Carseat: Check.

Did you know that this is Child Passenger Safety Week?
We heard a rumor last week that the Brookline Police Department was suspending their car seat inspection program, but I have spoken with them this morning, and this rumor is false. They are still doing inspections regularly, by appointment. They have been swamped lately, so appointments are just getting harder to come by.

It is incredibly important to take the time to get your car seat inspected by a certified technician. Installing a car seat isn’t something that comes naturally to anyone, and getting good at it takes practice. Your car seat isn’t going to be 100% effective unless it is installed properly.

I will never forget when I installed my new convertible car seat for my first child. A friend of mine had the same seat, and she had brought her seat to be inspected. One day, she peered into my car and told me straightaway that something was wrong. She could shake my seat back and forth easily. She led me to her car and showed me how solidly her seat was installed. I brushed her off, and figured that it didn’t make much of a difference.

A few weeks later, my friend called me on her cell phone. She had just been in an accident – a fender bender, nothing serious, but standing on the side of the road, holding her baby (who emerged unscathed), all she could think of was me and my shaky car seat. I made an appointment for the next day. The technician spent over an hour getting my seat installed perfectly, and I finally understood why my friend was so concerned.

To see a list of certified car seat technicians near you, visit www.seatcheck.org.

In the Boston/Brookline area, here are some contact numbers:

Brookline Police Department – (617) 730-2603
Cambridge Police Department – (617) 349-3238
Newton Police Department – (617) 796-2120

Expect a 2-3 week wait for appointments.

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