Car Seats...Free Safety Check and Keeping Baby Content

Ever get baby all strapped into his or hers car seat and wonder if you've got the seat in there right?
Most CHP and Sheriff stations will conduct a installation check for you for no charge.
While we're on the subject of car seats, most of my babies hated them.  However, road trips happen and here's some tips we have found to help keep baby content in the car....

• Keep it comfortable.  Make sure you're paying attention to the temperature of your little one.  All that car seat lining can warm things up a lot.  Consider going blanket free or making sure the rear air conditioning vents are open if baby needs a light blanket. Also use a roll down screen to shade the sun.
• Give the baby a little bit of company.  Rear facing and looking at the back of a seat is no idea of entertainment.  If you have an extra person in the car, rather than having them sit in the front seat ask them to take a back seat with baby. Try a mirror sold in many stores.  Baby will often be content just looking at himself.
• Experiment with music.  I have a particular CD that was played so many times for my infant son, I imagine we were upwards of 600 plays by his 3rd birthday.  Every time he was upset, it was the only thing that calmed him down.  Now as a preschooler, if I put the CD in, hoping he'll fall asleep for example,  he'll quickly exclaim "No!  I don't need that music.  I'm not sad!" Prepare to try all sorts of tempos. 
• Try sh-sh-shushing.  My oldest figured this one out when bringing home baby number 4.  I'll never forget the screams that came from that beautiful little infant girl the moment she got in the car seat.  Nothing seemed to work until my oldest started shushing her gently.  It was the only thing that worked and she would fall asleep.
• Plan around nap times.  You and baby will quickly figure out that the car makes you sleepy.  Once the fussing stops, usually there's a nap involved.  In my experience it was important to plan around them and try to group my errands together.  If I went out for quick trip, junior almost always fell asleep in the car and much to my dismay when the car ride was over, so was the nap. Unless your okay with a 20 minute nap, my advice is to plan accordingly.