better

Jul 16

Posted by: Scott in: blog, carseats, ramblings, rants

Feeling a little better today. Tired, but better. So far, Caleb is having an easy day though, so that always helps. I wish that I could fast forward a month or so and buy our new carseat. This recent article about Dorel Juvenille Group came as a surprise to me. So I guess not only do you have to reseach the carseats themselves, but also the companies who make them. We have an Eddie Bauer seat. Why did we get it? The same reason many people get it. Nice pattern, fluffy looking with padding everywhere (in hindsight it doesn’t seem nearly as plush as it did), a cupholder (don’t know where that is) and armrests (because really, what carseat is complete without armrests?). Oh and don’t forget Dorel’s famous product packaging…”The only carseat you’ll ever need!” Yeah. Right. We purchased this seat when Caleb was 7 months old, and I haven’t had any major complaints, but I haven’t had any experience with other seats either. I cringe at my past history in carseats, I’ve come a long way. I started off with two infant seats from complete strangers, didn’t know the history of the seats at all. Didn’t have them even close to tightly installed. My installation tightness has gone from the seat moving 3 to 4+ inches to refusing the accept an install that the car did not move with the seat. Members on my March 05 BabyCenter board began talking about who would leave their kiddos rearfacing after a year. This was just entirely new to me. One look at crash test videos answered that. The force on the child is so incredibly different between rearfacing and forward facing. Then I began obsessing over a high weight harness seat, when the Miller’s released their video on YouTube last November. I am a basket case in the car now. Scott. Don’t get me started. I’ve worked myself into tears with him driving at times. Suddenly no one knows how to drive, how to install his carseat, buckle him in. Except me. I should probably be in therapy for this! I chuckle typing it, but it is probably true. So we will be shelling out $289 (plus tax) for the Recaro. I will be able to tether his seat, forward facing and rearfacing, something only allowed by Britax and Sunshine Kids Radian at this point. Caleb is still rearfacing. I will be purchasing a child carseat from a company that has specialized in adult carseats for years. This may help me sleep a little better at night. They are a worldwide company. And they know car crashes. The know racecar crashes at that. I can’t get that Eddie Bauer/Dorel seat out of the car fast enough. I belong to a carseat safety board also, and one lady on there added a direct quote from a Dorel rep. When asked about the child that nearly died and lives in an infintile state at 6 years old as a result of a skull fracture from hitting an indention in the carseat (think pointless indention, probably for the molding process during production), he said, “It was just one child.” But a trama nurse called the company to report the problem in 2000. The model wasn’t taken off the shelves until 2000 and FIVE. Someone found a different seat that has these indentions on the shelf a few days ago. Evenflo had a crash test video of plastic shattering upon impact leaving the seat free flying to be thrown out of the car. Two years later, this happened to a family using the same seat that was still being manufactured. They lost their little boy forever. How is this even legal?? Another woman said her child was riding in a Costco seat recently and she had to slam on brakes for something…he was thrown into the seat because the harness adjuster didn’t work! 4 months old! Thankfully he wasn’t hurt I don’t think, shaken up I’m sure. I love having internet because I probably would have turned him forward facing at a year, and put him in a booster at 40lbs, not knowing there were better alternatives. I knew about Britax when we bought our seat, but I thought, man why are they so expensive? We can’t afford that! Plus this seat looks just as nice! I scoffed. Now? If I can’t eat that week, we WILL be getting that carseat the day it comes out. I don’t care if I have to send Scott in the van on Steve’s (boss) gas bill.

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