Little Kritter's Car Seat Ponchos and More

I was asked to put this on my personal page and make shareable, so please feel to share and save a life! **** trigger warning- accident**** Moms and dads, ... This is why rear facing as long as possible and properly restraining/ installing your children in their car seats is so important! We were in a bad accident yesterday. Really bad. My husband just had leg surgery today because he had an exposed complete fracture, my arm (correction- wrist) also broke completely and needed surgery, I have lacerations and horrible bruising covering my body, pelvic pain (seat belt triggered bleeding) and back pain. The amount of pain we both feel is indescribable. Our 2.5 yo (3 on October 30) was behind me, rear-facing, chest clip perfect, straps below shoulders, pinch tested straps and my seat wasn’t touching her seat. I check her seat each time I put her in (she was in the Graco 4ever). People told me her legs had to be uncomfortable and it was time to turn her around. Well, my paranoia saved her life yesterday. She doesn’t have a single bruise or scratch. I removed her entire seat from the car immediately after the car stopped (you never remove the child from the seat in case of neck or spine injury- no idea how I remembered this while in shock) and had the EMT put her in the ambulance as soon as they arrived. The pic of her in the ambulance is exactly how she was removed from the car. The EMT and ER staff even said she probably wouldn’t have walked away unscathed if her seat wasn’t still RF, since the impact threw our adult heads/necks forward it would’ve absolutely done it to hers but she didn’t have an airbag to stop it. They said she’d probably be sore today but she’s acting normal and says she feels good! The seat absorbed the shock so her body didn’t. She was scared, but towards the end of our ride she was excited to be riding in the cool ambulance. Protect your babies, don’t be offended when others tell you something isn’t right with the seat, they really just care! Car seat safety is NOT a parenting choice! *the band aid on her knee is from her scraping her knee prior to the accident* Pics of her, my car, and my injuries from immediately after we entered the ER, they’re way worse/darker today. *side note: while I love the 4ever for keeping her safe, I recommend the Graco 4ever extend2fit because it can rear face up to 50# rather than 40* Thank you, Graco Children's Products *********************************************** UPDATE: I’ve read through some of the comments and shared, I am so so excited to see so many people saying they’re going to keep their children extended rear facing and even turning their babies back around! You go, guys/gals! There have also been some questions and even some not-so-considerate comments that I would like to clear up. How did she move the seat with a broken arm? I was in shock and heard my baby cry. I basically jumped out of my car (at the time I thought I’d also broken my legs & my other arm but I didn’t care), opened her door, un-did the latch system and as I was about to remove the seat one-armed (I naturally held my broken arm to my body but it’s amazing what adrenaline & shock make you capable of) a bystander came up behind me & helped me lift her in the seat out of the vehicle and onto the median until the EMT’s arrived and they moved her into the ambulance while my husband was removed from the car. You’re supposed to remove the whole seat? Yes! BUT, only if you feel like it’s urgent to get the child out of the vehicle (Fire, water, etc.). At that time, I mistook the air bag powder for smoke (never seen airbags deploy so I had no idea) so I wanted her out immediately. If they’re not in immediate danger, please leave them as they are until emergency services arrive and evaluate your child. The little girl is too happy/ dressed up, it looks staged. wow. I spent the whole ride consoling her (do you have the slightest idea how hard it is to not cry/ fake a smile when you’re holding a broken arm amongst many other injuries?) and reassured her that mom & dad would be okay. I took this picture as we pulled up to the ambulance entry, after she calmed down and got excited to ride in the cool truck. Also, she’s always in dresses/bows, so It’s extremely difficult and emotional for me to give details of the accident, as it’s still fresh and very traumatic, but I hope I clarified a few things. There are many other factors when it comes to car seat safety (proper installation being number one!). Please feel free to comment with questions, find a car seat safety group online for advice, read your manual and have a CPST double check your seat for you! P.S. no one ever thinks it’ll happen to them. Stay safe. They’re called accidents for a reason. **********************************

Most children should remain in a rear-facing car seat until they're at least 2 or 3 years old. Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/misty.foght/posts/1007545692600770

DID YOU KNOW: Airbags are designed to protect adults, and can actually cause more harm than good to developing children? Before puberty a child's skeleton is st...ill soft and spongy making it unable to withstand the full force of an airbag deployment and leaving them susceptible to internal injuries. A child under 13 years of age should be in the back seat every ride. As we've heard a large percentage of collisions happen close to the home so even a "quick ride" for a school dropoff should be treated the same as any other trip.

I'm having a SALE!! If you choose a fleece from the ones I've posted here, you'll get your poncho for $60.00 instead of the regular $75.00 Please PM me with any questions or to place an order. Ponchos are done within a week.

Cute polka dots.