Welcome to our new and improved blog!
Atlantic Car Seat Safety is on the blogosphere!
The Contest!
For a while now, we have been trying to think of a contest idea to celebrate our 500th “like” and to help spread our message of Atlantic Car Seat Safety to more fans – but we didn’t have a prize to offer like a business would, with sales and products. Does anyone want a rain check for a good price on a car seat? Probably not… Then we figured it out:
The Prize?
We are offering a car seat house call. That’s right, the winner of this contest will have two experienced technicians offer an individualized assessment of your car seat(s) and vehicle. What would this be worth? In parts of the country where this service is offered it is priced at $70-$100 dollars – but you and I know that it’s priceless.
The Details:
If the winner lives within 1 hour drive of HRM we will commit to setting up an appointment sometime within the next few weeks on a weekend or evening.
If the winner lives further than this, and cannot meet us partway… we regret that as volunteers, our means are limited. This prize is transferable to a friend who could use it, or we will do our best to provide a phone/skype consultation, combined with a “care seat care package” with our best brochures, DVDs and handouts.
Rohan is 4 years old
Orion is 4 years old (and silly!)
Alice is almost a year old!
To Enter:
To enter for a chance to win this contest, please leave a comment at the end of this blog post and tell us what content you would like to see posted on our new blog.
The name will be drawn next Sunday night at 10pm AST and announced Monday morning (Feb 6). We ask only one entry per household and you must have also “liked” us on Facebook to win.
Good luck and have fun!
atlanticcarseatsafety 
I’d like to see a video of how to properly install a car seat with a pool noodle, I have to use one and I’m never sure if I have it in the right place!
That’s a great one. Not sure how to put up a video yet, but we’ll definitely do a photo guide!
I would like to see you discuss all the benefits of extended rear facing. I’d love to have a great resource to show to people.
That is definitely on our to-do list!
I would like to know if/when there are any changes to car seat regulations & if there are recalls or safety concerns we should know about.
We will definitely be posting all the car seat ‘news’ here as well as on our Facebook page.
Have you ever witnessed a ‘dud’ of a car seat when they were first launched? We are looking at a car seat that has not hit the market yet and wondering if it is smart to be the ‘test market’!?
That’s honestly not something I’ve ever thought of, but we will think on it and address it – could be an interesting question!
I would like to see more content with tips on how to educate other family members and friends about car seat safety. Some people think they know what’s right and legal, but aren’t doing the correct things.
Thanks for starting the great blog!
That’s always useful. We will do our best, but at the end of the day, you can only provide information, you cannot make them look at it and absorb it.
It’s wonderful to see people so interested in keeping the children around them safe though! Thanks for commenting.
I think that prize is a great idea. I have always wanted that done but the clinics are open while I am working. My Car seats have to be moved and installed in 3 different cars daily so knowing i am doing it right would be wonderful. Thank you for your time!!!
Pam
Finger crossed for you Pam! We’ve done weekday evening clinics and classes too – keep your eyes open on the Facebook page and here as well!
Would love to see recommended seats listed for what car(s) you own. Not every car (that’s a long list!), but maybe popular vehicles.
Ooh, that’s a tricky one! We’ve done pros and cons lists, and will happily google all requests, but I’m not sure this is something that will ever happen fully.
i’d love to see articles on extended rear-facing, too- there are so many myths out there about baby’s legs, etc! i’d also love to see a list of seats that have higher weight and height limits for RFing, and maybe a list of what retailers in our region carry them? thanks!
Those are great requests! More on extended rear-facing is definitely coming, and we’ll be giving our pros/cons lists a permanent home here. It’ll be awhile since we have to dress them up for the blog and fix them up post-2012 regs.
I would also like to know the best seats by car (most popular cars). There are so many options out there, it’s just great to have this resource! Thanks!!!
As I mentioned in another reply, I’m not sure how possible this will be though we’ll look into it. What might be more possible is doing a compilation of known incompatibilities. There are fewer of those. lol
that…would be awesome. then at least if you have a certain type of vehicle…you’d know not to purchase the specific seat that won’t work in your car…
I am just happy you are here and agree with all of the above suggestions. I don’t need the prize! 😉 Happy to keep “sharing” your messages so people know what I am telling them is truth! Facebook is a wonderful tool….now I will share your blog as well! 😉
Paula
Thanks Paula! You’re so flattering – we’re blushing! Thanks for sharing our message.
We’d love to see your recos on the best way to strategically place car seats, boosters and infant car seats in vehicles with 3 rows of seating…
This is definitely a good one!
I’d like some advice on how to bring other family members on board with extended rear facing. I was just talking to my mom about it and was getting the eye roll. I know she loves her girls to death but she thinks I’m crazy when I tell her about rear-facing or not wearing bulky coats in the car.
That’s a great one – it can be tricky to negotiate this with family members who remember the ‘good old days’ of no seatbelts at all!
I would love to see more about extended rear facing as well as defferent ideas for keeping our little ones warm and cozy and safe all at the same time in the car!
Both great posts! Thanks for commenting!
You are the winner! Congratulations! Please contact us at atlanticcarseatsafety@gmail.com to make arrangements to claim your prize!
I personally like seeing lots of photos of correct vs incorrect installations… They teach me a lot!
Awesome – I hadn’t really thought about doing direct comparisons, and will keep that in mind for the future!
I am interested in many of the things already posted! Especially, what seats fit which vehicles best, how to respond to negative comments about extended rear facing and video reviews of different seats! Thank you!!
Good to hear! We’ll definitely be dealing with all of those, though maybe not all straight away!
As a Technician, I don’t need the house-call, but I’d like to see more information made easily available to the public on extended rear facing, and the importance of ERF in children with low tone/special needs!!
Wendy McLean
CRST, Shearwater
That is definitely on our to-do list, and we’ll keep the special needs angle in mind! Thanks for commenting!
I share your site all the time now, and my friends and i are on PEI, i’m just glad there is somewhere to find all this awesome info in one place
Awesome Ann! Thanks for the support!
Would love information on upcoming training events, I know they don’t happen that often. I am hoping that interest will peek so that there will be more people eager to become trained, so I can become trained 🙂 Information on extended rear-facing is always a good thing!
We’ll definitely be publicizing training events that are open to the public. You can also contact Kim Mundle at the IWK Child Safety Link – when she knows there is interest she will schedule a class.
I’d love to see some tips on how the weaklings among us (namely me) can get the straps tight enough. I have a terrible time getting my son’s straps tight enough. I’d also like to see tips for dealing with the winter clothing issue…and perhaps some recommendations of warm, thin, outerwear that tends to work well in seats. I know the rule of thumb is you shouldn’t have to loosen to accommodate the outerwear, but I’d love to see some specific brands/products that would keep little man warm enough without adding the bulk.
Thanks! love your resource! your facebook page has been so handy for helping friends and family understand where we’re coming from on this stuff.
Ooh, that’s a good one! We’ll definitely start putting that together. I love all the inspiration I’m getting here!
Before and after photos of fixed installs would be a great tool!
I’ve got my notebook out! That would be awesome.
I would like to know how to adjust your RF car seat to the correct angle when your seats are slanted. I’ve read about using a pool noodle? We are using towels currently. Is this safe?
Thanks
Melissa
(K) Towels are certainly safe, you want to use a tightly rolled, not very plush towel. You can tape it into a cylinder shape and put it into the seat bight (crack) with the footing of the base of the seat resting on it.