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Getting The Car Ready For a Newborn with a Little Car Seat Safety

June 29, 2020 by Ashley Leave a Comment

This post about infant car seat safety is sponsored by Chicco.

If you are expecting a newborn then there are a few things you might want to do to prepare for baby’s arrival when it comes to car seat safety. I know that I am in nesting mode right now. I have about 10 weeks left until baby arrives and that means I want to make sure everything will be ready and will work for baby when he arrives.

The first thing I like to do is to clean both cars. This allows me to know that I will have a clean area to work with while we play with where the car seat will go in our cars. If you have any other children then you will want to think about whether or not you will need to rearrange any of the seats. We know that we will be moving our forward-facing son to be behind the driver’s side of both cars so that we still have enough legroom for the driver.

One thing to note is that you should not use any aftermarket items with your car seats. This means no seat covers or pads under the car seats unless the manual states that you can use a towel or a product that’s sold by that manufacturer. We personally don’t use anything under our seats.

The second thing you will want to do in the case of using something like the Chicco Bravo Quick-fold Trio Travel System is to take the base for the car seat and try installing it in any vehicles that might use the base when baby arrives. This particular base has a very simple way to level the seat. There are two bubble level guides to check and offers an easy spring loaded leveling system that makes it easy for anyone to level.

Once you have the base installed you can click in the car seat to make sure that there is enough space for the seat to fit comfortably. Without pressure from the seat in front of it. After checking this you may want to practice installing the car seat carrier into the car without the base in case you choose to put baby into a car that does not have a base installed in it.

Filed Under: Featured, Parenting, Review Tagged With: Baby, car seat, Chicco, Parenting, Review, stroller

Having Options To Unbuckle Your Child With Physical Limitations

October 4, 2019 by Ashley Leave a Comment

Becoming a mom is terrifying for most if not all women, but for me it was even more terrifying. I had extra fears and apprehensions about becoming a mom. I knew from the get go that it was going to be a daunting task, but the day when reality set in was the hardest. That was the day that I realized I physically would not be able to unbuckle the car seat straps without help!

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was about 6 months pregnant and we had decided it was time to look into what car seats we wanted to get for our son. We had done tons of research, but ultimately we knew that it had to be a car seat that I was able to use. We walked into Babies R Us and walked straight over to their display of car seats. This where things went wrong.

I walked up and down the aisles trying to push the harness release buttons. There wasn’t a single one in the store that I could remotely push. At this point I didn’t know about the regulations stating how much psi was required for these buttons. If I had known I never would have tried because I have never had that much strength in my hands.

That day I walked out of the store feeling defeated. I was a mess of tears convinced I’d never be able to go anywhere alone with my son because I couldn’t get him out of his car seat. I felt like a failure as a mom and for a moment I had given up.

I thought I would never be able to go anywhere with my son alone. At least not until he was out of car seats. This was devastating news to me.

Then I found the solution I was searching for!

It was just a normal day when I came across the Bucklebopper of Amazon. I started to do research and found that many other devices were starting to pop up in the market for moms and grandparents who needed assistance to press the release buttons on car seats and other Baby related items.

The Bucklebopper

BuckleBopper Unbuckle helper

The Bucklebopper was the first device that I tried using with my son. This device fits into the palm of your hand. You place one hand behind the buckle on the car seat and with your other hand you press the post that’s on the Bucklebopper into the button to allow it to release.

For me there was a learning curve with this device because my hands are pretty awkward to hold things and it took me awhile to find the way that felt the most comfortable and actually got the buckle to release. Thankfully it worked well for me for a year before the rubber was worn away and it was no longer working well for me.

The Bucklebee

Bucklebee Unbuckle helper

I was finding that traveling with the Bucklebee was becoming problematic because I liked leaving it in my car, but still needed a way to get my son in and out of his car seat when I wasn’t using my personal car. It was then that I began looking online again and found the Bucklebee.

The Bucklebee is different from the Bucklebopper because this one stays attached to the car seat. The bottom of the device clips around the tongue of the car seat buckle and will hang loosely from the tongue at all times. Again with this device you place one hand behind the car seat buckle and with the other hand you press the device/lever into the button to get it to release.

This one worked very well when my son was in his infant car seat. We didn’t feel comfortable putting it on his convertible car seat, however, due to the fact that he had begun getting curious and we didn’t want him attempting to unbuckle himself while driving. I will also admit that we did also have issues with it coming off of the buckle tongue which was an issue for me because my hands are not strong enough to get the device in place.

This particular device is something that we are interested in reintroducing when our son is old enough to understand that he needs to be buckled in safely into his car seat. I know as he gets older he will want to be more independent and this device would help him to unbuckle himself when we get to our destinations. I will admit that it might not work with all car seats due to the padding on some of the buckles. It will be a trial and error test with some buckles to see if it can reach to unbuckle the straps or not.

The UnbuckleMe

UnbuckleMe Unbuckle helper

This device I watched a million videos about for almost a year before I finally took the plunge and tried it. Watching the videos I was really unsure that my hands would grip this device well and thought it would not be something that would work well for me.

I was wrong! The UnbuckleMe is my current favorite car seat assistive device. I have found that it is easy to slide the back piece behind my son’s buckle and then press down with the palm of my hand while I pull the buckles free at the same time with my other hand. I feel like this device takes less time and is more comfortable for me to use in my hands.

I also like that I can put the device onto a key chain so that it is easier to find and grab from my bag when I need it.

The Car Seat Key

The Car Seat Key Unbuckle helper

The Car Seat Key is designed similarly to the UnbuckleMe, however, this device is much smaller and is made from a much firmer plastic. This device is perfect to keep on a key chain with your keys all the time because it is so small.

I personally do not recommend this device to other people with muscle wasting in their hands because the plastic is so hard that it actually hurts to press it into the car seat release. I wince every time I try to use The Car Seat Key because of this. I do not really have any meat to my hands so the device is pressing into fleshy tissue and bones. There is nothing to pad my hand from it.

I do however feel like it works really well for many people and would be a great option for women who get their nails done. When you have long nails it’s nearly impossible to press buttons without breaking them so if you have a device like this you can use your palm instead of your fingertips to press the release button.

If you are looking for something small and don’t have hand strength issues this would work for you. I have seen it work great for women with long nails who struggle to press the button without breaking their nails.

There are finally options to help unbuckle car seat straps!

As you can see there is quite the variety of options for people with weak hands to help them unbuckle car seats. We no longer have to rely on others to help get our children out of their car seats! These devices give us independence that we aren’t ready to lose.

Filed Under: Featured, Parenting Tagged With: Assistive Device, Baby, car seat, CMT, Parenting, Safety

Car Seat Safety With Chicco

September 27, 2018 by Ashley Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored post thanks to Chicco for National Baby Car Seat Safety Week.

Over the years so much has changed in regards to safety in vehicles. One thing that is constantly changing is car seat safety for children. There are now many laws and recommendations on how to keep your child safe while traveling in the car.

The new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendation for keeping children rear facing until they max out on height and weight for their current car seat. I do believe in this philosophy and made sure that my son was rear facing past two years old (while it wasn’t as long as I really wanted I was pleased to have him rear facing until 2.5 years old). No matter what car seat or booster your child is in it is important to make sure that the car seat is installed properly and that your child is buckled in properly as well.

Car seat safety

Secure Car Seat Installation

Using LATCH vs Seat Belt

When you installing a car seat in your car you have to choose between two options for the installation; you can use LATCH (LATCH stands for “lower anchors and tethers for children.”) or the seat belt for the installation. Both are great options, but there are a couple things to note. Most car seats only allow LATCH installation for children 40lbs or less which means that you must use the seat belt installation if you child exceeds this limit. Another thing to note is that it is not safe to install the car seat using both the LATCH and seat belts at the same time.

Both of these options are equally safe, but you will want to choose whichever option works the best for your vehicle. This means that you should have a tight install and your seat should be level. If your seat is forward facing you will also need to secure the top tether which means placing it in a seat that has a top tether anchor available. (This is not something that is always set up for every seat in your vehicle. You will want to check your car manual to see where your available top tethers are located.)

The Inch Test

You may have heard people reference the inch test. This test is very important in making sure that your car seat install is done properly. In order to perform the test you will need to install the seat and with your non-dominant hand you will grab the belt path on the seat. You will then give the seat a gentle tug (like that of a firm handshake) and if the seat moves less than an inch then you have a good install. If the seat moves an inch or more then you will want to continue to tighten the seat into place.

Having a seat installed tight enough is very important if you were to get into an accident. This will ensure that your child is the safest and will help to reduce the motion of the seat during an accident.

Getting Help

If you have questions or want hands-on assistance, SafeKids.org can help you find a car seat checkup event in your area or contact a local child passenger safety technician (CPST). You can also get in touch with a nearby CPST via www.nhtsa.gov.

Car seat safety

Car Seat Expiration

Car seats often have their expiration dates in similar locations on the seats. I have snapped pictures of the expiration dates on a variety of car seats that we own to show you just where the expiration date is located so that it may make it a bit easier for you to find on your car seat.

Car seat safety
Graco Extend2Fit manufacture label on the back of the seat. Car seat manual states that the seat expires 10 years from date of manufacture. Nice and easy math!

If you are still struggling to find the expiration date on your seat you should check your car seat manual because they will show you where the date is on your seat.

The Chicco MyFit Harness + Booster Car Seat

We have used a variety of different car seats and car seat brands with our son over the years and Chicco is included in that bunch of car seats. My sons newest seat is the Chicco MyFit Harness + Booster Car Seat. This was an upgrade from an old seat that got damaged during our move a couple months ago.

I was unsure about switching to a Harnessed Booster, but he was just turned forward-facing and exceeded the minimum requirements for this seat. I love that this seat is an easy install in my 2016 Ford Escape so that if it needs to be loved it can be without much difficulty. My son also loves the attached cup holders and the arm rests.

Previously in my car we had a Diono Radian with one hanging cup holder that always got detached by my lovely son. It also had no side which was nice for me, but he disliked that he had no arm rest to use. He now has arm rests and two cup holders.

Chicco MyFit Harness + Booster Car Seat shown with the folded (collapsed) cup holder.

One thing that many people like about the Diono is the fact that without the cup holders the car seat is slimmer than others and can fit 3 in a row much easier. This Chicco Seat has cup holders that fold in so that you can save space and fit more seats in one row than you can with other seats. This definitely is a perk for large families. The fact that this seat is also lighter than some seats like the Diono is a huge perk to me because I could barely lift the Diono seat to love it if needed.

Overall I would say that this seat really makes me feel like my son is safe and is accessible for him as well as for me! A huge perk for someone who struggles with car seats on a regular basis.

How do you keep your child safe in the car?

Filed Under: Baby, Featured, Parenting Tagged With: Baby, car seat, Car Seat Safety, Chicco, Child Safety, Child safety seat, Foward-facing, Parenting, Rear-facing, Toddler

Tips For Making A New Car Purchase With Multiple Car Seats

September 26, 2017 by Ashley Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored post for Cars.com.

Car shopping is never easy and it doesn’t get easier when you add children into the mix.  The struggle is real.  I know that having multiple children really makes the car buying process that much more difficult because children are expected to be in some sort of a car seat or booster until they are a around 12 years old or reach 49″ tall.  This means that even if your children are spaced out you will more than likely have multiple children in car seats or boosters.  This means compact cars are out the window!  Let’s talk about shopping for a car with multiple car seats in the picture.

Sorry, bye, compact car with the great gas mileage.  We just can’t really get away with you if there are three or more kids in the home that need car seats or boosters.  There are a few car seat configurations that will get three seats across in some compact cars, but it can be difficult if you didn’t prepare ahead for it and don’t want to buy new car seats.

Multiple Car Seats in SUVs

SUV’s are wonderful vehicles and if you do your research you will be able to find one that works for you.  When you start looking for an SUV you will want to look at a few features with every car that you look at.  Let me show you an example of what someone would need to consider if they have 3 children that are 3 and under (and are thinking about baby #4).

  1. Consider your car seat layout.  How many car seats will be rear facing and how many will be forward facing?  In this example there is 1 forward facing child and two rear facing children with a third on the way.
  2. Do you want all of the car seats to use the LATCH system for installing the car seats?  If you do want this then in this instance you would want to make sure that there are four LATCH systems in the car.
  3. Where do you want the children seated in the car?  This is important if you are wanting to fit three children in the back or if you want to do two and two in the car.
  4. Test the car with your existing car seats before buying.  This is a very important step.  Each car is different as is each different car seat.  You will want to make sure that your car seats fit in the car the way you want them to be set up.  You might think there is enough room in the back for two car seats and a person to sit, but when you actually install the car seats you may come to realize that just isn’t the case.
  5. Check out Cars.com.  Cars.com is a great place to start your search and get some research done.  You can find all of the necessary information about the cars amenities without having to leave the home.  It will make it possible for you to be an informed shopper without having to speak with a sales person who may not actually know how many LATCH systems are in each of the vehicles.

Did you consider all of these options before buying your last car?

Filed Under: Family, Featured, Parenting Tagged With: car seat, Safety

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