52 FAB - week 1

For my first week of FABULOUS - my fab for the week is actually work-related! 

Recently I was trained as a car seat technician at work, and this week I was able to do my first car seat clinic with the Peel Paramedic Association in Mississauga. It was a little nerve racking, as I had never fully installed a car seat before (since I have no kids, I have not had the pleasure...or frustration). 

But...the day was seriously fabulous. 

The weather was gorgeous (and I ended up with a burn to prove it). 

We were outside for 4 hours helping parents or soon to be parents install their car seat safely was so fulfilling knowing I was helping ease their minds and improve the safety of their children. 

Throughout training I was shocked at how complicated car seat installation can be, and how frustrating it must be for parents who have so much to think about and plan for their new addition and most likely haven't received any information about car seat installation, other than the manual. Every car and every car seat work differently together, so it is always a challenge and there is no one perfect way to install, however there is always a safest way. According to the OPP clinics, around 80% of the car seats they see are not installed correctly...this number was shocking to me! With all of the things parents do for their children, keeping them safe in a car should be pretty high on the list, but I can appreciate it is hard to know what is the safest.

So as a plug for prevention and safety (which is my job) - if you are having a baby, please take advantage of car seat clinics (most of them are free - check out St. John Ambulance, OPP or paramedics in your area for clinic dates and times). They will provide you with the proper information and help you install your car seat so that it is safe.