nrp
04-18-2008, 07:00 PM
UPDATE:
I called the area SafeKids office and told the woman in charge about my experience. She seemed VERY happy that I had called, and assured me that they would be following up with the officer to see that he received some more education. She was especially alarmed at his insistence of turning DD forward. I told her I didn't want to get him "in trouble" but that I just wanted to make sure he didn't pass on the same bad information to other parents. She totally concurred. Whether or not anything happens I'll never know, but at least I feel better!
ORIGINAL POST:
I will preface this tirade by thanking this board for all that I have learned. Had I not been reading your wonderful advice, I would have three poorly installed car seats.
Anyway, today I had an appointment at a SafeKids one-day car seat check, because we just bought a Safety 1st Uptown for our nanny's car, and I just got a new Keyfit for DS due in June. We also have a blvd, which I figured I'd get checked again while I was there. I also told them when I made the appt the model of the three seats and the two cars (mine and the nanny's). Well, we get there and the officer (both the techs were police officers) begins by checking the blvd installation, which is RF. At first he comments that it looks pretty good, and then takes it out to check it out and reinstall. Then he asks me how old DD is and how much she weighs. I tell him 16-months and 23 lbs, so he tells me I'm supposed to install it FF. I tell him that I knew that I legally COULD turn it around, but that my understanding was that it was much safer to keep kids RF to the limits of the car seat. He says no, it's 1-yr and 20 lbs. I keep insisting and explain that both the AAP and every other reputable source I had read recommends extended RF. This goes on for two or three minutes. Finally he says that he'll do whatever I want, but that he had a two-week course in car-seat installation, and that I'm wrong.
He then installs the blvd RF - BADLY. The recline is way too much and it is far less tight than it was when I brought it in. He then installs the Keyfit, again badly. I think it had at least two inches of play along the belt. Finally he installs the Safety 1st Uptown in the nanny's car, and I plan to have her drive DD home in it. When I got to put DD in the seat, I find that he had the harness adjuster buried and caught up in the seat. By just pulling back the cover and digging it out, I was able to totally up-end the seat. Great. At this point I was so ticked I re-installed my blvd and took DD home myself in my car.
Was I expecting too much? I assume this guy was just a dud, but it was really disappointing. Oh - and I almost forgot the funniest part. I had grabbed a couple of the brochures and when I got home I saw that they explicitly endorse extended RF in the brochure! Wish I had seen that when I was there... grrrr.
I called the area SafeKids office and told the woman in charge about my experience. She seemed VERY happy that I had called, and assured me that they would be following up with the officer to see that he received some more education. She was especially alarmed at his insistence of turning DD forward. I told her I didn't want to get him "in trouble" but that I just wanted to make sure he didn't pass on the same bad information to other parents. She totally concurred. Whether or not anything happens I'll never know, but at least I feel better!
ORIGINAL POST:
I will preface this tirade by thanking this board for all that I have learned. Had I not been reading your wonderful advice, I would have three poorly installed car seats.
Anyway, today I had an appointment at a SafeKids one-day car seat check, because we just bought a Safety 1st Uptown for our nanny's car, and I just got a new Keyfit for DS due in June. We also have a blvd, which I figured I'd get checked again while I was there. I also told them when I made the appt the model of the three seats and the two cars (mine and the nanny's). Well, we get there and the officer (both the techs were police officers) begins by checking the blvd installation, which is RF. At first he comments that it looks pretty good, and then takes it out to check it out and reinstall. Then he asks me how old DD is and how much she weighs. I tell him 16-months and 23 lbs, so he tells me I'm supposed to install it FF. I tell him that I knew that I legally COULD turn it around, but that my understanding was that it was much safer to keep kids RF to the limits of the car seat. He says no, it's 1-yr and 20 lbs. I keep insisting and explain that both the AAP and every other reputable source I had read recommends extended RF. This goes on for two or three minutes. Finally he says that he'll do whatever I want, but that he had a two-week course in car-seat installation, and that I'm wrong.
He then installs the blvd RF - BADLY. The recline is way too much and it is far less tight than it was when I brought it in. He then installs the Keyfit, again badly. I think it had at least two inches of play along the belt. Finally he installs the Safety 1st Uptown in the nanny's car, and I plan to have her drive DD home in it. When I got to put DD in the seat, I find that he had the harness adjuster buried and caught up in the seat. By just pulling back the cover and digging it out, I was able to totally up-end the seat. Great. At this point I was so ticked I re-installed my blvd and took DD home myself in my car.
Was I expecting too much? I assume this guy was just a dud, but it was really disappointing. Oh - and I almost forgot the funniest part. I had grabbed a couple of the brochures and when I got home I saw that they explicitly endorse extended RF in the brochure! Wish I had seen that when I was there... grrrr.