carseat inspection

[preggymeaggy]

I had my infant Britax Companion inspected at the police station today, and boy was it helpful! I consider myself (and Dh) to be an intelligent human being, but there is just more to "putting in the carseat" than you think. The officer was completely knowledgeable and went into detail explaining different aspects of my baby's carseat, what not to buy/attach to your car, what to look out for, etc. I just wanted to write and say that I highly recommend getting this done. Even if you are a veteran mom, styles and safety stantards change all the time (not to mention that carseats get recalled : ) and it would be helpful for anyone IMO. The officer said that only 5% of parents will install their carseats correctly...leaving a crazy 95% of carseats almost useless!!!
Things to completely avoid:
mirrors (to be attached to back seat or anywhere for better vision of baby)
suction cup shades (stick onto window and then slide down)
These two things, the officer commented, have killed/injured too many children. They are dangerous in the event of a crash for several reasons. I actually got to see broken mirrors and shades stripped down to the metal pieces....very ones that had been in accidents. Shades that stick onto the window (via static electricity or whatever) are totally fine though. They don't contain metal. Just thought I would share.

[reducereuserecycle]

thanks, I'd never heard about the danger of the suction cup shades.
What about those mirrors that you attach to the rear view mirror that you can point at the carseat and see them once they are forward facing? Did they say anything about those. I'd say they could come loose just as easy as the ones that are made for the baby to look at their own reflection.

[preggymeaggy]

I didn't ask about those small mirrors that attach to your rear view mirror. Good question. Here's my guess....I'm sure that they could become unattached pretty easily if you were in an accident, however I don't think the risk would be as high. The reason why?....that mirror is not right in front of baby's face waiting to be smashed into. The small mirror would have to fly through the car and hit the child directly. I'm guessing if it were to become unattached that it would fall down in the front area of the vehicle somewhere. But I really don't know.
The danger seemed to come mostly from having such a hard surface (they're really hard...he had me punch one...and it really hurt ) directly in front of the baby. If the baby were ever to fly from the carseat, that's right where he/she would make contact. Also, the way the mirrors are attached isn't secure enough and the mirror itself could fly through the car......most likely into the carseat with your child. AHHHHHHHH! Scary.

[goodygumdrops]

Wow....great post. I was about to install a mirror and shades. Guess I'm not doing that now!!! Thanks for the info. I'm going to find out where I can have my seat inspected around here

[preggymeaggy]

I know...I was just about to put a mirror in my car too, which is why I asked the officer about them. Now I am stuck with this thing.....I threw out the packaging. Bummer

[LEAW]

The rule for "stuff" in your car (anything, not just baby mirrors.. consider your purse, water bottle, toys, etc) is this:

Would you want the fastest pitcher for the best baseball team to throw it directly at your head? Would it hurt you if he did?

IF the answer is YES (and it should be for nearly everything but a pair of socks) then it's not a safe item to have inthe car. Put it in the trunk, under the seat, in the glovebox, etc. rather than have it hit you or baby while in an accident.

[reducereuserecycle]

I also already threw away the packaging to my mirror so I'm stuck with it, but I am going to return the shades becasue they are still in the package. I hardly buy any baby stuff because I think most of it is useless and the two things I thought were worth buying are dangerous.

[preggymeaggy]

Originally Posted by reducereuserecycle

I also already threw away the packaging to my mirror so I'm stuck with it, but I am going to return the shades becasue they are still in the package. I hardly buy any baby stuff because I think most of it is useless and the two things I thought were worth buying are dangerous.

Too funny. I do the exact same thing. It seems inevitable to wind up with some crap no matter how we try to avoid it. My husband had a great idea though...just to save the mirror for later use in baby's play area. When she's crawling around, maybe we'll attach it someplace where she can see herself. Sometimes you need a guy to point out the simple and obvious.

[reducereuserecycle]

Good idea, we'll have to save our mirror for the baby's play area too.