*this is actually a post I did for a car-seat related bulletin board, so some things are sorta assumed.  I am cross posting here since I know some of my readers are into car-seats, and some of them are getting into car-seats, and some of them should be into car-seats, and some of them just like to look at my car-seats. Please feel free to ask any questions

I was inspired by the clinic I did Saturday and a lot of car-seat discussion recently to finally install the TrueFit.  Whew, lots of work. This involved moving ODD’s Radian from middle to outboard, moving the bucket to DH’s car (which needed a seat-belt with locking-clip install) and then getting to the TrueFit.

It was not an easy install. Getting to the belt-path under the seat cover, finding the UAS straps at the back of the seat and getting them to the right place, installing the seat, and then getting the seat covered again is tough.

I did end up with a rock solid install though, but I needed 3 pool noiodles to get a 45 degree angle. DD is 6 months and has good head control, so I probably could have had it a bit more upright, but I feel better with 45 degrees until she is a bit closer to a year.

I can get to the harness adjuster easily (I know this is a problem for some) but am not sure I’ll be able to when it has less of a recline.

It is a great fit in my Saturn Ion without the headrest, but will have to be a lot more upright when I need to put it on.

Pics:

My 17lbs 6 month 26 inch baby (with and without headrest):

My 6 year old, 43 lb, 42 inch SK graduate:

The recline (weird angle in the picture, but it is 45 degrees) :

the lock-offs:

The harness adjuster:

sorry I am a few days late posting this, I lost the camera cable (the pics I did over the weekend were on the other camera, different cable!).  also no stylin’ outfit since she was already dressed for bed when I remembered!

as usual, last month:

Soon, she’ll be able to eat the bear.

In other news, I have (as you saw a few days ago) been working hard on making baby-food for little char. She wont be starting solids for another month, but I want a freezer full for her,  since feeding solids adds a whole new level of work to infant parenting, I am getting the preparing part out of the way early. So far I’ve made: Beef, Chicken, Peas, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Butternut Squash, Banana/blueberry, and mango.  Since I`ve got 12 blocks minimum of each, and she`ll only eat 1-2 blocks a day for the first few months, I am set for a while.

I am really, really proud to say that my 5 month old thriving baby has still had nothing (to eat, she has had medicine-gripe water, tylenol and pro-biotics) but breast-milk, 99% of it straight from the tap (I do give her a bit on my finger mixed with her pro-biotics every day, and we have made a couple half-hearted unsuccessful attempts with a bottle). 

Even if she did take the bottle, we wouldn`t be using them aften, since I really need to maintain my freezer stash of  milk (maybe 30 ozs) in case of an emergency, since her intolerances mean we no one can just hop to the drugstore to get her formula (which she may not be willing to drink anyways, I have heard the hypoallergenic ones taste really bad) or get her donor milk ASAP.  Of course, I onlyhave about a day`s worth in my freezer stash, but it is something! I am expressing (by hand) a bit every day from now to Saturday so there will be a fresh bottle for her because…

we  (meaning he) will be offering her a bottle on Saturday most likely, since (here is the segue to other big news!) I will be volunteering at a Car-Seat Clinic. I am so excited, my first clinic. I have used my training tonnes for myself, my friends and my family as well as at my office…but a clinic!! I normally would not leave my baby at this age for this long (4 hours-10 till 2) but since the clinic is literally around the corner so the man can bring her to me to nurse if need be, I am gonna do it!!

I`ve got some make-up reviews coming in a few days…or maybe even later today if I am really ambition. Stay tuned!

So after a lot of soul searching, I have decided I am not going to move the girl to a booster seat when Charlotte is ready for her convertible seat after all.

This was my original plan, but with the girl being so petite (she weighs about 43lbs now) and being in a seat that harnesses to 65lbs, it seems just too soon to put her in a booster in our main car. She is already in boosters in her grandparent’s and father’s cars, but she is  not in these cars often or far. In my car she is all over the place, often even on the highway, and I was her as safe as possible as long as possible.

I know it is odd to have a 6 year old in a harnessed car seat…but I don’t care.  She has an almost $300 car-seat and the reason the seat is that expensive is that it can keep her harnessed longer, so we will do just that! A pet peeve of mine is people that buy Britax because is “the best” and they need to have one, and then don’t take advantage of the higher rear and forward facing limits that gave Britax it’s reputation (since until the last couple years they were the only seats with such high limits) in the first place. Luckily she does not complain about her seat…much.

So, I decided to buy Charlotte a new convertible seat, since I don’t plan to keep her in the bucket much longer. As soon as she is sitting up…maybe before…she is outta there. I can  barely carry it with her anyways, and once I am no longer using it as a carrier, I think she’ll be more comfortable in a regular convertible seat where she she has more space and will be higher up and able to see better. Then, when the girl is ready for a booster in my car (we already have it) we can use the Radian for Charlotte in one car, the new seat in the other-and we’ll have all the seats we need. Since we would have to buy Charlotte a second convertible for the man’s car eventually (probably when I go back to work), it makes sense to buy it sooner so we can keep the girl harnessed longer.

After much research on various car-seat bulletin boards and sites, I have decided on the True Fit Convertible Car Seat in Monet. It has a 35lb rear-facing limit, and 65lb forward facing limit. As well, the top piece comes off for rear-facing to make it short, which is great as a lot of  the big convertible car-seats do not fit into cars rear-facing very easily (unless you move the front seat way forward)…and we have a sedan not a Minivan or SUV with space to spare. I was actually not convinced the Radian would fit in our car rear-facing anyways.  Should be fine in the passenger side of the man’s car eventually though, since he never has front seat passengers so the front seat can be moved way forward. The my car, the man (6″1), is often in the front passenger seat.

 It is, of course, also pretty:

Last of all, it has a nicer price tag than the other options with equal limits, which were the Britax Marathon or another Radian.

P.S. I strongly recommend all parents consider  keeping their babies and young toddlers rear-facing as long as possible, and their preschoolers harnessed as long possible. I don’t wanna get preachy on you all, just sayin’ (and providing the links).

P.P.S. Though the law may still be that babies only need to rear-face until 1 year AND 20lbs, the American Academy of Pediatrics is finally saying what car-seat techs have been saying for years; which is that babies are better off rear-facing for at least 2 years. Hopefully the Canadian Pediatric Association and lawmakers will follow suit!

Remember, the bare minimum for turning to forward-facing is 1 year AND 20lbs, the bare minimum for going to a booster seat is 4 years AND 40lbs, and the bare minimum for sitting in a regular seat-belt is 8 years OR 80lbs (in Canada).

I forgot yesterday…isn’t she a great fit (and a big girl!)?

Good

1. My headaches are so much better since I have finished work. I have not had to take a Tylenol since Friday, and and have already been able to cut my caffeine intake (the last few weeks I was having 4-5 caffeinated drinks a day just to keep the headaches under control, which is not a good thing as I kicked a caffeine addiction a few years  back…but it was the ONLY thing that seemed to help at all) to about 2 caffeinated drinks a day. (knocks on wood).

2. Things are slowly coming together. All the laundry is done, and we have  everything we need (though there are a few things we stil want, and of course once baby comes shopping for gender specific clothing will begin). We have put together the stroller and car-seat, and I will install the car-seat base this weekend. The change table/dresser is ready and organized, my bags are packed.

3. There are no problems with me or the baby. My blood pressure is right back down to normal, and the baby is still head down, measuring well, engaged, and has a good strong heart-beat.

4. I love the new washer and dryer. They are not fancy, but they get the job done well. They are both much larger capacity than my previous set, and the dryer is way faster!

5. Probably about 3 more weeks now.

Not so good

1. I have developed what seems to be pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome. It started out  a few weeks ago as very mild numbness in my left hand when I woke up…not a big deal since by the time I was done my shower it was back to normal. Now my fingers  on both hands are so stiff when I wake up I cannot use them until I run my hands under cold water for a good minute or so, and they get stiff and require cold water repeatedly throughout the day (which is drying out my hands and cuticles, ouch!).  In addition my right wrist is very weak and achy. My chiropractor and midwife assure me it’ll probably get better soon after having the baby, and meanwhile using lots of cold water, wrapping the offending wrist, and wiggling my fingers a lot is helping somewhat…but it is still annoying and certain tasks (like pulling up the girl’s tights, or my socks, or using chopsticks) are very awkward and the wrist pain in d0wnright… painful. Oh well.

2. We still have the computer in the middle of our nursery, and the computer nook the man is building in the closet is still a pile of boxes and dirty laundry. We have several ideas about how to deal with this situation…but have not committed to any of them as the man still really wants to follow his plan, but does not have time to do so. I am starting to get very annoyed at the fact that our baby is coming in 3 weeks or less, and the nursery is still not ready. Just getting the computer out of there without finding another place for it (or getting a lap-top we can use anywhere)  is not an option. I use the computer often and being at home alone or with a newborn and no compter would be really miserable for me.

3.  We still have no name for the baby. I have several boy and girl names I like, and have a favorite in each gender, but cannot get the man to agree to any of them.

Neutral

1. I am now spending much of my time looking on craigslist for a second stroller.  I am looking for a stroller that will be good to keep in my front entrance-way and use for walking the girl to school and back and neighborhood walks with my baby, so I don’t have to lug my main (as in lives in the trunk to use at the mall) stroller out of the trunk a million times a day. With the girl I only had one stroller, but since I rarely walked somewhere I did not first drive to get to, it was not a big deal. This time I will be walking  from home often (since the girl’s school is so close and parking in front is so crazy, walking is much much easier than driving), and would like really like to have a nice warm stroller inside the house for this purpose instead of  having to lug an icy cold stroller out of my car-trunk several times a day (or lug a warm stroller into my car-trunk several times a day). It is hard to choose though …there are so many to choose from. The fancy ones are tempting…but I know it is silly to  get a secondary stroller that is nicer than my main one (even if some of them are not overly expensive).  The ones that are not fancy are mostly really junky looking, and I don’t want that either. Also, it needs to be a decent stroller since it needs to be warm, go over snow,  recline for a newborn, and fold small enough to keep inside.  I also need to decide if I want a jogging stroller or not, as I did start jogging a couple years ago and plan to again. I think not though…since I am not a heavy duty jogger (about 1/2 hour is my limit) so I imagine I will prefer to do it in the evenings when the man is home than with the baby during the day anyways. I have always enjoyed jogging most in the evenings when I need some space for myself. Anyways, right now I am leaning towards this stroller as it looks to be in good condition and has everything I need…but it is really more money than I would like to spend on a second used stroller. Maybe I could just wear the baby to walk the girl to and from school? That is another option and I am sure in spring I may do just that…but I don’t think I’ll want to in the winter.

As I’ve mentioned a few times, I actually see car seats used wrong more often than right…to the point that I can barely even glance into cars in parking lots, or infant seats in public places, since it upsets me so much…and there is usually nothing I can do about it. So, I decided to post a few of the common errors I see, in hopes that all my readers will at least check their own car-seat usage and ensure they are avoiding these common and risky errors.

1) Chest-clip too low. This is what I see MOST often.  I see the chest clip (which is the clip that attaches the two straps together) on the belly of the child, sometimes right above the buckle of the car-seat. If it is like that, the shoulder straps of the seat can easily slide wide open, allowing a baby to slide through them in an accident (or to climb out). As well, in the force of a collision it can put pressure on the baby or child’s internal organs through the soft stomach. The chest has the protection of the rib-cage.  The chest clip needs to be at armpit level, in order to keep the shoulder straps firmly on the shoulders.

This chest clip is too low:
 

Here is a good one:

2) Harness too loose. The rule of thumb is that if the harness is loose enough at the shoulders to pinch it, or to slide two stacked fingers under it, it is too loose. A too loose harness is not holding your baby closely enough to the seat and can lead to  shaking and possible internal injuries in a collision, or even allow the child to be ejected from the seat. I know a lot of parents worry the tighter straps will hurt their babies or make them uncomfortable. All I can say is…being injured in a collision will hurt more. I have also never noticed that a baby whose straps are tight enough is any more unhappy in the seat than one whose straps aren’t.

3) Using articles that the seat harness has to thread through, such as a head-hugger or Bundle me. Unless these articles come with the seat, do not use them. You can use rolled up receiving blankets to support a baby’s head (and most newborn seats have heed support anyways), and a shower cap style cover (that only goes over the seat) with some blankets under it but over the harness to keep your baby warm. Anything the harness has to be threaded through can interfere with the harness sitting properly and being tightened properly. As well, the seat was not tested or certified with any such products attached to it. I know that the J.J. Cole says their *Bundle me* has passed standards, but that is a load of crap. It may have passed their standards, but there is no official testing or standards for after-market items like these that go onto car-seats. Google the code J.J. Cole says their product complies with, and you’ll see it says NOTHING about after-market products.

4) Seat not installed tightly enough. The seat should move one inch or less side to side. If it moves more than 1 inch, it is not tight enough. I prefer no movement. I recommend having one person use their knee to put a their weight into the seat while another person pulls the seat-belt or latch strap as hard as possible. Bounce and do it a few times. My installs have gotten way tighter since I started to always make sure someone is pulling while I do the bouncing.  Also, if you are using a seat-belt, pull i tout all the way and make sure  it “locks” when you let it in a little before using it. If your seat-belt does not lock, the seat will loosen and you’ll need a locking clip, which is a bit complicated to get into here. If you think your seat need locking slip, I would really recommend you get it installed by a tech, as they are tricky. 

5) Bulky jackets or snowsuits in car-seats. This is a no-no as the bulk of the jacket or snow-suit will keep the straps from getting tight enough, and in the force of a collosion that bulk can compress, making the straps too loose to protect you child. To test your child’s outerwear, try this trick. Dress your child in the outerwear, and put them in the seat, than tighten the straps properly (as in number 2 above). Now, remove your child, take off the outerwear, and put them back in the seat and do up the straps without tightening them. If the straps have more than very minimal slack, than the outerwear should not be worn in the seat…as that slack will be there in a collision. I know this is a pain in the butt in cold places. I recommend making sure your child has a layer of fleece (good sporting store fleece, not cheap fleece) to wear in the car-seat, as it is warm, and but not bulky. You can also put the winter jacket over the child once in the seat.

6) Too old seats. Most seats with a 3 point harness (the straps come out from above the shoulders and the crotch, but not the sides of the hips) or a shield (that tray type thing in front of the child) are now expired. Even if they aren’t, shield less 5 point harness seats are considered safer.

3 point harness:

Shield seat:

7) Kids being turned forward facing, or moved to booster seats , too soon. I’ve said it a million times, and I’ll say it again. It is best to keep your babies rear-facing and then harnessed to the MAXIMUM limit of the seat (check the side fo the seat, or the manual).  At a bare minimum, babies should be BOTH 1 year AND 22lbs to move to forward facing and kids should be BOTH 40lbs AND 4 years old to move to a booster seat.

It is getting close to the time where DD will finally move from a Harnessed Car-seat to a booster seat, as she is now almost 40lbs (which is the legal minimum for this move).

In my car, she will stay in the car-seat, as my car-seat has a weight limit of up to 65lbs. She probably wont be in it that long…but she will likely be until the Bebe grows out of the infant bucket seat and is ready to move to a rear-facing convertible seat, which the girl’s seat is. My parents, my mother in law, and the man, however, have typical car-seats with a 40lb limit, so for those cars, I am starting to eye Booster Seats and look for the one I want sale.

The one I have in mind is the Graco Turbo-booster, both because it is pretty, and because I have read on car-seat bulletin boards and forums that it is a good one.

Last month, a consumer report came out with the findings that many of the booster seats on the market are not properly positioning kids, and leaving them unsafe. I was very  relieved to read this article and discover the seat i am eye-ing is one of the “good” ones.

I was also sorry to read that the Eddie Bauer/Alpha Omega does not make a good booster seat. Not for myself, because I don’t have one of these seats…but because among my friends it is one of the most popular car-seats. When I was on maternity leave, almost everyone but me got this seat for their kids when they were ready to come out of the infant seats, since it goes from rear-facing, to forward-facing, to booster seats…more bang for your buck. I did not get this seat at the time only because it was not a good fit for my car. I wonder how many of those friends (who I lost touch with when I returned to work) are now using these seats as booster seats for the girl’s similarly aged peers?

I hope this article has been read by all, and that the kids of my friends and former friends remain safe, and in booster seats that are considered effective.

Here is the article.

Remember, the bare minimum for turning to forward-facing is 1 year AND 20lbs, the bare minimum for going to a booster seat is 4 years AND 40lbs, and the bare minimum for sitting in a regular seat-belt is 8 years OR 80lbs (in Canada).

Finally after years of car-seat obsession I am a child restraint tech!! Any GTA friends need car-seat help? Drop me a line!

P.S. If you wanna do it, DON’T do it pregnant in the summer! I got through it, but man was it hot, and exhausting! We did a 1 & 1/2 hour install and there were a few moments that I was pretty sure I was going to faint, vomit, or faint in my own vomit!

Try doing nothing but installing car-seats over and over…and over again for a few hours! Whew…I may need to make this a new full-time career at some point in my life! The I’d never need to fit exercise into my life after work! I am 1/2 way to being a certified Child Restraint Technician! Tomorrow: Clinic and the Exam!!

In other news, a woman there showed me her Mei-Tei, and I want one! Since I started blogging after the girl was past babyhood, few of you know of my baby-wearing obsession. Let me just say that all the new carriers that have come on the market in the past 5 years are starting to make me very excited…since I gave away all my (5 or 6 at least) carriers except my Hot-sling  (which I also gave away, but got back) after the girl turned 2!

I have an annoying rule in my car; I do not move the car until everyone is wearing a seat-belt. I mean adults as well as kids. Many times, adults have complained about my rule. They state that they are more comfortable without seat-belts, that they never wear them, that they’ll pay for a ticket, that they’ll be fine, and that they are adults and it is up to them if they want to take the risk.

Well, not quite. Firstly, I don’t want anyone to die in my car, adult or not. If that ever happened, I would never be able to drive again. I am not sure I would be able to live with myself. So someone risking thier life by not wearing a seat-belt in my car is also putting my mental health, and my livelihood (as I cannot do my job without driving) at risk. Secondly, when someone is not wearing a seat-belt it is not only themselves they are putting at risk, but everyone in the car. If they become dislodged from the seat (and in an accident, they will if they are not restrained), they can become projectile; banging around the car injuring or even killing those of us that are in seat-belts, and possibly hitting the driver who could lose control of the car even more as a result.

Here is a video that perfectly displays this concern. Buckle up!