Thank you Kyle!!

I really want to post this post this memorial weekend to honor Kyle Miller. Kyle gave his life to help save other children from going into booster seats too young. Thanks Kyle for everything that you have done for us and all the other families that you have touched!!! Rest in peace sweet boy.

 

 

Last year I was searching on the web for something and came across this video, about Kyle Miller who was killed when he was only 3 yrs old. After I watched the video I went to Kyle’s website, and began to look around it. I found a place where they donated higher weight seats to children who’s parents can’t normally afford these seats, which are well over $200.00 each.  Our kids have outgrown their car seats at about  2- 2.5 yr old since they are so dang tall, so both Katey and Camron went  into booster seat at that age.  Jacob is still rear facing and he is 2 1/2 yrs old.(he’s in Graco’s My Ride 65) and he still has about 5-8 lbs before he really has to be forward facing, which by the way rear facing is 5x safer then forward facing! Something that I didn’t know before I began learning more about car seats.   As I researched about extended harnessing I wanted my kids back into a 5pt harness, so I contacted Laura at Kyle David Miller. So we were placed on a waiting list. Finally our name came up and they shipped us 2 Britax car seats that hold up to 80 lbs. Angela, the Child Passenger Safety Instructor, and I met to install the seats. I have Jacob in the middle of the van in a bucket seat, and I planned on putting the new seats in the back together since at that point I had just one extra daycare baby who I would put behind me in the middle. We put one seat in and ran into a problem, these seats needed to be top tethered, the strap the wraps up behind the seat. I only had one anchor point and needed two. I do have 3 anchor points in my van, both buckets and the back middle, but since from time to time I do have to take some of the daycare kids with me it would be a pain to  have lets say Katey and Camron in the middle bucket seats, Jacob who is still rear facing and the other daycare baby, who at the time was still rear facing in the back. Which would be a huge pain in the butt to load them two thru the back hatch. So Angela contacted Laura and explained our problem to her. I was thinking our kids were going to have to stay in their booster seats since most higher weight car seats require a top tether.  Our name was placed back on a waiting list for a Sunshine Kids Radian seat. This seat also goes to 80 lbs, but it doesn’t require a top tether. The neat things about this seat is it folds up, once your child is on the top slot, the harness can be below their shoulders (most seats the harness has to be AT OR ABOVE the child’s shoulders), the seat is good for 5-80lbs, the seat is good for 8yrs, super comfy! My kids both have said these seats are more comfortable than their old boosters! I am just soo happy I found Kyle David Miller and I was able to make my kids safer in my van!  Katey can buckle her self up, with me checking it every time, Camron needs just a little bit of help, but he can put his harness on and snap the chest clip but needs help with the other one.  By the time Jacob out grows his car seat I am sure either Katey or Camron will be 80 lbs and he will be able to use this seat after them since this seat is good for 8yr from the time it was made. So we will get a lot of use out of our new seats. When Camron first sat in this seat he called it a baby seat, but i quickly told him that its a race car seat, all race car drivers sit in the same type of seat. And now he loves it!

 

 

Checking Camron for harness height before we put the seat into the van

 

Camron and Katey trying out their new seats. Yeah Katey don’t look too happy but it was HOT in the van that day. After the van cooled down she was much happier to sit in her seat. What is nice is since both Katey and Camron are on the same harness height they can sit in each others seat with no problem, which makes it nice for me.

 

Camron being a ham.

 

Since this seat folds up it has a little crease and the harness fits perfectly in it to hold it open for when they get into their seats its easier for them.

 

Thanks again Kyle, you will always have a special place in our family and hearts. I will continue to spread information to others about car seat safety.

Thanks to Angela for teaching me out to properly install these seats.

up on a soap box-venting

OK if you don't want to listen to me vent about car seat stop reading NOW! You have been warned.

I will say I am a car seat nerd. Why I am not sure but I am. I love seeing the new car seats that come to the market. I have taken two classes on car seats, I am not a car seat tech, so by no means I am I a car seat expert, I don't know everything about car seats, but I do know a lot. Some of my "education" on car seats have come from the classes that I have taken and also what I have learned from kyle david miller foundation and Out numbered by testosterone and just searching the web. So again I am no expert. Yes have I make a few mistakes with my kids and their car seats. YES I have. Which ones you ask. Well for starters when Katey and Camron were little I turned them around before they were one. At that point I didn't know what I know now. I am not sure if the information was out their, I am sure it was but I didn't know it, but with Jacob he is 2 and still rear facing. Does he care NOPE not one bit. Are his legs crunched no, he just hangs them over the edge or crosses them. When I see other babies/kids either buckled in wrong or the car seat not tight I will normally try to help and offer what I know, and its up to the the parent to make the choice if they follow my advice. Again I am not an expert. With me being a daycare provider I feel its my "job" to help the parents with not really raising their babies, but helping them along the way. I will offer my advice when they ask or if it looks like I can help out some other way. What I never understand is when you buy a new infant seat/car seat it comes with directions on how to use them. Most people don't even read these little books. WHY? Some people don't pay any attention to the height and weight requirements. WHY? They come with this information for a reason. You don't buy a new DVD player or a new game and just toss the directions away do you? NO you normally glance at them to figure out how to use the darn things. A car seat is no different than a new DVD player or a game. When you learn about car seats you can go crazy when you see someone with their seats wrong, harness too loose, forward facing too early, chest clip too low(people it DON"T belong down by their belly's) the baby sitting up on a pillow and more. IF you ask me, which no one ever does, before anyone is allowed to bring their newborn infants home they should have to take a car seat class on how to install them right. And when the child is ready for the next stage of seats they should have to again take a class on car seat safety. Yeah it seems like a lot but its OUR kids that we are keeping safe. Yeah you can over all your outlets in covers, put a padding around your coffee table, shoot even hire someone to come into your house to show you all the "hidden" dangers in your house but when it comes to your car seat most people are clueless! So for the ones who are still reading this, thank you. Now take the time out of your busy day and learn something about your car seat or take a class on car seat safety. If you know just something little about car seat safety share it with others. As parents we should help other parents when they need it. Its not just our kids that we are keeping safe its our kids classmates, friends, or maybe the next president.