I understand that we’re all passionate about safety. And at some point or another, most of us have had to deal with criticism from friends or family members who think we’ve taken this whole car safety thing too far and just gone right off the deep end. Usually, we just brush off these ignorant remarks because deep in our hearts we know that we’re right and obviously they just don’t get it. We’re aware of the fact that MVC’s are the leading cause of death to children in the US and we’re all determined to protect our children to the best of our abilities. That’s our job as parents and caregivers and we all take that responsibility very seriously. I understand that, I really do because I’m right there with ya.
But how are we to know if we’ve really gone too far? Certainly our safety-addicted friends at car-seat.org would never stage an intervention on our behalf. And our spouse would probably rather walk across hot coals than incur our wrath by suggesting that maybe, just maybe, we’re being a bit too extreme.
So, who’s gonna give it to ya straight and tell you when it’s time to chillax? Who’s gonna remind you that you can’t save the world and completely eradicate all injuries to children in MVCs – no matter how desperately you want to? Who’s gonna tell you when it’s time to step away from that vehicle in the Wal-Mart parking lot because clearly you’re not dealing with an appreciative and open-mined victim?
Kecia will!
However, the first step to getting help is to admit that you have a problem. Don’t think you have a problem? Get in line. And while you’re there – take our short survey:
1. Do you find yourself repeatedly trying to talk your sister-in-law into buying a Radian to rear-face your tiny 7-year-old niece who weighs 43 lbs?
2. When you go grocery shopping do you spend 20 minutes thinking about the most appropriate way to secure those projectiles for the ride home?
3. Have you purchased more CRs for other people’s kids than you have for your own children?
4. Have you ever considered gluing sheets of EPS/EPP foam to the rear windows in a vehicle that doesn’t have side curtain airbags?
5. Do you lose sleep thinking about your neighbor’s child who is 4 years old and rides in a backless booster?
6. Do you respond “ABSOLUTELY”, when someone posts an online poll asking whether you would put a small, immature 13-year-old back into a 5-point harness?
7. Have you ever refused to ride the monorail at WDW because you considered it too risky?
8. Do you have anxiety attacks when you see properly restrained forward-facing 2-year-olds?
9. Do you always remember to secure your purse with an available safety belt?
10. On Halloween, do you hand out copies of the 5-Step Test flyer instead of candy? (If you hand it out WITH candy – that doesn’t count as a yes.)
If you answered yes to more than 1 question above - please do yourself a favor and go volunteer some of your time at carseat check events in the lowest, low-income inner-city area you can find within driving distance. If you don’t have any impoverished inner-city areas within driving distance, then a rural, migrant farm worker community will suffice. All kidding aside, these are the types of places where your knowledge, passion and dedication to CPS are desperately, desperately needed. And seeing the frightening reality of how these children ride around every day will really help you to appreciate the beautiful sight of a properly restrained, albeit forward-facing, 2-year-old. Everything in life is relative and a healthy perspective will keep you focused on the bigger picture – and help you avoid going off the deep end in the process.
I’ve been a Nokia user for many years. My collection of chargers and accessories has been nicely compatible with each upgrade. I bought my Nokia phones for cheap online, so I never had to get tied to a contract. Since they aren’t sold by AT&T, I’ve managed to retain my $15 unlimited non-smartphone data plan, too. My most recent phone, the Nokia N8, was a bit of a splurge. It did do what it needed to do for over 2 years, though. Most importantly, its 12 megapixel camera put every other phone to shame, and still does, with a real Xenon camera flash as well. The camera was fast to focus and snap a shot, but the Nokia Symbian software was always quirky and slow. Recently, it’s been very buggy. Even after re-installing the operating system, it will sporadically refuse to do things, like answer calls or allow me to hear the person on the other end. Sometimes it shutdown for no apparent reason.
Enter the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. It’s been selling like hotcakes and combined with the Galaxy S3, is giving the iPhone more competition than it can handle. I intended to buy the new iPhone. It was very nice all around, ‘cept for a few major drawbacks. The screen was no bigger than my Nokia, for starters, though it was brighter and clearer Also, we have a number of Apple chargers and cables from our iPads and iPods, but the iPhone5 is not compatible with any of them! Finally, I was surprised to learn that it had no memory card for extra files and music and such. Meanwhile, the Note 2 makes the iPhone look “cute”. So, why the need for such a big phone? Bragging rights? For me, it’s a simple matter of compensating for something: my refusal to buy bifocals or progressive lenses at my last optometrist checkup! I can’t tell you how much nicer it is to have a larger phone screen, even if it barely fits in one hand and blocks half of my face when talking…. Read More…
Here at CarseatBlog we know our demographic and they’re mostly Moms, Moms-to-be, Nannies & Child Care Providers and the occasional Mr. Mom. We’re cool with that because we’re Moms (and Mr. Moms) too! We know where you’ve been and where you’re going. And we also know that EVERYONE can use a Highback Graco TurboBooster. Even if your own kids are too young or too little or waaaaay too immature to ride in a booster – we trust that you can find a good home, or a good use, for a TurboBooster!
So, in celebration of Mother’s Day, we’re giving away a Graco Turbo in the “Spitfire” fashion. All you need to do to enter is to comment below and say something nice about yourself! Yup, that’s it. You don’t need to be someone’s mother and your comment doesn’t have to be mom-related (although it can be if you want it to). Hopefully that won’t be too hard or require too much thought. Lol!
Contest will close at 10 PM (Eastern time) on Mother’s Day, 5/12, and a winner will be announced shortly thereafter. Winner must have a valid US shipping address. Since this is not a sponsored giveaway – everyone is eligible to enter to win but only one entry per household/family, please. If you leave more than one comment, only the first one will count.
Happy Mother’s Day weekend to all the wonderful Moms out there who are passionate about all kinds of important things – not just child passenger safety! My youngest son made this for me two years ago when he was in 1st grade. It always makes me smile when I look at it – I probably should frame it and hang it on the wall. Today I share it with all of you because we need each other – to learn from, to grow with and to help enable our next carseat or booster purchase! Lol.
Stay tuned to the blog because we’ll be posting a Mother’s Day giveaway in the next few hours!
You’ve been waiting. I’ve been waiting. The only difference is that I had a tracking number and knew when the Britax Pinnacle 90 was supposed to show up on my doorstep. And right on time–there it was. I love my UPS man!
Top harness slots measure 20.5″ and in booster mode, the top shoulder belt guide position measures 23″. For more measurements, you’ll have to wait until the full review .
Product: See title.
Manufacturer: I don’t know but it might as well have been Jesus himself.
Uses: Everything.
Liam found this gem on the floor of Home Depot when I was picking up some mulch. It is a very very soft rubbery pink frog about the size of a quarter that was laying in a puddle of filthy water, just waiting for some grubby small hands to snatch it up while an adult voice echoes in the background, “Noooooo! Get out of that water!!!!”.
At first glance it seems to be another piece of crap that will end up on the floor of your car, in that awkward space between the counter and the fridge, or clogging up your vacuum. But no my friends. Don’t judge. This small frog will make your day about as smooth as it can be with a spirited, stubborn, and determined toddler. This frog can be rolled between fingers, causing your child to actually SIT IN A CHAIR while eating breakfast. It can be used as a bribe to get on the potty and pee before leaving the house. When dangled along the driveway, it can be used to lure the child in a *gasp* timely fashion to the car. While in the car, the sunlight shining in from the window makes sparkly reflections off it’s pearlescent back and onto the vehicle seat, distracting the child from kicking on the 5 minute drive to Target. While in Target, the frog fits perfectly in the fingers of the child, and hops from pack of toilet paper to pack of toilet paper, then along the wall, all throughout the store. Being so small and rubbery, it’s limbs can get caught on the metal shelving, causing a leg to rip off. Instead of tears, this causes a whole new interest of trying to do toddler “surgery” to get it back on, all while riding quietly in the cart. Once back in the car, now the body and the severed limb make not one but TWO shiny spots!! At home, it can be placed on the very top of a dresser, and used to bribe the child into a nap with the promise of burying it in the sand at the park later. It also works as a bribe to take a bath, get jammies on, and get in bed because it has magically developed the ability to speak (but isn’t it weird that mama’s lips are moving too?). This frog trumps every $50 toy your child will ever own.
Folks, this is a quarter sized pink rubber bribe. For free. Aside from the potential biohazard of the puddle it was originally found in, and the fact that it’s conveniently the size of a child’s windpipe….but hey, we all have to take risks for our sanity, right?
Next time you’re at Home Depot, check all the puddles that look like sewage. And if you’re not quite ready to commit but may be interested in just a pink rubber frog leg, it’s somewhere in the sandbox in Mint Hill, NC.
I understand that we’re all passionate about safety. And at some point or another, most of us have had to deal with criticism from friends or family members who think we’ve taken this whole car safety thing too far and just gone right off the deep end. Usually, we just brush off these ignorant remarks because deep in our hearts we know that we’re right and obviously they just don’t get it. We’re aware of the fact that MVC’s are the leading cause of death to children in the US and we’re all determined to protect our children to the best of our abilities. That’s our job as parents and caregivers and we all take that responsibility very seriously. I understand that, I really do because I’m right there with ya.
