Car Seats and High Chairs

Dazed and confused is what the husband calls me some times. Daughter looks away but not before I see a grin beginning on her face. I plead my case "nobody told me" and I can hear a whine as I'm saying it.

Carrie has a car seat and a high chair here. In fact, she has two car seats; one in the Toyota and one in the Grand Marquis. Those car seats must weigh 25 lbs each and hefting them from car to car was not an option so I bought two of them. They are not new and yesterday when I slowed down in the child's section of Walmart to take a good look at the new models, I notice they didn't have that huge thick bar that drops down over the child's head and hovers just across their chest area. This holds the buckle part that clicks into place in the car seat between their legs. The car seat itself is fastened to the car seat using the lap restrain from the car. Ok, now that I have described the old car seat I can tell you right now, the new ones aren't even close to this. No big bar which Carrie hated.

When I would put her in that car seat, she would have to crunch her head down to get it to come over her head. She fussed a little but we got it done and off we would go. Yesterday I decided I would get her a car seat booster thing similar to the one her mother had in her vehicle and that's when I took a good look at the newer car seats.

I bought her the booster type that is really just a small version of a car seat with a high back to protect their heads. The car's shoulder restraints hook through it and that is what restraints the child and holds the booster seat in place. It was while putting it together and putting it in my car, I was told via the telephone by my sister "I can't believe you were putting her in that car seat!" "Huh" I said. "What's wrong with that car seat other then it's an old version." "Sis", she says, "Carrie is 4 yrs old. Those car seats are for small small children and when the child reaches 3 yrs of age, the big bulky protective seat is discarded; the child can support it's head itself and they don't flop around so they are not needed. Carrie passed that stage a year ago."

"Nobody told me". I had to repeat that a few times just in case someone might think me stoooooooooooopid.

Then to make me feel extra good about myself she says "I don't know how you got that bar to go down over her head to strap her in."

I didn't tell the sister about having Carrie crunch down a bit and how when that bar came over her head it swiped out the hair barrettes or bows or hair ties that were decorating her hairstyle. Carrie would sometimes beg to ride in the front and I just thought she wanted to be close to me. Little did I know she was probably doing whatever passes for a cringe to a four year old.

My next goal is to get rid of the high chair. I'm not going to tell them ( the daughter and sister) that I still use it and getting it to click into the notches that hold the tray is near impossible as her little tummy gets squashed just a little. I did notice the other day that her legs and feet now hang way below the foot rest thing on that chair. I can't remember the last time I saw her in a high chair at her house. That should have been my clue to stop using it here.

Please, someone protect the little ones from my good intentions. I don't mean to harm or even cause discomfort. I'm hoping Carrie doesn't hold it against me and grow up to have some sort of chair phobia and uses it as a defense in court should she turn into an axe murderer or starts killing family members. I maybe exaggerating this a bit.