When you install, turn from back to front facing, replace etc. a car seat or booster do you do it completely yourself or do you have a licensed car seat specialist (in our town that’s police) do it and/or assist you or check it for safety? I have always done the latter. However, I want to upgrade my 16 MO to a larger seat (currently in infant) and 4YO to a booster. I’d like to do it myself but I worry about it being correct and safe.
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We've always done it ourselves, although when I saw 'we', I mean my husband, I've changed a seat once in four years. For me its hard to get the straps really tight so I default to him.
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I do almost all our car seat installation. We've gone to the fire house maybe 2 times (once to install first baby seat, once to install first convertible seat), but I've probably installed seats 20+ times (car accident meant new seats, three kids, multiple cars, etc). I just commit to taking it slowly and reading the directions every time, even when I think I know it.
Note: I do all the install, but have DH pull it tight because I can't get it tight enough.
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A little different because I am a former CPST, my certification expired a few years ago. But I love all things car seat related so I try to stay really up to date on seats and safety changes. So I have always done our seats, including DD's infant seat when I was 4 days postpartum in the hospital parking lot. We take our seats out at least once a month to let the vehicle seats breathe and vacuum, so I can't imagine going to someone every time.
I did run into some issues with my mom's car so I reached out to some CPSTs that I know and Car Seats for the Littles on facebook - they all confirmed what I expected was the issue. But it was great to have them as a resource.
It's definitely possible to do it on your own. Just make sure to read the car seat manual and the vehicle manual. Many seats have different rules. In fact every one should know how to install their kids seats - you never know when it will need to be moved in an emergency. And if you worry about strength there are so many tricks to leverage your weight.
If you go to a police officer or firefighter ask to see their safe kids certification. So many stations host car seat installs but they aren't actually certified and they can do some pretty scary installs. A tech really shouldn't be installing your seat, your hands should be the last to touch it. (Obviously there are some exceptions to that rule, but it general.)
I see so many seats that are visibly incorrect just walking through parking lots - it makes me sad.
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For the car seats we have used (an infant and convertible seat), there are excellent online videos that explain the install step by step, tricks to get a tight install (i.e. you really need to compress the seat against the seat of the car), and how to check that it is sufficiently tight.
I've only ever installed a seat with a belt install and intentionally chose the seats that were rated to have the easiest belt install. That said, I've found it super straightforward.
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@catgirl: yes, this. Which is why I really wanted to understand how to install and check it on my own!
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We install our own, we went to a professional once. DH actually does the convertible seats but we both can install the infant seat.
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For our first I was nervous and we had a professional install the infant base and then the convertible rear facing. When we turned him I did it myself and realized how easy it is.
I’ve now installed and uninstalled so many that DH says I should do it for a living.
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@catgirl: this. My dad works at a car dealer and some one there supposedly was “certified” and installed our car seat in truly a crazy manor. Twisted belt super nuts and I knew it was wrong just from sight. So I don’t trust anyone except myself to install
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The first time we had a professional do it, but where I live the firefighters don’t do it anymore, you have to pay somebody. So that was a one time thing and since then we’ve done it ourselves. Or rather my husband has. I’ve never done it and have no idea where to even start.
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I do all of ours. Between DH, my parents, and I, I'm the only one flexible enough to get a good knee into the seat and pull it tight. I've never felt the need to have someone else do it.
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I just switched DS2 to a rear facing convertible last night. I had to have DH hell. But now we both know how the new one works. Like mentioned above I think it is good to know how it is done for an emergency situation.
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We do it ourselves. The Chicco Keyfit is so easy and we almost never move seats.
There was one mistake though we made in the first two weeks, which was borrowing LATCH for the center. 🤦♀️
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We do our own, but the hospital I deliver at has whoever is driving mom & baby home drive though the car seat station and they check and correct your install before you head home.
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We do our own and always have- almost always it’s me because I’m really picky and perfectionist about this one thing. We also chose seats that are easier to install for this reason.
@Sams Mom: wow that’s brilliant. I wish my hospital had something like that.
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@Sams Mom: that is so smart!
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DH does ours and he's done it so many times that he's practically a professional now! I can do it in a pinch but he can get it more secure. He's bigger and can really push his knee down to get it really tight.
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We've always done it ourselves (aka DH). I feel confident that he does it safely and correctly!
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I spent so much time researching car seats. I learned that the safest carseat is the car seat that is properly installed. So I bought the car seat that I thought would have the easiest install. And, because of that, we install it ourselves all the time. We take it in and out of others' cars and do the install. Seat belt install, also. I do not use the latch. But if I had any questions about the install, I would for sure get a certified person to do it.
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I don’t think getting a car seat installed by a pro is a thing here. I’m in Canada.
Personally, I feel like there are a LOT of bad installs out there. There are lots of rules. Half of the rules I had no idea. That being said, when my first was born, I trusted my husband to install the bases, especially since he has the strength to pull on the straps.
But. I got informed. I joined car seats for the littles on Facebook and just poked around there, especially people with the same sized children or the same car seat as me. It really opened my eyes and now I’m an informed parent. I always check the car seat at the belt path and I feel confident that I could install a car seat in an emergency.
We are planning on going to Hong Kong in the fall and we just got a locking clip. I plan to practice installing our travel car seat in multiple cars with both latch and seatbelt and the locking clip.
We were once on a sidewalk in Mexico after getting off a 5 hour flight. It was 35 degrees outside and my baby hadn’t napped, she had been awake since 5am. We couldn’t figure out how to lock the seatbelt. I never want to be there again. When we are travelling both myself and my husband will be able to install the seat in any car and quickly!
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19 comments