Car Seat Safety

I was silly about my car seat. I know that now and I'll admit it.

Searching for a stroller drove me absolutely crazy. I literally stressed over it for months - it was crazy. After a couple of months, I chose one reasonable travel system, and then what my mom refers to as "The Cadillac of Strollers" and its matching car seat. Then I took another month or so to make a final decision. It was probably hell for my poor husband. We were in Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us constantly "test driving" each stroller.

Britax B-Agile with B-Safe infant seat
Retails for $399

 I really liked the lightweight Britax system. It was super easy to maneuver through the aisles and really easy to work in terms of snapping the seat into the stroller. What I didn't like about the Britax was the size of the basket. I have always been one to carry a huge purse. For whatever reason, I like knowing that I can take everything (and I mean everything) with me and it will all fit in my bag.

On one of our test driving trips, I happened to have a mid-size pocketbook with me and went to throw it into the basket...it didn't happen. The basket was way too small for me.

UppaBaby Vista
Retails for $729

UppaBaby Mesa Infant seat
Retails for $279

Okay - I'm kind of a brand whore sometimes so it's entirely possible that the basket size on the Britax was just an excuse for me to opt for the Vista/Mesa combo. So now my kid will totes be stylish in her oversized, overpriced, heavy-as-fvck stroller and car seat.
**On a side note, we did receive the stroller as a gift when it was 20% on Black Friday** from pishposhbaby.com (I actually love that website so I'll hopefully write another post on it later).

But seriously - I do love the Vista/Mesa combo. I love the versatility and the bassinet option. I go for lots of long walks with my dog and fully intend to continue to do so with the baby. For this reason, I fell in love with the bassinet. My biggest concern now is that my daughter will hate the bassinet.

Over the last five years, I have learned that no matter how much money I spend on "high end" toys for my dog, his absolute favorite things are the [free] sticks that he finds outside, and the cheap $2.50 stuffed toys from Petco. Hopefully my daughter follows suit.

NOW for the safety part of this post.

A few months ago, a colleague mentioned how her brother and sister-in-law had taken their car seat up to their local firehouse for an inspection. I had never heard of this before. Then my cousin asked when we were going to be installing and having our seat inspected. I guess this really is a thing?

Hubs took the car seat manual along with our car manual, followed all of the instructions, and installed the seat. We kept the seat in the car when we went out to dinner just to see what it felt like to drive around with it, and boy were we surprised. The entire seat rattled as we drove! Maybe an inspection wasn't so silly after all.

My cousin directed me to this website and I did a quick search by zip code. I chose a state certified collision center that is about 3 miles from our house and made an appointment for April 17 (yesterday). As it turns out, we had several things wrong with the way the seat was installed. The owner of the shop was very thorough and went through each and every issue with me before correcting them. Here is a snippet of yesterday's inspection:

1. The first question he asked: "Do you have a mirror that attaches to the seat so that you can see your baby as you drive?" I did not, and he told me that he frequently argues with people to remove them. They're not crash tested and if they fly off in an accident, they can cause severe injury to the baby (especially to their head/face). We will not be getting a mirror.

2. We had the car seat on top of this Prince Lionheart 2-Stage Seatsaver. Again, this is a product which is not crash tested and in the case of an accident, can impede the car seat's range of motion and ultimately result in further injury to the baby. Sure, it protects the leather in our car, but I'd rather protect our daughter. So this will be returned to Buy Buy Baby tomorrow.

3. Hubs installed the Mesa in the middle seat. The owner said that it is actually a misconception that this is the safest place for the baby. In the result of a t-bone collision, then yes. It is the safest. However, in the event of a front end or rear end collision, then having the car seat behind the passenger seat is actually the best.

He explained how if the car seat is behind the passenger seat, then the passenger seat (and passenger) itself serves as a shield for the baby in a front end collision. There is no such shield if the baby is in the middle seat. The baby is also shielded by the higher back seat that is on the passenger side (which again, is not in the middle).

Lastly, he showed me how much easier it would be to get the baby out of the car with the car seat on the back passenger seat. In case of an accident, it is definitely better to not have to climb into the middle of the car.

4. He then removed the base from the middle and installed it on the passenger side. And wow did he tighten it up! He actually climbed in and got on top of the base in order to get as many clicks out of it as he could. Needless to say, it doesn't rattle anymore!

5. He told me that if the car is ever involved in a collision at a speed over 20mph, then the insurance company must and will replace the car seat, regardless of whether or not the baby is in the car. In fact, even if the base is the only thing in the car, the insurance company will replace the entire thing. Good to know!

Hopefully I don't get into an accident, but you never know. All I can say is that I am SO glad that I went for the inspection. I feel like I learned so much and have such peace of mind now. Oh! And did I mention that it was free? Apparently most certified places perform the inspections free of charge.

So one last time, if you haven't already done so, have an inspection. You can find a certified inspection center at this website - http://www.safercar.gov/cpsApp/cps/index.htm

To-Do List...some odds and ends before the princess arrives.

So our little bundle of joy will be here three weeks from today! That being said, there is still a LOT of stuff to be done. Luckily I'm a planner and have been tackling this list for a couple of weeks now.

1. Wash baby's bedding, clothing, burp cloths, covers (Boppy cover, Rock n Play cover, etc.).

2. Schedule cleaning lady for the day before we come home from the hospital.

3. Schedule fur baby's spa appointment.

4. Take car seat for an inspection to ensure that it has been installed properly.

5. Put together the swing.

6. Get my hair cut.

7. Stock up on paper goods, cleaning products, food staples at BJs/Costco. 

8. Pack hospital bag. This is about half done. 

9. Buy post-partum supplies (pads, anything else doctor recommends following a c-section)

10. Get some books from the library to keep me occupied over the next couple of weeks and during my hospital stay.

11. Buy more and finish thank-you cards from my baby shower.

12. Get AFLAC paperwork in order and ready to send.

13. Get carrying case for breast pump (my insurance company provides the pump but no accessories).

14. Get a new area rug for the living room.

15. Type up "birth plan"/requests for the hospital.

16. Sterilize bottles, nipples, pacifiers.

17. Put together the diaper bag (not imperative since it will not be coming to the hospital).

18. Pick up some loose fitting, black pajama pants.

19. Grab a nursing nightgown for the hospital.

20. Order bulk K-cups!

21. Sterilize breast pump parts.

That's all I've got for now. Today I was able to cross off what has already been done - yay!

I've already accomplished quite a bit so this is just what I have left. I will have to update this here if I think of anything else, but this really seems to be it for the time being.

Some other things I've done over the past couple of weeks that I think are super important:

- I set up the pack n play next to the bed and stocked it with diapers, vaseline, wipes, aquaphor (I got a ton of it at my shower so why not?), receiving blankets, burp cloths, a couple changes of clothes in case of a diaper blow-out, extra swaddles, and some waterproof pads.

- I purchased a new (and larger) memory card for the camera.

- Hubs installed the car seat and set up the stroller.

- Put together the rock n' play.

- Bought, washed, and packed nursing tanks, new flip flops, nursing pjs and robe, and all of the toiletries in my hospital bag.

- Washed all of her clothes, blankets, bibs, and bedding and put it all away in her dresser and closet.

I guess all that's left is to bring this little girl home!