Am I The Only Car-Seat Safety Nerd On Here?

[SilverSabre25]

I'm just curious. Unsafe car seat practices are so rampant, I'm wondering if I'm the only provider that's well-educated in this department and if anyone has come up with a good way to educate parents on basic car seat safety.

There's one family right now that I have to look away when they leave because of the horribly, horribly unsafe way their baby is strapped in. I worry about her constantly because if they're in an accident, she's going to fly right out of that seat.

[nannyde]

Not me

NO car seats in the house and this is one of the main reasons.

[Cat Herder]

Not me

NO car seats in the house and this is one of the main reasons.

Same here....

Of course, now I can be held liable if I did not interveine in an unsafe situation, I am told, by my CCR&R... Yay...

[Sunny Day]

I am so crazy about car seat safety that I won't even take my daycare kids in the car with me because actually getting the seats properly installed is such a pain! It seems like some people don't even care at all about it--I'm sorry, but nobody can properly install a car seat in like a minute! I have a few friends who made fun of me so bad for keeping my little girl rear-facing until she was 2 years old (I would have longer if she didn't outgrow the height limit), but then won't listen to the reasons about how its better for the child. I don't ever see the carseats my daycare kids come in, so I'm not sure. I know in general, most that I see have twisted straps, move around way too much, have harness clips in the wrong place, keep the handle up on the baby seat, etc. etc. People are also in waaaay to big of a rush to get their kids onto the next step, whether it be forward facing, or booster. Its hard to talk to people about it though--I have tried a few times and they get defensive, no matter how nicely I try to put it....Its hard to know where you're stepping over the line, but if its really that bad, I would say something to them for sure--the child's safety should be paramount. I have educated myself on car seat safety for my own child, I don't really bring it into the daycare though.

[blueclouds29]

i have heard that its not good to keep taking the car seats in and out. I wish parents would just put two car seats in each car and not worry about leaving a car seat for the other parent.
We got our car seats installed by the fire company who said its not good to keep moving the car seats around due to improper installment each time.
Maybe its me, but i wish parents just got two car seats, one for each car.

[nannyde]

Same here....

Of course, now I can be held liable if I did not interveine in an unsafe situation, I am told, by my CCR&R... Yay...

I don't want to be in the chain of responsibility. I have no interest in keeping up on car seat technology or research.

The car seats are yuckky once the kid is a couple of months old and they hold up the show on arrival and departures.

Best to keep them in the car.

[Sunny Day]

i have heard that its not good to keep taking the car seats in and out. I wish parents would just put two car seats in each car and not worry about leaving a car seat for the other parent.
We got our car seats installed by the fire company who said its not good to keep moving the car seats around due to improper installment each time.
Maybe its me, but i wish parents just got two car seats, one for each car.

Completely agree!! They told me this too.

[nannyde]

i have heard that its not good to keep taking the car seats in and out. I wish parents would just put two car seats in each car and not worry about leaving a car seat for the other parent.
We got our car seats installed by the fire company who said its not good to keep moving the car seats around due to improper installment each time.
Maybe its me, but i wish parents just got two car seats, one for each car.

It's a requirement here. I don't allow car seats to be on my property at all. One parent drops off and one picks up. They both have their own seats and just bring the kid in.

[MommyMuffin]

I think its amazing how many parents let their infants sleep in their car seats when they get home.

[nannyde]

I think its amazing how many parents let their infants sleep in their car seats when they get home.

NOT safe

[Little People]

All 5 of my car seats in my van have been installed by our fire department and they stay installed

[SilverSabre25]

I don't expect others to necessarily extended rear-face their kids (although I wish they would!!!!) but I do wish that more people understood that winter coats aren't safe in the car seat, and how tight the straps should be, and where the chest clip should be, and basic things like that.

The infant I have right now comes in her infant carrier, wearing a HUGE puffy snowsuit, straps so loose you can get three fingers between her and the strap, and the chest clip around her stomach .

Maybe I'll just feel better if I put a bunch of my favorite car-seat safety links in the "Parent Resources" section of my website...then maybe at least a few will see them.

[Little People]

I don't expect others to necessarily extended rear-face their kids (although I wish they would!!!!) but I do wish that more people understood that winter coats aren't safe in the car seat, and how tight the straps should be, and where the chest clip should be, and basic things like that.

The infant I have right now comes in her infant carrier, wearing a HUGE puffy snowsuit, straps so loose you can get three fingers between her and the strap, and the chest clip around her stomach .

Maybe I'll just feel better if I put a bunch of my favorite car-seat safety links in the "Parent Resources" section of my website...then maybe at least a few will see them.

The car seats I purchased, right below the legs is a silver tab that you can lift up and you can tighten or loosen the shoulder straps, and they all came with soft little things that are on the shoulder straps that stay by there neck and the chest strap is a MUST!

[laundrymom]

I tell them. I fix the seat strap, let them know why, show them how. I don't worry about offending them.

[daysofelijah]

I have parents on both end of the spectrum. Two kids bounce around all over the car on their way home. They only live a block away so that's their excuse. I hope they strap them in other times!
Then I have an almost two year old who is still rear-facing and never wears a coat. She has some weird car seat poncho thing. (She never wears shoes either, but I guess that's a different matter entirely )