Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Car Seat Inspection
As per NYS law, a car seat is required to remove your child from the hospital. While it may not be so important for city dwellers, it is paramount in suburbia where we live. About a week before Kayla was born, I decided to tackle the car seat base installation. I began a rear center installation in accordance with every parenting book I've ever read, every internet post I've seen and the technical manual provided with the car seat. Because my car is pre-2002, it is not equipped with the LATCH restraint system which makes the install simple and idiot proof. If you have a new car, the following is not applicable. You just get to laugh at me.
After limited success, I decided to give up and ask the pros. The first person I turned to was a nurse at Schneider's Children's Hospital who is in charge of car seat inspections. Because she was on vacation, I then contacted Chris over that the Nassau County DOT who explained that I was doing it all wrong. He explained my car, my WW's car and both parental cars would require a passenger side installation.
Now don't all gasp at once. Just because I don't have a center seat install doesn't make me a bad parent. I assure you that circumstances beyond my control have forced me to expose my precious daughter to the potential dangers of a side impact crash.
Following that phone call, I attempted car seat installation, round 2. Now I'm all for christening the back seat of a car by "jumping" up and down in it, but installing the car seat is not how I'd like to do it. During the install, I have never seen my car rock on its suspension like this. Nor have the windows been as fogged from so much exertion. It is important to get this thing as tight as possible. Being that I'm a detail oriented physician, I took that literally. Finally, after bracing my back on the roof, my knee in the base and jumping up and down, I got the thing snugly in place. When I emerged from the back seat, I needed a shower and a cigarette.
This past Sunday morning was the big test of my car seat installation prowess. Did all of my hard work pay off? Thanks to a last minute cancellation, the Pediatric Nurses at SCH had an opening and I was ready for them. I tugged on the base to make sure it could only budge an inch and studied the manual again so that I could answer all the questions. The nurse assigned to me walked up to the car and immediately commented on my passenger side installation. BUSTED, I thought. But alas, upon further inspection, I was vindicated because she realized that not only did I have a center armrest (a potential projectile), but I had a contoured back seat as well as a split folding rear seat (an instant DQ for center installation). But just when I thought I was safe, she pointed to my sunshade and told me that it had to go. My sunshade was so cool. It looked cool and had a little indicator that told you when the inside of the car is too hot. I nice piece of gear. But it is a potential projectile and had to go. Additionally, the seat protector I installed was a no no. All in all, I was praised universally for my expert install and the nurses said that they were confident that I could install a Graco Snugride in any car.
Consultation will be available by appointment.
As for the shades, I've gone with static vinyl window tint but that will merely serve as a bridge to the phat limo tint, 22" rims, flip down DVD, Xbox and kicker box that I'll have in my (eventual) pimped out kiddie mover wagon.
After limited success, I decided to give up and ask the pros. The first person I turned to was a nurse at Schneider's Children's Hospital who is in charge of car seat inspections. Because she was on vacation, I then contacted Chris over that the Nassau County DOT who explained that I was doing it all wrong. He explained my car, my WW's car and both parental cars would require a passenger side installation.
Now don't all gasp at once. Just because I don't have a center seat install doesn't make me a bad parent. I assure you that circumstances beyond my control have forced me to expose my precious daughter to the potential dangers of a side impact crash.
Following that phone call, I attempted car seat installation, round 2. Now I'm all for christening the back seat of a car by "jumping" up and down in it, but installing the car seat is not how I'd like to do it. During the install, I have never seen my car rock on its suspension like this. Nor have the windows been as fogged from so much exertion. It is important to get this thing as tight as possible. Being that I'm a detail oriented physician, I took that literally. Finally, after bracing my back on the roof, my knee in the base and jumping up and down, I got the thing snugly in place. When I emerged from the back seat, I needed a shower and a cigarette.
This past Sunday morning was the big test of my car seat installation prowess. Did all of my hard work pay off? Thanks to a last minute cancellation, the Pediatric Nurses at SCH had an opening and I was ready for them. I tugged on the base to make sure it could only budge an inch and studied the manual again so that I could answer all the questions. The nurse assigned to me walked up to the car and immediately commented on my passenger side installation. BUSTED, I thought. But alas, upon further inspection, I was vindicated because she realized that not only did I have a center armrest (a potential projectile), but I had a contoured back seat as well as a split folding rear seat (an instant DQ for center installation). But just when I thought I was safe, she pointed to my sunshade and told me that it had to go. My sunshade was so cool. It looked cool and had a little indicator that told you when the inside of the car is too hot. I nice piece of gear. But it is a potential projectile and had to go. Additionally, the seat protector I installed was a no no. All in all, I was praised universally for my expert install and the nurses said that they were confident that I could install a Graco Snugride in any car.
Consultation will be available by appointment.
As for the shades, I've gone with static vinyl window tint but that will merely serve as a bridge to the phat limo tint, 22" rims, flip down DVD, Xbox and kicker box that I'll have in my (eventual) pimped out kiddie mover wagon.
