DIY Car Seat Installation

I forgot to mention 2 things from previous Momma Mondays.

1. We returned that stroller and car seat I mentioned in a previous post, when Husband's Nonnie saw it, she said it was too big and bulky. The reason his parents has gotten it for us was at her request for when she was babysitting. Since she didn't like it, they took it back. I'm still on the hunt for a small collapsible stroller for her, preferably used. I'll update you when we find one we like.

2. We had to get a new car seat. After a minor fight about her safety with the last one, when I said I didn't like how it moved, Husband told me he installed according to the directions (which was true) it wasn't until I googled if a car seat should move that we found the problem. The old car seat that we got from a family friend was too big for my car and it wasn't properly attaching to the LATCH system and for other various reasons it wasn't secure enough. After researching the issue more, Husband agreed it wasn't safe and we needed a new fit. Some things to note when installing a car seat; it should not touch the back seats of the front chairs and should not move more than an inch sideways, also it should be in the center of the back seat unless YOUR CAR MANUAL says the side seats are safe (which mine are, however upon side impact- the center is always a safer option). I got this one from Target, it is also safe up to 35 lbs (the old was until 22 lbs.) and that is important as you want your child rear facing as long as possible to prevent internal decapitation, other serious injuries and possibly death:

It's attached with a seat belt as we never take the car seat out of the car, even though this one does come with a base to make it possible.

Look at all that space between the car seat and driver's seat (before they were touching! a big NO-NO)

This one also has this super cool safety feature to let you know it's installed at the proper angle. The old seat didn't have this.

I now know this seat is installed correctly, however if I had any questions or concerns I could contact my local fire department and set up a time for them to inspect the seat. If you are installing a car seat yourself you can always use your fire department as a resource to double check your installation.

Happy Safe Baby Transporting!