Have you had your carseat checked?

I just took Patrick's car seat to the CHP office in Santa Maria today because I was having trouble getting it in tight enough. I normally sit in it while I fasten it to get it tight, but even that wasn't working today. So, I made an appointment and took it on over.

It turns out the guy that does their inspections is Patrick's Papa Chuck's friend, Randy. (I didn't know that at the time, but Chuck told me later.) He's a super nice guy and really seems to enjoy this aspect of his job. The other part of what he does is fatal crash inspections. :(

Since Randy probably weighs 300+ lbs. and has experience installing these things, he was able to get it much tighter than I could. ;) He used a big pool noodle (great idea, huh?) under the front of the carseat and tied off the back to the passenger seat frame. There's no wiggle room at all, even though it is in the middle now.

I didn't know this, but Randy said that rear facing is much safer than front facing. And, although it is legal to turn your baby front facing at 1 year and 20 lbs, it is best to keep them rear facing as long as possible. He suggested keeping Patrick rear facing until his legs get too long to fit.

Here's a picture of Patrick in his car seat when he was coming home from the hospital. The seat makes him look so tiny. Look at those skinny little legs. :)