I'm a CPS Tech! 
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive April 2004:
I'm a CPS Tech!
I'm FINALLY a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician!!
WOO HOO! I was away this past week attending a CPS Tech. course. It was tough and physically challenging, but I DID IT!! I was so worried I wouldn't pass the test. A woman who I made friends with during the course didn't. I feel bad for her. Met some very cool people. We had to participate in a car seat check. Quite a learning experience. I got an incredible high teaching parents how to properly install their car seats and safely transport their children. Made me feel GOOD to send them off safer than when they came in.
*Heavy Sigh* Now I need to clean and organize my house. Mt. Laundry to conquer... DH and the kids survived but Mommy obviously wasn't home much this week! LOL!
Congratulations, Trina! I'm sure you've got lots of great knowledge, info and advice for our members.
  
Congratulations!!! I know how much you wanted this and how hard you've worked for it. I also know how passionate you are about child seat safety, which I'm sure will make you a great CPS!
CHEERS! YOU DID IT!! WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOU!
Congratulations!!!!!!!!!
Trina that is so GREAT!!!! I am so happy for you.
Congratulations!!!!!!
Congratulations Trina!!
Yay!! Congratulations, Trina!!! That is very exciting!! Way to go!!!
Congratulations Trina !!!
Way to go!!!! I'm so happy for you. You've been waiting a long time for this. I'm glad you are now official Now you aren't a car seat "nerd".....you're a carseat professional!!
WTG!!!! Now I have a Car Seat question for you now that you are "offical" although I would've asked even if you didn't pass.
My DD who will be 8 in June still uses a booster seat. She is quite tall and is getting to the point where she is really too tall for the seat yet she only weighs 65 pounds. What should I do?
Thank you, everyone!
Paula, first thing, KUDOS to you for having your DD in a booster! What booster seat is it? How tall is your DD? As long as her ears aren't over the top of the back of the booster she's not too tall for it. The general recommendation is for kids to remain in a booster until they are at least 4'9". If she's not comfortable in her current booster you could try another one. If your vehicle seat has a headrest or high seat back she could try a backless booster. Some kids like these better because they're not so obvious. More info at these sites...
NHTSA - Belt Positioning Boosters
BoosterSeat.gov
My DS will be 8 in August. He's 58 lbs., 4 ft. tall. He rides in either a Britax Body Guard, Britax Star Riser Comfy or a backless Graco Turbo Booster. Both the Britax boosters are adjustable in height. I believe the high back Graco Turbo Boosters are height adjustable as well. There are a few new high back boosters on the market. I'm not on my computer right now so I don't have access to my pics. LOL!
Her booster seat is a Fisher Price one. It has marks on the back that say "minimum shoulder height" and "maximum should height". Her shoulders are well above those marks...about 2 inches. She is 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 65 pounds. I'll check today to see if her ears are above the back of the seat. DS booster which is good to 80 pounds is even shorter than DD's.
Congrats, Trina!! That's wonderful!!
Paula, you need to follow the Fisher Price height limits. Sounds like your DD has indeed outgrown that particular booster. I'm not sure what's available in Canada, but there are CPS techs and Advocates at this board who are.
Car Seats
Grrrr... My Internet connection is very S-L-O-W! We had to get a new cable router and something is wrong. It's driving me crazy!
YEAH! Congrats, Way To Go, Go Girl, Wooowhooo and several other explatives!
Good for you.
Congrats! I was just waiting for the day when I wouldn't have to deal with strapping my son into a car seat anymore. With the guidelines and laws, it looks like he'll be driving with a booster. But ... safety first.
Ame
Way to go Trina!
Trina, the TOP of her ears are at the top of the carseat.
TRINA
Thanks for all the congratulations! Bea, too funny!
Paula, definitely time to search for a new booster. One that has a higher height limit. The Graco Turbo Booster and the Evenflo Big Kid go up to 57". The Britax Body Guard goes up to 60". As I mentioned above, as long as your vehicle has head support a backless booster is an option as well. They are less costly than high back boosters.
Just out of curiousity, try the 5 Step Test with her to see how she does.
5 Step Test
I'm trying to find out how to locate a CPS Tech in Canada. I'll be back...
Congratulations Trina! You definitely deserve it. Thanks for providing so much info here. Paulas post made me think-my DD is almost 5 and she is tiny-32 pounds-she is still in the convertible carseat she has had since birth. Anyways, I noticed that her straps seemed to be getting kind of tight (her ears are almost above the back of the seat)and was thinking we needed to move to a high back booster. Any recommendations? I took a quick look at them when I was in the store yesterday-but I'm not sure what I should be looking for-since she is so little I think we need a five point high back booster. TIA!
Thanks, Fraggle! Yes, you're correct in thinking your DD still needs a 5 pt. harness. She's a peanut like my DD. I would look for what's called a "combination" seat. They have a 5 pt. harness up to 40 lbs. and then convert to a belt positioning booster. Typically they have higher harness slots than convertible car seats. Be sure to get one with a front harness adjuster. Recommended seats at these sites:
CarSeatData.org
(This site also includes a compatibility database.)
Car-Safety.org
Scroll down to "Booster/Combo Seat".
My DD rides in a Century Next Step in DH's car. She's 43" tall, 37 lbs. and still has room to grow in this seat.
To locate a CPS Tech. or Car Seat Check Location in your area:
SeatCheck.org
SafeKids.org
Thanks for the info Trina! I read through it and took notes-hopefully we will go to Babies R Us tomorrow to look.
Just to double check-she is big enough to use the booster with the car's seatbelt when she is 40 lbs? And another question-since her carseat is now 5 years old, should we just discard it or can it be donated?
Fraggle, you're welcome! Check on the back of her current seat to see if it has an expiration date. If not, the general recommendation is to use a child restraint for 5 or 6 years from the date of manufacture. When you dispose of it, cut all the harness straps and remove the cover. Either destroy the plastic shell with a sledge hammer or write something like "DO NOT USE - IN A CRASH" in bold, permanent marker. Throw the cover/harness straps and the shell away in different trash cans or dispose on different trash days. All this to prevent someone from retrieving the seat from the trash and using it for a child.
Yes, most kids aren't big enough or mature enough to sit properly in a belt positioning booster until they are at least 4 yrs. and 40 lbs.. Best practice is to keep them harnessed for as long as possible. Most seats on the market harness to 40 lbs.. So, keep her harnessed to 40 lbs. unless she meets the height limit before then. My DD (turning 6 in June, 37 lbs., 43" tall) is still in a 5 pt. harnessed seat. Once you switch to the vehicle seat belt, which is a 3 pt. belt system, you give up a little crash protection. Hope this helps!
Paula and other Canadian moms...
How Do You Locate CPS Techs in Canada?
Trina congrats...Nobody deserves it more then you!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!! What wonderful news.
Congratulations!
Big congrats!!! (And no surprise at all that you did so well )
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