When Wesley's big boy convertible car seat (we went with the Britax Marathon
) arrived I knew I needed help. There are straps, levers, buttons, and pads that confused me. Jarrod took over and successfully installed the car seat in my car. He read the car seat manual and the car manual to ensure that everything was installed properly. We both have our masters degrees and figured we were smart enough to correctly install a car seat.
) arrived I knew I needed help. There are straps, levers, buttons, and pads that confused me. Jarrod took over and successfully installed the car seat in my car. He read the car seat manual and the car manual to ensure that everything was installed properly. We both have our masters degrees and figured we were smart enough to correctly install a car seat.
When I received this e-mail from Lucie's List I reviewed it with Jarrod. Because he installed the car seat, I wanted to make sure that he checked our LATCH system to be sure we had center seat LATCH hook-ups. Meg clearly states, "if your car doesn’t have LATCH hooks in the middle seat (and most don’t), you should not use the “inner” right and left LATCH hooks (i.e. the ones intended for the outboard seats) to install a seat in the middle (make sense?). There are vehicles where you CAN do this, such as on many Fords/Lincoln/Mercury/Mazdas, but check your car owner's manual to be sure. Most will say no...This is a very common mistake that parents make." I reviewed this with Jarrod to ensure that our car had LATCH center hooks. He assured me (with an eye-roll) that everything was perfect. I slept soundly.
Although I was confident in our abilities, after a month or so, I decided to call in the professionals...just to confirm that we did everything properly. I went to www.seatcheck.org and typed in my zipcode. I called the number of the center closest to my work (Safe Kids of Tarrant County) and discovered that the earliest available appointment was several weeks away. I took that appointment and was given an address where the check would take place. They do not do the checks at a set location, but have a mobile unit that travels around the county to do the checks. The location was closer to my house than work, which was good because I needed to bring Wesley with me to have him checked in the seat.
I'm completely confident that we're capable of installing the car seat and have even installed another convertible car seat for Jarrod's car. (It's a Graco My Ride 65
)
Fast forward a few weeks...on the morning of the car seat check we are on our way out of town. We stop by the location and the women there are incredibly nice. They take our information and we wait a few minutes before they have a chance to come check things out. They have the car seat manual, check for recalls, and review the car manual. Our new friend, Magdalena examines the car seat and then calls me into the car to tell me what we've done correctly. She said the car seat doesn't move more than an inch and that's great. She has me place Wesley in the seat and says he fits snuggly and tells me that the buckle should sit high on his chest, not low on his stomach. She says the incline is perfect and everything looks really good.
Then the bad news... Magdalena tells us in a very loving and professional manner than our car owner's manual states that we do not have middle seat LATCH hooks. While LATCH is the best fit and the center is the safest place for baby to ride, the center of our car does not have LATCH hooks. This means we can either have Wesley LATCH-ed on one side or the other, or seat belt secured in the center. She said the center is the best bet and taught Jarrod and I how to secure the seat with the seat belt. I was angry with my husband but tried to be respectful. The women were incredibly gracious and said 98% of people they see have at least one thing wrong with their car seat installation.
We move on and she said that the Britax actually has a tether that can keep the seat even more secure. She shows me how to tether the back of the seat to the passenger front seat. Britax is one of the only seats on the market that offers a tether that works with the seat rear-facing.
Lastly, she comments on the emergency information I've stuck on the side of the car seat and tells me she encourages people to do that. They even offer little stickers to write important information for car seats. Our stickers have Wesley's name, birthdate, our names and phone numbers, Wesley's doctor's information, and that he doesn't take any medicines and has no known allergies. This makes me feel good again...She did a good job ending on a high note!
This was the easiest and most informative thing we've done in a long time. It was completely free, very simple, and probably took 30 minutes total. Jarrod apologized for having the seat installed incorrectly and I completely forgave him. Honest mistake!
I am definitely not an expert. I learned that I'm really not smart enough to install the car seat correctly. but I'm really thankful for www.seatcheck.org for providing free resources to be sure our kids are safe. If you have a child or love a child, I encourage you to get your seat checked. I will definitely be getting Wesley's checked again in 18+ months when it's time to turn him forward!
Helpful information contained in an e-mail from Magdalena:
Helpful Information for Infants:
I'm completely confident that we're capable of installing the car seat and have even installed another convertible car seat for Jarrod's car. (It's a Graco My Ride 65
)Fast forward a few weeks...on the morning of the car seat check we are on our way out of town. We stop by the location and the women there are incredibly nice. They take our information and we wait a few minutes before they have a chance to come check things out. They have the car seat manual, check for recalls, and review the car manual. Our new friend, Magdalena examines the car seat and then calls me into the car to tell me what we've done correctly. She said the car seat doesn't move more than an inch and that's great. She has me place Wesley in the seat and says he fits snuggly and tells me that the buckle should sit high on his chest, not low on his stomach. She says the incline is perfect and everything looks really good.
Then the bad news... Magdalena tells us in a very loving and professional manner than our car owner's manual states that we do not have middle seat LATCH hooks. While LATCH is the best fit and the center is the safest place for baby to ride, the center of our car does not have LATCH hooks. This means we can either have Wesley LATCH-ed on one side or the other, or seat belt secured in the center. She said the center is the best bet and taught Jarrod and I how to secure the seat with the seat belt. I was angry with my husband but tried to be respectful. The women were incredibly gracious and said 98% of people they see have at least one thing wrong with their car seat installation.
We move on and she said that the Britax actually has a tether that can keep the seat even more secure. She shows me how to tether the back of the seat to the passenger front seat. Britax is one of the only seats on the market that offers a tether that works with the seat rear-facing.
Lastly, she comments on the emergency information I've stuck on the side of the car seat and tells me she encourages people to do that. They even offer little stickers to write important information for car seats. Our stickers have Wesley's name, birthdate, our names and phone numbers, Wesley's doctor's information, and that he doesn't take any medicines and has no known allergies. This makes me feel good again...She did a good job ending on a high note!
This was the easiest and most informative thing we've done in a long time. It was completely free, very simple, and probably took 30 minutes total. Jarrod apologized for having the seat installed incorrectly and I completely forgave him. Honest mistake!
I am definitely not an expert. I learned that I'm really not smart enough to install the car seat correctly. but I'm really thankful for www.seatcheck.org for providing free resources to be sure our kids are safe. If you have a child or love a child, I encourage you to get your seat checked. I will definitely be getting Wesley's checked again in 18+ months when it's time to turn him forward!
Helpful information contained in an e-mail from Magdalena:
Helpful Information for Infants:
- Keep your newborn rear-facing as long as possible, 2 years or older.
- Keeping your child rear-facing best protects their head, neck, and back.
- When rear-facing, car seats should be reclined to protect a newborns head and neck.
- When buckled, the car seat should not move more than 1 inch side to side or front to back from the seatbelt or LATCH belt path.
- Make sure your child meets the weight and height requirements for the seat.
Helpful Information for Toddlers
- Keep your child forward facing in a 5-point harness as long as the seat will allow, by weight/height.
- When forward-facing, most car seats sit upright.
- When buckled, the car seat should not move more than 1 inch side to side or front to back from the seatbelt or LATCH belt path.
- Make sure your child meets the weight and height requirements for the seat.
Helpful Information for Young Children
- As of Sept 1, 2009 a child must sit in a car seat or booster seat that fits them by weight and height until they are 8 years old or taller than 4’9”.
- Always use a lap/shoulder belt when using a booster seat.
- Make sure the shoulder strap crosses the shoulder, not the neck, and the lap belt crosses the lap, not the stomach.
Helpful Information for Older Children
- Best practice is that your child is at least 4’9” before sitting in an adult sized seat belt.
- Make sure your child can sit in the vehicle seat with the lap/shoulder belt crossing the shoulder and the middle of their chest, and the lap belt across their lap, not their stomach.
- Your child’s knees should bend comfortably at the edge of the seat and their feet touch the floor.
- The safest place for a child younger than 13 is in the back seat.
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