Vanessa Flanders- Car seat Technician

10/30/2023

Exciting new seat from Britax has launched!

17” wide- great for 3 across
Clicktight install
No FR chemicals
Machine washable and DRYER SAFE

Super excited about this one!

04/24/2023

Car accidents are amongst the leading cause of preventable death of children. The misuse rate of car seats is astonishingly high, putting babies and children at great risk. We are now seeing FAKE car seats becoming more and more of a problem, just increasing this danger even more.
Education saves lives.
So nice of Safe Beginnings First Aid to put this information together. Please share.

04/22/2021

Some great Earth day news from the car seat world.. Chicco is launching a ClearTex line that is fire-resistant with no added chemical fire retardants!

11/30/2019

33 days until Washington's new car seat laws go in to effect!
.That of course doesn't mean you should wait to make any necessary changes. I mean, the laws of physics are still the same today as they will be on Jan 1, right?!

I thought this was a great video showing why booster seats are so important. Until your child can pass the 5 step checklist (which is the only means to indicate a proper fit of the adult seat belt) a booster seat positions them to fit the adult seat belt properly. The law going in to effect says that all children must ride in a booster seat until they are 4'9". That's not a magic number, and the 5 step is still the ultimate recommendation, but its a big step beyond our current law of 8 years old. Most kids don't reach 4'9" until between the ages of 10-12 years old.

While any restraint is better than none, a seat belt that doesn’t fit properly can cause a pattern of injury known as “Seat Belt Syndrome,” which can include...

11/25/2019

If you’re in the market for a convertible car seat- this is an awesome price!! ...and a fantastic seat.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children ride rear-facing until at least 2 years of age. Extend2Fit convertible car seat features a 4-position extension panel that provides 5" of extra legroom allowing your child to ride safely rear-facing longer. The seat can be used rear-facing fr...

11/06/2019

Just another reminder that car seats are for the CAR. Sadly, too many infants have lost their life due to improper use of a car seat outside of the vehicle.

09/27/2019

Carseats don’t need accessories! While some things can sound really helpful, there’s a huge chance they are actually putting your child at more risk. Ask a CPST if you ever need help troubleshooting a car seat issue.

05/15/2019

Some nice clear explanations of the new car seat laws.

The change I’m personally most pleased about- kids must be in a booster seat until minimum 4’9”, period. 8 years old no longer applies!

Gov. Jay Inslee signed a new law in April updating car seat laws for Washington state.

04/02/2019

Is following the minimum requirements really worth the risk? Did you know that car seat laws are typically 10+ years behind the most current studies/evidence and recommendations?

March 21st 2013, this was my setup.
All was legal. They were in all the appropriate minimum weight and age seats.
This photo was taken 20 to 30 minutes before our collision while we were stopped for a break.
2 of the 3 died.

This is not to scare anyone. This is to show the importance of having the right seats for your children and how much the minimum laws are lax.

Can you spot my errors? I sure can now as a technician.

-Owen 3 almost 4, just above 40lbs in a low back booster. He survived by pure miracle with head injuries and a broken arm as well as some internal injuries.
-Hailie 4 almost 5 just above 40lbs in a low back booster. She did what we call the submarine effect and died on impact.
-Trent 17 months above 22lbs forward facing suffered internal spinal decapitation which killed him almost instantly.

My goal is to help parents and the population know that the minimum laws set forth by our government is not safe. And I want to try to help prevent more injuries and deaths to children.

When we know better we do better.

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Le 21 mars 2013, il y a maintenant 6 ans, ceci était mon « set-up » en auto.

Tout était en règle et respectait les lois. Ils avaient tous les bonnes statistiques afin d’être légaux dans leurs bancs.

Cette photo a été prise 20 à 30 minutes avant notre collision. On s’était arrêté pour une pause.

2 de mes enfants sont décédés lors de cette collision.

Ceci n'est pas pour faire la peur aux gens, mais simplement vous partager mon histoire afin de vous aider à éviter que vous aussi, vous viviez la mienne.

Voyez-vous les erreurs?

Moi, en tant que technicienne, maintenant je les vois.

- Mon garçon de 3ans (presque 4), 42 livres, sur un petit booster sans dossier, a survécu par miracle.
- Ma fille de 4ans (presque 5), 42/43 livres, sur petit booster sans dossier, est décédée en faisant du sous-marinage (c’est l’action de glisser sous la ceinture pour se retrouver sur le plancher et sous le siège avant). Elle a été écrasée.
- Mon bébé de 17 mois, face avant, pesait 23 livres et est mort par décapitation interne.

Notre but est de sensibiliser les gens aux dangers qu’impliquent les minimums des lois actuelles et d’essayer de garder les enfants en sécurité.

Lorsqu'on sait mieux, on fait mieux.

03/27/2019

Thank you to Enumclaw Fire Department for sending families to have the car seats checked. 2 precious babies will be a whole lot safer on the road today 🥰

08/31/2018

Big news in the car seat world yesterday! The AAP used to recommend rear facing until a minimum of 2 years old. That recommendation has now changed to *Rear face for as long as your (convertible) car seat allows*.

What we know- Rear facing is the absolute safest

What we don’t know- There is not enough evidence to show that a 2 year old can safely ride forward facing or, at what older age the risks are significantly lessened.

What that means- Do the best with what you have and what you know. Rear face until those limits are maxed.

Children should stay in rear-facing car seats as long as possible to protect their developing heads, necks and spines.

07/31/2018

Lots of good things to consider