PDA

View Full Version : Frustrating car seat inspection experience-vent



erv917
02-14-2008, 06:28 PM
* Sorry, guess I originally accidentally posted this as a reply to an unrelated thread. I'll try again....

I went to the local firestation yesterday to get our new convertible seat (a Radian 65) inspected. The firefighter who inspected it, upon seeing that my daughter is 11 months old and over 20 lbs, said "Oh, you can flip her around in a month" (meaning turn the seat from RF to FF). He also made reference to it later in the inspection, saying something like "In a month when you turn her around...." Now, I know enough from occasional lurking on this board and other reading up on the issue that I've done to know that that is neither necessary nor best to turn a child around right at age 1, and I definitely plan to keep her RF for a while. But I found this really frustrating, because it seems to me that he would have been in the perfect position to educate me if I wasn't already knowledgeable on the subject. Worse yet, it seems like if someone, say, had vaguely heard that keeping their child RF past their first birthday was beneficial, what he said could almost lead someone to believe that it's mandatory to turn your child around at one year. So, I guess I am wondering why more car seat techs don't use an inspection as an opportunity to extol the virtues of extended RF? Or do the vast majority, and this guy was just a dud? I don't know, I guess I just find the evidence for extended RF pretty compelling, and I am always disappointed that more people don't consider it for their toddlers, but I feel kind of powerless because I feel like suggesting it to others gets into that rather dangerous territory that might be interpreted as criticizing their parenting.

So, thanks to anyone who's listened to my vent, and I do actually have one question if you've stuck with it this long. This technician told me that it would not be possible to tether our Radian 65 rear facing (the car is a 2005 Accord). He said something like he only knows of like 2 cars where it's possible to tether rear-facing, a volvo and something else he can't remember? This sounded kinda fishy to me, and obviously I didn't feel too confident with him in general, but at any rate I simply can't find anywhere in the car to tether the seat. Does anyone know of anywhere to tether RF in an Accord, or should I just accept that this guy was actually right about one thing and skip it and not worry about it?

Thanks for any input!
Edit/Delete Message

mom2binsd
02-14-2008, 07:02 PM
Actually it's not the car that dictates whether you can tether RF it's the carseat, and only Britax I believe allow for RF tethering. So guess he was really misinformed and yes, unfortunately there are many techs out there who have not kept up to date on changes and current recommendations with respect to RF beyond the old 1 year/20 pound mantra and also with respect to keeping kids in 5pt. harnesses beyond 30-40 pounds. The tech I went to had no idea how the lockoffs on my Britax worked and also wanted to reinstall mine FF even though my child was just over a year and I showed her the manual and sticker. She had no idea about helping me find a tether spot for the seat RF either. I don't have a Radian but I don't believe you can tether it RF but another person can confirm or check with manual carefully.

The techs on this board are so knowledgeable, however many folks who are " car seat inspectors" may not have had recent training.

I understand your frustration.

khm
02-14-2008, 07:19 PM
Sunshine Kids allows RF tethering, too. :)

You've just got to find a place to do it.

This site is getting pretty old, but it is a good illustration of how to use the d-ring.

http://www.angelfire.com/wa3/isakswings/ratetherrf.html

o_mom
02-14-2008, 08:34 PM
I have a 2006 Accord and here are the pictures of where I would tether:
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p58/o_mom2/Carseats005s-1.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p58/o_mom2/Carseats006s.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p58/o_mom2/Carseats007s.jpg

clc053103
02-14-2008, 09:09 PM
O Mom, that's some clean carpets for having three kids!

KrisM
02-14-2008, 09:20 PM
O Mom, that's some clean carpets for having three kids!

I was going to post the same thing!

KrisM
02-14-2008, 09:20 PM
Was he a certified Tech or just a firefighter? Just curious.

Sorry you had a frustrating experience.

o_mom
02-14-2008, 10:00 PM
ROTFL - it's DH's car and that picture was taken just a few months after we bought it. :)

katydid1971
02-15-2008, 12:40 AM
I don't think this experience was that unusual. SIL (who fortunately listens when I give her advice because she knows I'm a research junkie) recently returned from having her new carseat (Blvd) inspected and was told the same thing (DN turns 1 in March). I sent her a few of the many many great websites I have read from this board (THANKS GALS!!) and she is planning on leaving the carseat where it is until at least 2!!! But the bad news is she said the person who did the inspection (a fireman) really made her believe she MUST turn that seat around in 1 month. Oh and BTW that is exactly where I had my seat tethered in my Accord (we've just moved up to the Odyssey)

Joolsplus2
02-15-2008, 09:22 AM
The technician course is pretty bare-bones... they sit through it for a week (3 days now...)and pass (with an 80/100) a multiple choice test...I didn't learn diddly in mine that I didn't learn online :(. He probably was alert enough to remember the basic numbers (rf to a year, harness to 4, booster to the limits of his state's law), and some basic installation tips, but if you aren't trying to learn a little on your own after that, you really don't ever learn more than that :(. The new course really stresses reading the manual...if he'd at least looked through that he would have seen your seat can be tethered :(. (wow, three frowns from me... I guess I agree you had a pretty run-of-the-mill to below-average tech experience...)

Mommy Of A Little Angel
02-15-2008, 12:38 PM
Ack what a crappy experience! Honestly, I took the tech course in November and there is a huge spectrum of people in there. Some are there because they have to be and they don't want any part of it. Honestly, they don't read the manual, just barely pass the test, and don't really absorb any of the information. They let it be known that they don't want to be there. There are also a lot who want to be there, read the manual, and willingly learn new things. Unfortunately, you never know which tech you are going to end up with, kwim?

I am glad that you did research on your own so you know that he is incorrect. You can always write to your fire station and let them know about your experience. Maybe they will get updated information to the techs?