Car Seat Safety

One of my favorite phrases is... "Well, when we had our kids.."

 

not.

 

Honestly, I hate this phrase. I get it. Things were different back then. But you know what? There is LOT more research that has been done since you had your kids or since you were a kid. Believe it or not, things change. Standards change. Safety laws change. It is what it is. I like to keep up with these so called changes, if you will.

 

One of the topics I often hear with this particular phrase is in reference to car seats.

 

I don't really care how it was back then. Just because children weren't required to be in car seats once upon a time, doesn't mean that's acceptable today. To be honest, I'm a new mom raising a baby now. So, I want to follow the laws and safety recommendations that are in place now. Here are a few things I see most often that moms are either failing to do or are uneducated about.

 

Babies should be rear facing until at least 1 year of age (by law) or 2 years of age (recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics).

A lot of people complain about this, their child is too big, too long, too whatever. I get it, but you know what, if it's a matter of life and death in a really bad car accident, I'll take it. I'd rather have a broken leg than neck or even worse, not a child at all. If your child meets the weight AND length maximums listed by the car seat manufacturer, then it's safe to switch to forward facing sooner.

 

Children under the age of 8 or under 4ft. 9 in. tall should be in a booster seat.

As a teacher, I see failure to use a booster seat FAR too often and it always breaks my heart. The booster seats are not meant to be a stylish car accessory. They're intended to keep your children safe. USE them!

 

Children should not wear bulky jackets while in a car seat.

I would have never even thought of this until someone shared this video. Seriously, folks. I can't imagine. Warm up your car as much as you need to, but please do not have your children wearing big bulky jackets when in their car seats. Don't believe me? Check out this video:

 

 

The safety harness belongs in a very specific position.

I often see pictures of kids with the harness down low. It should be up high and in line with their shoulders/armpits in order to provide the best protection in an accident.

 

 

 

I know there are many, many other laws and recommendations in regards to car seat safety. However, these are the ones I see parents struggling with the most. Perhaps they don't know? Perhaps they don't care? I'm not sure, but since I know so many mamas with children and soon-to-be mama's, I just wanted to share the information I've researched. We all know I like to hear myself talk, but this isn't a blog post about my opinion. These aren't made up recommendations. In reality, I know most parents will make decisions in what they feel is the best interest of their children and I'm okay with that. What I really want to see is more educated decisions being made. That's all. :)

 

Be informed and make the best decisions for your little ones!!

 

 And just so you all don't think I'm crazy, here are some helpful articles that

support each of the above statements.

 

Kids Health

AAP Recommendations

Top Ten Mistakes

Which type of car seat is best for you?

State Laws

Installation Videos

 

Don't forget to vote for my blog!

(click on the brown box, then the owl on the left)

 

Easter Bunny

We took Ellie to meet the Easter Bunny last weekend.

 

 

Is it just me or did the Easter Bunny become a little creepy?

 

Either way, if you know me, you know that I LOVE holidays. I couldn't let her first Easter go by without seeing The Bunny! I know she'll want to see him in the coming years, so I couldn't miss the first one! They were having printing problems, so eventually they just gave us WAY more prints than we paid for, plus our money back. Score!

 

I can't wait to dress our sweet little pumpkin up on Sunday and celebrate with our families.

Stay tuned for the cutest pictures ever!

Happy 2 Month Birthday!

My sweet, precious, and adorable little girl is TWO MONTHS old new today!
 

 

Our pediatrician is out of town so we don't have her 2 month check up for another two weeks, but according to my scale at home, Ellie is a whopping 11 pounds. Length and head circumference updates will have to wait until our appointment.

 

I feel like with each passing day Ellie's little personality develops more and more. I love soaking in every moment with her and I try really hard to take advantage of her awake moments - playing,  talking, singing, dancing, going for walks, reading books, baby massages, tummy time, and the list goes on. The older she gets the more awake time she has, so we're working hard to get those developmental and physical milestones in check.

 

In the past month Ellie....

 

graduated from using baby mittens (aka she no longer uses her tiger claws to attack her face) yay!

outgrew (90% of) her newborn clothes

smiles all. the. time.
no longer has baby acne or a heat rash

talks back to us with her adorable little oohs and aahs

loves laying on the changing table
is very curious and loves to look around

sleeps for at least 6 or 7 hours during her first stretch at night, followed by a 3ish hour stretch

shortened the length of her naps throughout the day

LOVES being outside

prefers to sit up on our laps without leaning against our bodies (we use our hands to support her)
giggles in her sleep

has great head control, although she still has her little bobble head moments

has an intolerance for dairy (mama is now on a dairy free diet)

turns her head when she hears mine and JP's voices

still loves the morning time more than any other time of day
is a super mama's girl
has started blowing bubbles, drooling, and sucking on her hands..
..which leads me to believe she has started the beginning stages of teething

Dear Time,
Please slow down...
Sincerely, a Mama that's not ready for her baby girl to grow up

 

 

Here are some many pictures from the past month:
(please excuse the phone quality, or lack thereof, for some of the photos)


Cutest baby lips - ever!

Learning to use her pointer finger. :)

 To say that this girl loves her bath time would be an understatement!

 

dreaming about mommy :)

Melt my heart, this sweet girl is so beautiful!

She loves morning cuddles with daddy.

Lily loves tummy time too. Ellie was already spent.

gorgeous weather = naptime outside

Relaxing with daddy after an exhausting day!

She has a thing with checking herself out in the mirror on her swing. So cute!

Monkey faces - one of her favs!

 

 Happy St. Patricks' Day!

 Cutest baby tush!

 

Meeting Auntie Shelby for the first time!

To Our Sweet Elliebean,
You are the sweetest and best thing that has ever happened to us. I can honestly say that love has truly been redefined. There is no love like a mother's love. I'd heard this before and now I get it. I also once heard that when deciding to have a baby, you're allowing your heart to forever go walking outside your body. It's so true. You have my heart. You have daddy's heart. Your little personality is coming to life each and every day; it's truly the most amazing thing to watch and be a part of. We love you more than I could possibly put into words and I'm SO incredibly thankful that God has chosen us to be your parents. You're the light of our lives and while I want this time to creep on by as slowly as possible, I can't wait to see what new developments and milestones you make in the coming weeks. We love you, bean.
Love, Mama (and Daddy)

Don't forget to vote, loves! :)

(click on the box below, then vote for the owl on the left)