to nurse soon after birth?
@belo290 you definitely can wear a light top or bra if you’re more comfortable, but it can make it hard to take off for skin-to-skin like Lisa said, especially if you have an IV in place. Also if you end up needing a stat c-section and your bra has metal in it (underwire, hooks/eyelets etc) it needs to come off because it can cause the electrocautery to arc and burn you. In that case they may cut it off you. If you choose to wear one look for one with zero metal. A straight-up sports bra with no back closure is usually your best bet, and a nursing style one (with plastic clips) allows the nurses to drop the cups down for skin-to-skin.
So what I am hearing, is that it's easiest for everyone if we are completely naked under the hospital gown? for skin to skin reasons? (And also the obvious birth reason...)
Re: Questions 8/3
My nose is so dry and stuffy I can NOT breathe at night or during the day for that matter
nasal spray helps a little, wonderingif anyone else has any ideas? Or just one of those annoying pregnancy symptoms I have to wait it out...
We put Enzo in the middle when he was born. There’s been talk of turning him FF, which I am against, but he’s started screaming bloody murder. I get miagraines and can pass out from them. It’s been a lesser of two evils argument: impaired driver vs. FF my not quite 2 year old. Hopefully he grows out of it before he turns 2 in October.
But the whole point of that bit was that #3 will go behind the passenger seat if Enzo turns FF at 2. Enzo will be more vulnerable FF than #3 will be RF, which means he would need to stay in the middle.
I know to wash clothes and blankets before baby. Do you wash toys? What about soft/plushie ones?
(Ps to clarify I believe in rear facing as long as long as possible. We waited until 2, she was just slightly shy of the weight component.)
Also, everyone, installing a car seat looks hard but it’s rely not. Don’t be scared!
The safest place to install the car seat is wherever you can get the best fit - and that is not always the middle seat depending on which vehicle you have and the seat you chose. Also, not all seats work with every vehicle.
There are clinics put on by the techs (CPSTs) who have been certified in car seat safety and getting assistance from one of them (and recommendations on best seat fit for the vehicle and your child’s age/size once you are transitioning into whatever the next seat might be and you have that info) is your best bet if you want a correct install as some seats are really hard to get right on your own, especially the first time or if you’ve never had to install a seat before.
Also, there is a difference between car seat laws and minimums and what best practice is, and knowing the difference can be helpful. We are allowed to turn babies FF here at one year and 20lbs but that’s definitely way below the safety recommendations for their development at that stage.
Car seat safety is one of the issues I took up big time when I had DD and did a lot of research on (and did the training to be a CPST just for my own knowledge) so I know I get super preachy on the topic and try and contain myself most times as I know no one wants lectures on it, but if anyone does have questions it’s good to ask!
I always planned to follow the recommendation of max weight for the seat (45lbs, which Enzo is nowhere near) so this shouldn’t even be an issue for us. But this screaming thing he’s doing is so distracting and dangerous for me. Someone just fix my kid so I don’t have to turn him until he’s 4!!
I haven't figured out if it would be too weird/confusing if I kept DS rf, but we have to turn him ff in H's car. That would be weird for him, yeah? Experience is welcome.
I would be willing to make it more difficult for us to keep them both rf for a bit, but difficult is different than unsafe driving. As it is my car is a 2 door, so it's already work. Who cares if it's more? The other thing is DS is only barely 23 lbs - we can't even take out the extra pads yet (25lbs.) Our state law is 20lbs and 1 yr ff, but I'd rather I can comfortably take out the extra pads before ff him at minimum.
For the completion discount on Amazon, can you make multiple, separate purchases using it? The way it’s worded is a little confusing. So I wanted to make sure it wasn’t like a one time time purchase discount, where you have to buy everything you’re missing at once.
Mine’s about to start and I have a big cart of stuff like nursing bras and junk. Wondering if I could add to my registry and then buy in a few days at the discount. But didn’t want to f-it up and it be a one time thing for some reason.