I made an appointment with our local police department to have a carseat check. Car safety is big for me, hence why the kids ride in very expensive, top rated seats (thank you eBay!). I've read awful stories (YouTube is full of them) about kids, especially those "big" enough to be in booster seats, dying in very minor car accidents (why Marryn will be in a 5 point harness for awhile still). I've also read that car accidents are the number one cause of accidental death of kids. So with this in mind, I don't want to take any chances. I am the one who always puts in the carseats and I am proud to report that the inspector was very impressed. Those seats are in there tight!
For those mothers out there, I just want to make a point. There really is no such thing as the "safest" carseat. A carseat is only safe when it is installed correctly. 90% of carseats are not installed correctly. They need to be tight, with no movement more than an inch side to side. (When I install them, I sit in them myself to put on as much weight, and then tighten it to the seat. Yes, it leaves wicked indents on the seats, but who cares. This is your child's life we're considering.) The straps for a forward facing child need to be at or above shoulder height while at or below shoulder height for a rear facing baby, with the chest clip at about the armpit. And if you can, keep your babies rear facing as long as you can (ignore that 'at least 1 year and 20 lbs' rule). The Britax seats are often recommended because they are SO easy to install correctly. But there are some other great seats out there as well. In addition, don't put your 30 lb toddler in a booster seat. They are just not physically able to handle the impact of any crash. In fact, it's actually recommended that you keep you child rear facing, until about 30 lbs. Now, I'm no expert (even though I sound like it, huh?), nor have I done everything right (I turned the girls at 1 year and 22 lbs...), but I find this great blog, which has alot of info. Hope you check it out. bombedier.blogspot.com
For those mothers out there, I just want to make a point. There really is no such thing as the "safest" carseat. A carseat is only safe when it is installed correctly. 90% of carseats are not installed correctly. They need to be tight, with no movement more than an inch side to side. (When I install them, I sit in them myself to put on as much weight, and then tighten it to the seat. Yes, it leaves wicked indents on the seats, but who cares. This is your child's life we're considering.) The straps for a forward facing child need to be at or above shoulder height while at or below shoulder height for a rear facing baby, with the chest clip at about the armpit. And if you can, keep your babies rear facing as long as you can (ignore that 'at least 1 year and 20 lbs' rule). The Britax seats are often recommended because they are SO easy to install correctly. But there are some other great seats out there as well. In addition, don't put your 30 lb toddler in a booster seat. They are just not physically able to handle the impact of any crash. In fact, it's actually recommended that you keep you child rear facing, until about 30 lbs. Now, I'm no expert (even though I sound like it, huh?), nor have I done everything right (I turned the girls at 1 year and 22 lbs...), but I find this great blog, which has alot of info. Hope you check it out. bombedier.blogspot.com
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