Seat Check!

My mom and I had our 1.5 hour car seat check appointment on Monday evening. What a ridiculously long event. We've done this before - Craig and I before Will's birth and my mom and I after Will turned one - and it never took that long before. I think it was just a busy night. The kids had to be present and it just made the night a little more chaotic. But I'm glad it's done and I have peace of mind that they are riding safely.

Here's what we learned:

We did a perfect job installing Will's new seat. They checked that all over and everything looks good. They also checked the seat in mom's car, which was purchased through their program two years ago.
I asked about Sophie's seat and if it truly was that much more difficult to install, and the lady told me that "No, it was not any harder to do than any other seat - just that the Britax seats are bulky and sometimes awkward." But then she went on to have quite a challenge getting it in properly. ;) They checked to make sure there were no recalls on any of our seats (there were not) and told me that they definitely recommended rear-facing her for as long as we can. Our seat rear-faces safely to 35#, but I don't see it lasting anywhere near that long. Will's not even 35# yet! Also, we were told that we ALWAYS had to use the tether strap for Britax seats, which we weren't before. So now, while it's rear-facing, that tether strap is latched to the appropriate spot on the under side of the passenger seat. There is also NO leg room at all for the passenger seat up front. Literally, my knees will probably be an inch from the glove compartment when we all ride in my car because there's no way Craig would fit up there. We put both kids into the seats to make sure the shoulder straps were in the proper position, which is why they needed to be present.

Sophie doesn't mind rear-facing at all! So this is our new set-up for now. I imagine we'll forward face her by 15-18 months. But we'll see.

My mom also purchased a second seat for her car so that she can transport both our kids or Casey's girls. Before that, she was able to strap the infant seats in with the seat belt but she very rarely drives them anyway. The Safe Kids program offers seats at great prices and the whole installation and check appointment is free. They are located in the bottom of the parking garage towers at Toledo Hospital, so it was easy for me to just head over there after work and my mom met me there with the kids.

For more information on Safe Kids Greater Toledo, click here and here.

New Rides

This set up (pictured) is only temporary until our scheduled appointment with the Safe Kids program because neither Craig nor I feel confident in our ability to rear-face the Britax seat that Sophie's in. But we have been anxious to get rid of the infant seat (the Graco SafeSeat has served us well but is bulky and unnecessary at this point) and get the kids both into new seats. We have been waiting to make this adjustment for various reasons, but finally decided that it was time.

Craig selected two convertible high-back booster seats (Cosco brand) for Will. Convertible meaning he's in a 5-point harness with the seat in place via the LATCH system until he's both 40# and four years old. Then still in the same seat but using the safety belt after that. Craig and I will each have one of these new seats in our Jeeps for Will. And Sophie will simply move into Will's old seat: the Britax Boulevard, which sits higher up and has more cushiony head support and padding. It is safer for a child to remain rear-facing for as long as the physical limitations for the chosen seat will allow (usually 30# I think?) so I scheduled an appointment with Safe Kids to help me re-install the Britax rear-facing. (P.S. the professionals at Safe Kids have told me before that our car seat is one of the most difficult seats to install rear-facing... so I'm not even going to attempt it.) I imagine we will flip her back around by 15-18 months or so, like we did Will. But who knows? In the meantime, she's definitely enjoying this new forward-facing view while it lasts.

P.S. This picture was taken before we'd tightened the straps on Will. He likes to hook the chest strap together himself so we usually let him and then tighten everything up. The plastic chest clip belongs up by his armpits. :)

Ahhh. It's so much nicer not having to lug that big, infant seat in and out of our babysitter's house! Now, if only Sophie would decide to start walking...

Will's new ride

After much research on safety features and crash test ratings, Craig and I purchased two new, matching, convertible car seats. We selected the Britax Boulevards and, together, the two seats cost us a pretty penny. Ouch! But safety first, right?

Now that Will is BOTH 20# AND one year old, it is legal for him to be forward-facing in a car seat. However it is still safer and recommended to rear-face up to 30# as the seat allows. So in my car, which he rides in 90% of the time, we will leave him rear-facing. But in Craig's truck, it is much less practical due to space limitations. We took the seats to the Safe Kids Program at the hospital to make sure they were properly installed.

Here are a couple pictures of him enjoying the new view in his new seat!