CAR SEAT PET PEEVES w/ MAMA KNOWS CAR SEATS

Summary

Detailed Summary of "CAR SEAT PET PEEVES w/ MAMA KNOWS CAR SEATS" Episode of The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz

Release Date: March 13, 2025

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Introduction and Guest Welcome (00:47 - 04:14)

In this episode titled "CAR SEAT PET PEEVES w/ MAMA KNOWS CAR SEATS," hosts Kelly Stumpe and Liz St. John welcome their special guest, Sam, known as "Mama Knows Car Seats" from Instagram. Kelly introduces Sam as a highly talented Certified Pediatric Seating Specialist (CPSS) who has been integral to the Car Mom team, handling all car seat installations for their Car Mom Auto Show over the past year.

Notable Quotes:

• [02:14] Kelly: "Sam is one of the most talented CPSDs I know. ... she's just a girl that gets it."
• [02:37] Liz: "She felt like another sister there."

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Building the Car Mom Team (04:14 - 07:29)

Kelly and Liz discuss their growing collaboration with Sam, highlighting how seamlessly she integrated into their team. They reminisce about their first experience together at the New York Auto Show, where Sam's calm and friendly demeanor made her feel like part of the family from the outset.

Notable Quotes:

• [04:25] Liz: "Sam is such a calm presence and down to earth."
• [04:49] Sam: "Coming into this group of sisters who are besties was smooth."

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Sam’s Life Updates and Vehicle Insights (07:29 - 12:20)

Sam shares significant personal updates, including her impending addition to the family with a new baby on the way. She discusses her current vehicle, a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas, praising its car seat tilt feature which is crucial for accommodating three children in car seats. Additionally, Sam mentions her plans to add a roof cargo carrier to manage the increased storage needs as her family grows.

Notable Quotes:

• [05:36] Sam: "We are expecting a baby next month."
• [06:03] Sam: "I absolutely love this vehicle. Truly, my fave."

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Addressing Car Seat Challenges and Pet Peeves (13:33 - 21:00)

The core of the episode revolves around the trio discussing their biggest frustrations with car seat installations and vehicle designs. Key issues include:

• Non-Removable Head Restraints: Sam emphasizes the difficulty non-removable headrests pose in securing car seats correctly.

  [12:01] Sam: "Once your seat is forward-facing, non-removable headrests can interfere with car seat installation."

• Poor Placement of Lower Anchors: Kelly expresses frustration over vehicles lacking or poorly placing lower anchors and tether anchors, making car seat installation challenging.

  [15:02] Sam: "The vehicle manufacturers have more flexibility and budget to work with here."

• Limited Door Opening Angles: Liz shares her struggle with doors not opening wide enough to install car seats, leading to practical inconveniences like mud on car doors.

  [10:45] Kelly: "I hate when people are like, oh, you know, so and so doesn't have ceiling vents because of the panoramic sunroof."

The discussion underscores the need for vehicle manufacturers to prioritize family-friendly features in car designs.

Notable Quotes:

• [13:33] Kelly: "It's just, what is the hold up?"
• [15:18] Kelly: "It's just so silly."
• [17:00] Sam: "Petition lower anchors and top tether that line up with the seat belt in every actual seating position, please."

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Advice Segment: Listener Questions Answered (21:00 - 34:09)

Kelly, Liz, and Sam move into their advice segment, addressing specific listener queries:

1. Rotating Car Seats for Multiple Children:

   • Jen's Question: Considering a rotating car seat to accommodate a tall 4-year-old and a 9-month-old in a BMW 3 Series sedan.

   • Sam's Response: Recommends the Cybex Collection Callisto G360 for its high harness height and compatibility with taller children. Emphasizes measuring torso height to ensure proper fit.

   [22:10] Sam: "One seat makes lots of sense. The Can be a great hack."

2. High Back Booster Seat Challenges:

   • Listener's Issue: Difficulty buckling a 6-year-old in the high back booster seat of a Hyundai Palisade.

   • Sam's Suggestions: Advises against using seatbelt extenders due to safety risks. Recommends practicing buckling, leaving the booster seat buckled while shimmying in and out, or trying different booster seat models like those without armrests.

   [25:08] Sam: "Seatbelt extenders definitely not safe to use."

3. Transitioning Out of Car Seats:

   • Liz's Question: Determining whether to transition a child out of a car seat based on height, weight, or age.

   • Sam's Response: Advises transitioning when a child meets the height, weight, or age requirement first, rather than waiting for all milestones.

   [28:14] Sam: "Whichever one comes first."

Notable Quotes:

• [22:10] Sam: "A newer rotating seat like the Cybex Collection Callisto G360 can accommodate taller kids longer."
• [26:45] Kelly: "Sometimes the answer is just, yeah, that's hard."

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Introducing "Chat with the CPST" Service (34:09 - 35:27)

Kelly and Sam announce a new service named "Chat with the CPST" available on thecarmom.com. This service allows parents to email Sam directly with personalized car seat questions, ensuring they receive expert advice tailored to their family's specific needs. The goal is to help families make informed decisions without unnecessary expenses on unsuitable car seats or vehicles.

Notable Quotes:

• [31:48] Liz: "You can ask her any number of questions."
• [32:17] Sam: "I'm here to help with both vehicle-specific solutions and general car seat questions."

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Closing Segment and Recipe Sharing (35:27 - 42:36)

The episode concludes with a lighthearted segment where Sam shares her "Ditch the Drive Thru" breakfast frittata recipe. This recipe is designed for busy mornings, allowing parents to prepare a nutritious and quick breakfast in advance. The hosts humorously discuss the recipe's simplicity and versatility, tying it back to their hectic lives as parents.

Notable Quotes:

• [35:40] Sam: "This is a breakfast ditch the drive thru because mornings are hard for me."
• [36:50] Liz: "I never want to combine all of those seasonings myself."

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Conclusion

Kelly and Liz thank Sam for her invaluable insights and participation, encouraging listeners to utilize the "Chat with the CPST" service for all their car seat needs. They wrap up the episode with reminders to subscribe to the podcast and share it with friends and family, emphasizing that there's always room in the car for everyone.

Notable Quotes:

• [42:10] Liz: "If you want your car seat questions answered, go to thecarmom.com and check out chat with a CPST."
• [42:35] Kelly: "Thank you for listening to the carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz."

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Key Takeaways:

• Expert Collaboration: Bringing in Sam provides listeners with professional insights into car seat safety and vehicle compatibility.

• Common Frustrations: The episode highlights significant issues parents face with car seat installations, urging manufacturers to adopt more family-friendly designs.

• Practical Solutions: Through the advice segment, listeners receive actionable solutions to common car seat challenges.

• Community Support: The introduction of "Chat with the CPST" fosters a supportive community where parents can seek personalized assistance.

This episode effectively blends expert advice, personal anecdotes, and community-building initiatives to address the intricate challenges of managing car seats for growing families.

Transcript

[Kelly]

You don't wake up dreaming of McDonald's fries. You wake up dreaming of McDonald's hash browns. McDonald's breakfast comes first.

[Sam]

Ba ba ba ba ba.

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[Liz]

Welcome to the carpool podcast with kelly.

[Kelly]

It's an $85,000 car, brand new. You don't get lower anchors or a middle head restraint. But, you know, more on that later. It's just, I don't. I don't understand it.

[Liz]

And Liz, when I tried to put the car seat in my car, my door didn't open enough. And also the duna's huge. So it's partially the duna's fault. I got mud all over the side of my door. Your mom time off starts now.

[Kelly]

Welcome back to the carpool podcast with.

[Liz]

Kelly and Liz and Sam.

[Kelly]

You guys, we have a very exciting guest today.

[Liz]

Very exciting.

[Kelly]

Kind of a guesty week, really. Elizabeth. It is, Yeah.

[Liz]

I mean, two guests and two episodes. We have Sam Mama Knows car seats on IG with us today. CPST extraordinaire, CPSD extraordinaire with us today.

[Kelly]

Sam, is I. The word like emotional support person comes to mind. Like, those are the adjectives I would use to describe her. Sam is one of the most talented CPSDs I know. Talented, knowledgeable, like, she's just a girl that gets it. And she fits so well into the car mom team because she has such a knowledge of the cars, which is very impressive. And Sam, how did you come across my desk? I started following you.

[Sam]

I. I think so. I reached out to you because I was like, man, Kelly just gets it about this car seat stuff. And I think we could team up and just really get info out there. It was something about three across, and I was like, oh, I've. I've got to shoot my shot. Shoot my shot here. That was back when three across was your whole personality, remember? So we've. We've evolved since then.

[Kelly]

But, yeah, it's been a while. Um, and I just remember, I guess I started following you on Instagram and then you know, your content just kept. Kept coming up, and it was so informative, so good. And I could just tell that you put a lot of work into it, and I wanted to just connect and, like, kind of get you in the Car mom circle, because I felt like one of the hardest parts about the car. It's. It's hard to not always have ideas to bounce off each other, and it's hard to find CPS who have similar knowledge in this space. So I felt like having someone like you, who got the car seats way better than I did, but also. Also has a knowledge of cars. I think, like, we're kind of like a force to be reckoned with, for lack of better words.

[Sam]

I love it.

[Kelly]

So, anyway, we wanted to have Sam on the podcast today, because you've never been, which is crazy, because I must.

[Liz]

Say, like, so behind the scenes on the Car Mom. Like, she installed every single car seat at the Car Mom Auto show this past year. Kelly calls her every single day to confirm that this installation is good. So she's kind of just been this, like, behind the scenes that's been. You know, we've talked about her in passing, but we wanted to have a podcast where we officially introduced Sam talk about car seats. We have a lot of advice questions that we've gotten that are car seat specific, so we wanted her to answer some of those.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And introduce a new, exciting program. But we'll get to that later, because.

[Kelly]

I feel like we've been working together, like, pretty consistently and professionally. Was it, like, was, like, the New York Auto show last year? Are we, like, counting that as, like, when we started really hanging out?

[Sam]

For sure, I think. Yeah, I think so.

[Kelly]

So we went to the New York Auto show last April, and Sydney came with us. And the way Sam just felt like one of the sisters, like, no, didn't. Didn't.

[Liz]

Literally, no. Kelly was like, oh, we're having this girl. She's coming to New York. She lives outside of New York. She's coming to the New York Auto Show. And we're like, okay, like, who is this girl? And she, like, felt like another sister there. Like, Sam is such a calm presence and down to earth. And, like, by the end of it, we were just having so much fun and sharing bags of nerds.

[Sam]

Oh, the nerds. Thank you, Sydney. Shout out again forever. But I'm glad I could come across as calm, because on my side, coming into this group of sisters who are besties, like, oh, my gosh, I'm never gonna be, like, able to get a word in edgewise. But no, I think we all flowed well. And it was really cool to see you guys and see you work at the auto show.

[Kelly]

Well, and Sydney's in Australia now, so there's a spot at the table. There we go. It's truly for the taking because we're not sure when she'll be back. Okay, Sam, let's get into. Just briefly, I guess maybe give us. Well, tell us. I mean, tell us if you can. Can you share, like, some of the life updates that you have happening and like, on the car front, the big transition you'll be making?

[Sam]

Yes. So I am transitioning away from three across being my entire personal. We are expecting a baby next month. By the time this episode's out, it'll be real soon. So we will be making some changes to my car. Third row access. We'll talk all about it. But yeah. So another baby on the way.

[Liz]

And what do you drive?

[Kelly]

Yeah, what do you drive?

[Sam]

So I drive an Atlas. It was between that and a traverse when I was looking for my cars, but that was back when the traverse had square cup holders. And it just. That was a deal breaker for me.

[Kelly]

Totally. Totally.

[Sam]

So.

[Kelly]

And what year.

[Sam]

What year's your atlas? 2019 atlas. So.

[Kelly]

And you love it with tech.

[Sam]

For anyone who's curious. I. I love this vehicle so much. Truly. Truly. My fave.

[Kelly]

I mean, four in an atlas is. I feel like. I mean, the. The Alice can definitely handle it, but I. The Atlas is so good for three, so. And I also just feel like the jump from, like, three kids in car seats to four kids in car seats is just. It really just messes everything up in terms of, like, now we need the trunk all. Now we need the third row all the time.

[Sam]

Correct. And that's what I keep telling myself, no matter what vehicle it is. Four kids in car seats is just a challenge. But I think the Atlas is nice. You have the car seat tilt, so I'll be able to just, you know, I can actually fit in the third row when I'm harnessing my middle child, who still needs some help. So that's great. And then we did get roof cargo because now that I am losing my excellent truck space third row down all the time, I. I will need a little bit of extra storage. But, you know, that's temporary. That's for when we make long road trips or something. I can absolutely fit a stroller and groceries and a small Costco haul in my trunk, so it'll work.

[Kelly]

What cargo carrier did you get?

[Sam]

We did not get a Thule. Although I did want one, but that. That is a question. Yeah, they're super expensive. Although cheaper than upgrading to an Expedition Max, which is what I would love to do in a perfect world.

[Kelly]

Totally. Totally.

[Liz]

We don't talk enough about roof.

[Kelly]

We don't. Elizabeth. And I'm glad you were.

[Liz]

It's come up twice. Well, brought it up too.

[Kelly]

It's just, it gives you space and it's, it's like, it's. It's so obvious when you say it because it's like, oh, you need like, you know, you gotta go on a trip. Okay. Get some. You can put it on top of your car.

[Sam]

Exactly.

[Kelly]

Yeah. That's interesting. I'm looking forward to a review on how that goes.

[Sam]

I will keep you posted. Because we make frequent trips to Connecticut. And for everybody who's not sure how far away I am in New York, I'm about like six, seven hours from New York City and about the same distance back to Connecticut where I'm from. So we make these long hauls pretty regularly. So I can certainly keep you updated.

[Liz]

Okay. So contact to come.

[Sam]

Absolutely.

[Kelly]

Okay. So I wanted to. I thought we could do. This is going to be kind of like a car seat heavy episode. Like, let's just like get that out of the way, but like in a very like, interesting sort of way. Right. And I'm sure Sam's going to bring a fabulous dish to the drive thru at the end of all of this. So that's something to stay. To stay in touch for. And we have a super exciting special announcement that will also be sharing on this episode. So, like, a lot of good things to come, but let's just if. And I just think it's good for anyone who has kids in car seats or who might be car shopping. Like, having a better knowledge of how the vehicle works for car seats is very important. And it shouldn't be information that's just exclusive to like cpsts. Like, honestly, any parent needs to know this information. And I think for the three of us who are like, really in it, it seems very obvious. But to the people who have driven the same car for 10 years and now they're uploading, maybe they don't know what to look for. I want us to all say, like one pet peeve slash deal breaker when it comes to like, the car seats doesn't have to be a deal breaker, but like, at least a pet peeve when it comes to car seats on, like, where the cars themselves are missing the boat. Liz, do you want to kick us.

[Liz]

Off I can kick us off. So I recently tried out the Duna car seat just for funsies. And if you follow me on Instagram, you know that I really didn't like it at all. And one really big, big problem I had with it was, okay, it was a rainy day. We had to. I had to push a stroller through the grass and it got all muddy. And then when I tried to put the car seat in my car, my door didn't open enough. And also the Duna's huge. So it's partially the Duna's fault. I got mud all over the side of my door. So I have no patience for that. But also just in general, when doors do not open up to that full 90 degrees and you are like trying to like squeeze your way with your, with either your toddler or your, more importantly, your infant seat, trying to put this infant seat inside of your car when they don't open up all the way. I just, I have no patience for it.

[Kelly]

And it's like, just make it a night. I mean, like, the Nissan Rogue can do it. Like, I mean, what's the hold up?

[Liz]

What's the hold up?

[Kelly]

I.

[Liz]

And I think that's the problem. I think that's like the big question on all of the pet peeves that we're all going to have. It's like, just do it. The technology figured it out and it. And it doesn't seem like a luxury item. Like, it doesn't sound more expensive to do than what you're currently doing.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I hate when people are like, oh, you know, so and so doesn't have ceiling vents because of the panoramic sunroof. I'm like, well then explain every other car that like has that. Or people will tell me, oh, well, Chevy doesn't have middle head restraints for visibility. And I'm like, well then what would a person like? If there was a person there, you wouldn't have any visibility. Like, it's when, when, when some people are doing it, when some manufacturers are doing it, others are don't. It's. It's. I'm with you. It's just the question mark of are you lazy? Is it like a money thing or is it a stupidity thing? Like why there is no reason for. I can't imagine why a door when opens 90 degrees. Facts. Sam, do you want to go next or do you want me to go?

[Sam]

I'll go. This one might be an obvious one, but it's gonna be a non removable head restraint for me.

[Kelly]

Sam is taking me to freaking school on this because I guess I didn't only recently have I really started looking at third rows in car seats. Like a lot more. Mainly because I like three across. Isn't my personality. It's shocking how few third row shocking. Headrest remove.

[Sam]

So you might be saying, Sam, why does that matter? Headrest, no headrest. What's the difference? Well, once your seat is forward facing. So the absolute last thing you're thinking about when you're trying to get a convertible seat for your cute little nine month old, it's because most seats out there either don't allow a gap that the head restraint makes or. And or it pushes the movable part on your car seat headrest that goes up and down. It pushes it forward a lot where it's not allowed. So kind of two separate issues here. But it's all because of this head restraint that just can't come out of the car. And not all of them are a problem. But if we're going to get into the nitty gritty. Head restraint changed somewhat recently. Ish. Where they come forward more and there's actually like a specific amount of millimeters between your head and the headrest that should be there because it better protects an adult passenger. Which I say awesome, like let's do that. But can you take the headrest out so it doesn't mess up a car seat installation? So that's the biggest challenge. It's an even bigger problem for booster seats. But we will, we'll touch on that later.

[Kelly]

But yeah, it's like just do both.

[Liz]

Just be able to take it out.

[Sam]

We can have it both ways. It doesn't have to be either. Or just take it out.

[Kelly]

And that's where I get if. Because it doesn't. It wouldn't. You know, people will always say like, you know, not all families have car. Have kids in car seats. It's like, no, I know but like having a removable headrest doesn't hurt the families who don't have kids in car seats, but it does hurt the families who do have kids in car seats. Like let's just make the car better. And you know, also that could be a combo for another time. But I get almost equally as frustrated at the car seat manufacturers because why can some of them allow a gap?

[Sam]

Right. Exactly. I don't know the answer. I would love to know the answer. If I do, I will certainly share it with you. But very frustrating. I will say though, there, there are more car seats coming out that now that more vehicles are a problem that work well with them. And we'll definitely talk about that.

[Kelly]

Who is more responsible, though? Like, do you think that. I guess it would be the car manufacturer because, yeah, it'd be easier, but I mean, it's, it's hard for like, both parties because, like, cars. Because even cars with removable headrest, I mean, there's still some cars that just don't get good fits with some car seats.

[Sam]

Oh, yeah.

[Kelly]

And that's difficult. And I'm just wondering, like, who do we think, like, if we could change one, who would we change? Or who are we more mad at?

[Sam]

I mean, I think the vehicle manufacturers have one, more flexibility and two, more budget to work with here.

[Kelly]

Totally.

[Sam]

So, yeah, I'm gonna. And you know, I don't want to make any car seat manufacturers mad, so you make the vehicle manufacturers mad, and I'll make the car.

[Kelly]

I'm always, I'm, you know, I'm always ruffling their feathers. My favorite thing to do.

[Liz]

I'm gonna blame the. I'm gonna blame the manufacturers.

[Kelly]

Okay. My pet peeve is going to be lower tether anchor placement or lack of placement, which I feel like, you know, there's some cars where it's just, it's the most basic thing. Like, it's, it's latch. It's lower and tether. It's lower anchors and tether anchors, which are, you know, great. It was latch. I mean, sorry, tether anchors obviously required for forward facing seats. Latch, nice to have as an option. Great for booster seats. And then for a car seat manufacturer, just like not put them in family cars. It's just, it's oversight. It's like, how much does that cost? And like, why wouldn't you do it? And what's even I find more annoying is like the bad placement of some of them, you know, so it's like when they have lower anchors but they're off center with the seat belt. So then it does no good for putting a booster there. Or if you look at like, you know, my, you know, that problem child, like, which is the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade and the way that they put them, you look at the Toyota Sequoia, who only has one in the third row and calls themselves a family car, like, it's just so silly.

[Liz]

It's like someone had to make that decision.

[Kelly]

I mean, we have like the general, like the Chevy Suburban, which you could make an argument is like the Pinnacle mom car doesn't have lower anchors in the third row. For what it's an $85,000 car, brand new. You don't get lower anchors or a middle head restaurant. But you know, more on that later. It's just, I don't. I don't understand. Feels lazy. And that makes it get me. It gets me riled up.

[Sam]

Petition lower anchors and top tether that line up with the seat belt in every actual seating position, please. Because it also doesn't really help in those tiny center row seats. Who am I putting there?

[Liz]

That it's so crazy. And all of these things that we have mentioned are all the, well, what if you don't have kids in car seats? Well, it won't change your life if they're in or if they're in or not, but it will change whether or not a family can buy that car or not.

[Kelly]

Yeah, yeah.

[Liz]

So you're losing customers.

[Kelly]

And what's also crazy is like, I don't even know who to ask about it because like on the time zone, Elizabeth and I have gone to these events. Like, these people have literally no idea. Like, it's like the. It's the last thing that anybody's talking about. Which for some vehicles, that's fine. It's like, you know what? It's fine. I can recognize that this is like, you know, a Ford Bronco event and like, we don't need to be talking about that. But like, when you fly me out for like a family car event and you can't answer the question, like, why there aren't. Like, I just want to reason in sense. Like, it's like it's. It's just crazy how it's not even like an education piece, like within the companies. It's wild.

[Liz]

It's not talked about at all.

[Kelly]

Well, anyway, that's was kind of a fun game.

[Liz]

Just like complaining.

[Sam]

I love it.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

One of my favorite things to do.

[Kelly]

Who is the most. Let's not say biggest, like, because I think that's the Expedition, but like, who has a 90 degree door, lower anchors in good seating positions, and removable headrests. Who are those cars?

[Sam]

I mean, the Odyssey comes out on top for me.

[Liz]

I know.

[Kelly]

I was gonna say the Odyssey, because only thing better than a 90 degree door is a door that just slides right open.

[Liz]

Totally.

[Sam]

Yep.

[Liz]

Sam, would you ever get a minivan?

[Sam]

You know, we've talked about it. I think, I think down the road we probably will get a used minivan as like a second vehicle. But I, I do. Like, I'm used to the long trunk space instead of the stackable trunk space.

[Kelly]

Like, I have totally. That's that is different.

[Sam]

It is different. Like, I'm not, I'm not there yet. I need to get it for like a rental, for a vacation or something and let that convince me because everyone who has a minivan loves it. But to me, I'm just still on the, the flat trunk space.

[Kelly]

I, you know, I mean, I've driven minivans and I have, I have nothing, I have nothing against them, but I, I do agree. I think that trunk space is different. I think it depends what you're going. It depends what you're going through. Like, you know, if you're going from a car that doesn't have a lot of trunk space, then, like, the deep minivan trunk's nice. But yeah, I mean, you have a lot of trunk space. I have a lot of trunk space. So you're gonna have to convince me to go deep.

[Sam]

Exactly. And like, we had a lot of trunk space specifically because we have 110 pound German Shepherd. So he's not gonna benefit from the space in An Odyssey. He's gonna benefit from the space in a Max.

[Liz]

Totally. Oh, my gosh. £110.

[Sam]

He's huge. He's a big boy. He is very fit. Clean bill of health from the vet. He's just. He's just a big boy.

[Liz]

Oh, my goodness.

[Sam]

My first baby. Who is certainly not a baby.

[Kelly]

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[Sam]

Oh, sheet.

[Kelly]

Honey, chill. It's just laundry.

[Sam]

Not that I'm talking about these. Arm and hammer power sheets. All the power of arm and hammer laundry detergent and a convenient tossable sheet.

[Kelly]

Oh, sheet.

[Sam]

That's what I'm saying.

[Kelly]

And arm and hammer power sheets deliver an effective clean at a great price. Think of all the laundry we'll do.

[Sam]

And all the money we'll save.

[Kelly]

Oh, sheet, Arm and hammer.

[Sam]

More power to you.

[Liz]

Okay, well, let's get in to our advice segment because we have some questions for you and Sam. I wanted you to answer these because Kelly mentioned this, but not only does Sam know so much about car seats, but she really understands how the car seats work within the cars, which is actually such an important piece and something that's not really brought up a lot. It's just like, oh, this car seat, that car seat, they're not all made the same and they're especially not all made the same when you're trying to fit them in a specific car. So here is an advice question. This comes from Jen. My husband and I have a BMW 3 Series sedan as our secondary vehicle. We only use it when we split duties, one kid to one parent. My son is tall, almost 44 years old forward facing. My daughter is 9 months. I'm wondering if I can purchase one rotating car seat to use instead of buying one for each kid. Understanding I'd have to adjust the straps. Looking at the Evenflo Revolve 360, does this make sense or will it be easier to just have two seats?

[Kelly]

Oh, this is a great question.

[Sam]

Yeah, I, I think Jen is totally right. One seat makes lots of sense. Like that's my favorite thing about the rotating seats is that you can make it work for both kids. But she did mention a very tall four year old and my question to her would be where does your 4 year old carry their height? If you're unfamiliar with torso height, that's basically like from your hips to your shoulders, how tall you are. So do you have long legs? Do you have a long torso? Because how quickly that four, four and a half year old outgrows a harness seat, kind of like your experience Kelly with George is going to affect your options. So not knowing exactly how tall your child is and where they carry their height, my first thought is going to be it's a newer rotating seat. It's the cybex collection callisto G360. It has a top harness height of 19 inches. Just over 19 inches. And for reference, the slim Graco seat that we all Love has a 17 inch top harness height. So that's another 2 inches. It'll definitely fit those taller kids longer. So that way you can certainly accommodate your child rear facing and then even a taller four and a half year old, it'll work in harness mode for a while. It also is relatively compact. So being in a sedan, sometimes not knowing how tall the driver is, I get worried about that. But if you're going to be able to put that on the passenger side and it's more compact out of kind of the, the rotating seats that we're talking about. And bonus, it's another good seat that works really well with non removable head restraints.

[Liz]

So that one is just. So I'm following that one's not rotating though. So you would recommend that and she would get two.

[Sam]

Oh no, no, it is, it is rotating. It's a new rotating seat. Yes. So she could get that rotating seat. Yep. For both kids and it would fit a taller child for longer than, you know, six months. They'd still be able to use it for another year or so or longer depending.

[Liz]

Well that's just the hack.

[Sam]

That is the hack.

[Kelly]

That's why I always say like for a grandparents seat too. Like that's why I got mom that rotating car seat. So it's like she can take Hattie, she can take James, she could take Libby and like we just flip, flip.

[Liz]

Flip, just adjust, hack, hack. Okay, here is another question she says was looking for advice on this situation from the car mom and CPST perspective. We just upgraded to a 23 Hyundai Palisade from a 16 Mazda CX5. We're in love with it. However, my 6 year old, 65 lb child is in the high back booster in the captain chairs. We have such a hard time getting her seatbelt to buckle each time. I'm talking full on gymnastics gymnastic sense each time. We've looked into seat belt extenders but the reviews all say that they're unsafe and not recommended. What suggestions do you have? She is in a Graco transitions three in one booster.

[Sam]

That's so tough. We should have included that for our features that we don't like about cars is when you don't have a seat belt that like you can actually hold and bring up to or a buckle. Those, you know, those recess buckles can be tough.

[Kelly]

Totally.

[Sam]

So Jen's right. Seatbelt extenders definitely not safe to use. They can fail in a crash and then it's like you're not buckled at all. So you know, not, not a good option. The, the first thing I'd say, practice, practice, practice. You don't have a lot of choices. If you're already £65, you've outgrown any harnessed options. Because if you could keep your kid harnessed a little bit longer until their arms are a little bit, a little bit taller, that does help. But outgrowing harness seats, Definitely practice. But also you can leave the booster seat buckled. Some kids do find it easier to just shimmy in and out of their seat while it's buckled. So that is an option. Not ideal, but an option. And then sometimes getting a more narrow booster can help. But the transitions is pretty narrow, so I don't think that's the problem there. The buckle access is fine generally speaking, but you could try a different booster seat or a booster seat that doesn't have an armrest like the Peg Perrego seat that you have, that one doesn't have an armrest, so it's a little bit more accessible. So you could try a different booster. You could try a more narrow booster, but the one you have is narrow. Or you can try leaving the booster buckled and shimmying in and out.

[Kelly]

And I think sometimes, Sam, the answer is just like, yeah, that's hard.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

You know, I think sometimes I do these consultations and like. But isn't it going to be hard to get those three kids, three across? I'm like, oh, yeah, no, three kids.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

No, no, yeah, def. No, that's obvious. Like, and sometimes I just think the, the good and the bad is there's just not, you know, kids in car seats can be difficult. And I think sometimes it's, you know, do your diligence and try those things, but also just, you gotta kind of make some peace with it.

[Sam]

It's a season.

[Kelly]

There's not always. There's not always a golden ticket. Yeah. And it's a season.

[Sam]

Yeah. But I mean, Jen, smart, like, don't, don't go for a hack because it's a tough season. Because, yes, the seat belt extender is not safe. And I don't really think that's talked about very much.

[Kelly]

I know. I don't think that's talked about. It doesn't feel like a. I mean, we all know, like, that's not use aftermarket car seat accessories, but then, like, that feels a little different. And yeah, that's a, that's a zero out of 10 from us.

[Liz]

Now, let me ask you ladies a question. I am getting my CVST certification right now, so I don't know this answer at the moment, so forgive me if I sound stupid, but I will know it soon. And it is about weight and height and age, you know, requirements and restrictions. So at what point, like, are you, are you waiting for that first? Like, if they outgrow their car seat by their height, is it time to switch them or is it by their weight or is it. Whichever one comes first or whichever one comes last.

[Sam]

Yeah, you got it. Whichever one comes first.

[Liz]

Okay, so first, that.

[Sam]

No, that's a really good question. And I, I see this most often when parents want to, let's use rear face, for example, until the maximum of their seat. And they're like, oh, well, my child isn't 50 pounds yet, but they're, you know, they're 49 and a half inches. Well, like, your seat's outgrown. It was outgrown at 49. Inches. So whatever milestone you meet first, you don't want to make them all just one.

[Kelly]

But like Liz, in George's example, he has, he's under the height and the weight for his forward facing car seat, but he is, has such a long torso that he outgrew it in the torso height.

[Liz]

Yeah. And so that's kind of I, you know, having like taller kids, I feel like I will need to upgrade them and switch them quicker age wise than someone else would. And that just is like kind of a bummer because like I want to keep them.

[Kelly]

But there's like, there's seats which Sam and I can recommend to you or I guess we can just tell you, like the, The Graco Slim Fit 3 LX that I love, like tall, tall torso height. So George could honestly probably still sit in that one.

[Sam]

So I would say my favorite favorite seat for taller kids or tall torso kids is going to kind of be like a three way tie between the Kiko My Fitness, because not only does it have a really high top harness height, it's like 19, 19 and a half inches. It also has the tallest standing height. So you can be up to 54 inches tall and still use that seat harness. So the downside, it doesn't work in most vehicles with non removable head restraints.

[Kelly]

That's why they can't use it.

[Sam]

That's why Kelly can't use it in her car. So that's a really great option. But you know, you have tall kids, you're like, all right, well, I'll make sure I get a car seat that works in my car. But yeah, Callisto I mentioned earlier has a 19 inch top harness height.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I need to get this one. I haven't heard much about this one you haven't told me.

[Sam]

Okay. It's so nice.

[Liz]

Also back up 19 inches. Where, where are you measuring the 19 inches?

[Sam]

So I think the easiest way to imagine this, sit your child on the floor against the wall. They can sit crisscross applesauce. And you're gonna measure from the floor to the top of their shoulders and whatever number you get, that's their torso height. So if you think about them then sitting in their car seat, they're sitting on the bottom of the car seat and where that harness comes out is going to be as high as it comes out. So if it comes out at 19 inches, then they can have a longer torso. If it comes out, you know, 16 inches, then that would be pretty short and kids don't. And of course kids are growing in their legs too. So if they're growing 2 inches in a year, that's not all going to be torso height. It's going to be their legs as well. So.

[Kelly]

So as you guys can just like hear and understand, like, this is incredibly confusing. I mean, here, I mean, I mean, Elizabeth is around this every single day.

[Liz]

I am a full time job.

[Kelly]

I'm, I've been a CPSD for four years and I'm still calling Sam Day. Like, it's just, it's a lot. So we thought, how can we better serve the car mom community? And how can we get some more of your personalized questions answered? Which is why we're very excited to announce our new special project with Sam, which is why she's on this podcast episode. And it is a new service that we have named Chat with the CPST until we come up with a better name. But I think Chat's cute.

[Sam]

Chat's cute.

[Kelly]

And it is a, it's a, it's a service where you will go on the website, you will let us know, you know what, carmomofficial.com.

[Liz]

Not just the CPSC.com.

[Kelly]

Yeah, just the carmom.com. you can, anyway, you can, you can ask Sam any number of questions. It's going to be Sam who's the one responding to you. So you can ask her, you know, I need three car seats for my, for doing three across my atlas. You'll tell her the age, height and weight of your kids. She'll give you suggestions that fit the atlas, that will work, that will grow with your kids. I mean, you can just see like how extensive her knowledge is. You could ask her questions about, well, why don't you answer?

[Sam]

Yeah, I get, I get a lot of questions. Kind of more. So when people have more kids, they're like, how am I going to fit all these kids in this specific car? And how am I going to access a child that needs help buckling? Access the third row. And not every vehicle has car seat tilt. So what are you supposed to do when you need to fold and flip a seat to get into the third row? So I have a lot of solutions for those types of things that are vehicle specific. But I'm also here to help with the more confusing questions. Like, wait, is my seat outgrown? Like you said, my child's not 49 inches. They're not 65 pounds, but the harness is behind their shoulders. Like, is this right? So, yeah, any, any questions you have.

[Kelly]

Or just simple like, hey, you know, I'm expecting my first child. Like here's the car. What, what infancy should I get? So this is going to be just like, yeah, your guys's hotline to have Sam at your service. So you can, like I said, go on the website, go to chat with c, chat with a cpst and then it's all done via email. So you fill out the questionnaire. It's. I think we're doing 49. And you'll get a response within 48 hours. And you'll have your. And I mean you'll have your information right there and it will save you a ton of money in terms of like not buying the wrong seat. She might even be able to like, have you not have to buy a new freaking car. Because how many times A lot of times, like, you don't need a new car, babe. We can, we can do three across. Like, we can buy you another year. That is like, that is where we feel like, are the car moms. Like, that's where I want the car's expertise to be. It's not just about upgrading to a new car and it's not just about all the latest and greatest in bells and whistles of car seats. It is, it is Sam and I's priority to make like to get you the answers in the most efficient, cheapest, safest way possible.

[Sam]

And the answers that work for your family. You know, when I had my first child, I was really set on, you know, rear facing forever. And then by the time I had my third child, I'm like, okay, well, I would love to be able to rear face longer. I know it's safer, but it's just not practical for me right now. Like, I need to turn my child forward facing so that I can have better access to buckle these kids like three across. Rear facing in the atlas was a challenge. And after a couple months that I'm like, no, we need to make some changes. So I can also appreciate needing to come up with a safe solution that doesn't necessarily have to mean best practice. Like, better practice is safe. Good practice is safe.

[Kelly]

We understand there's a lot of gray area in this. And like, yes, Sam and I are both like, you know, we're about to have. Sam's about to have four kids in car seats. I have four kids in car seats. We understand and we want to make it as easy as possible. So I'm very excited about this new program. I can't wait to have like Sam more involved in the car mom and yeah, very excited about it. So you can probably. It's live, so go on over and start booking.

[Liz]

Are we having a cap on it? Are we capping off? How many can come through?

[Kelly]

No, not right now.

[Liz]

No, we're not. We're just gonna see what if it's.

[Kelly]

Not on the website? It's been capped, but I. I think it'll be okay.

[Liz]

Yeah, we gotta do my best to start firing off.

[Kelly]

Yeah. Okay. So, Sam, before we let you go, what are you eating to get us out of your dinner rut?

[Sam]

I'm gonna say, you know, I brought a ditch the drive through. But before I share my recipe, I need you to promise that you're not going to crap on my recipe for a year and then try it and like it.

[Kelly]

This is about the crispy chicken thighs, Elizabeth.

[Liz]

The crispy chicken thighs are so good, Sam. And if you don't know Sam.

[Kelly]

Okay, Sam wrote one in and we read it and we were like, okay, Chicken thighs is not a dish. The drive through, Sam, like, that's just like a piece of meat. Like, but she had this seasoning rub. She. When she came to the auto show, she brought Elizabeth and I, she brought.

[Liz]

Us the recipe printed out. And also, it's like, it requires a bunch of different seasonings. She pre combined them all. And then you have your own label. I didn't know it was a custom label. It literally. This is like a Sam's chicken.

[Kelly]

It's so cute.

[Liz]

And it's so here.

[Sam]

I'm embarrassing myself again. So I brought these girls pre made spice that I made for them and like printed out a cute label on Canva. Canva. And meanwhile they're thinking, like, I bought this at the store. So I show up to St. Louis with this supposedly store bought seasoning. I'm like, here you go. You can make some chicken.

[Liz]

So I'm like, great, great, great. Thanks. And then, like, look at it. I'm like, oh, my gosh, she made a label. No. It's such a service, Sam, because I would never want to combine all of those. All those seasonings together. I make your chicken thighs monthly.

[Kelly]

It's a good. No, I. I put that mix on everything. I put it on my potatoes the other day. It's just. It's a good seasoning mix. So it was very cute. So we will. We can service that recipe. And then, yeah, Sam, I am committing. My hand is. I am committing. But even before I hear it, because the faith I have in you to, like, tell me what car seats like to put and where and what to put on my chicken, like, you've earned my influence. I'll do whatever you tell me.

[Sam]

So here we go. This ditch the drive thru probably would have been better before egg prices sort of skyrocketed.

[Kelly]

I have chickens, I'm going, but you have chickens.

[Sam]

So I figured you would appreciate it. Either way you've got all the eggs you need. So this is a breakfast ditch the drive thru because I don't know about you, but mornings are, mornings are hard for me to get a good breakfast in. And being pregnant, that's just a meal you can't skip. So I super simple, an egg breakfast frittata. What I do is I take a pan because you're gonna start on the stove and then put it in the oven. So cast iron works, stainless steel works, six eggs minimum. If you want to make it for the whole week, then just think about how many eggs you normally have for breakfast. You can do six, you can do 12, whatever you want. What I like to do right now since I don't have backyard chickens, wish I did. I'll mix it with like the egg white carton because those aren't as expensive for whatever reason and are in stock. So I'll do like half eggs and then some egg whites mixed in there. But anyway, so you take a oven safe pan because you're going to start on the stove, put in your eggs, you're going to chop up some steamed broccoli. So a freezer bag, throw it in the microwave, you're going to throw that in and then one of those containers of feta cheese. I love feta. You can use a different cheese if you'd like and just throw that in. You're going to start to cook it on the stove so it sets. Because if you don't, then all your broccoli and feta is going to sink to the bottom of your egg mixture. So cook it on the stove for like a minute or two and then pop it in the oven for another like 8 to 10 minutes and then you have a breakfast frittata. Super simple, tastes great. But what I do when it comes out of the oven, I chop it up into my slices. I'll put like three days worth in the fridge and then freeze the rest. And once I eat my slices for the first three days, I'll take the ones out of the freezer and put those in the fridge so they're still fresh. And it takes 30 seconds to heat up in the morning, you feel full, delicious. And if you want, you can get crazy. You can put onion in there, you can put mushrooms in there. You don't have to do feta and broccoli. Do whatever you want. But I can get this made in 15 minutes and have breakfast for the whole week.

[Kelly]

You're so Meghan Markle. Have you seen Meghan Markle's new show?

[Sam]

You know, I haven't, I haven't watched it. I've seen some clips, but I'm glad that that's what it's giving.

[Kelly]

It's a bit. No, it's a bit of a dumpster fire, if I'm being honest. But she makes the frittata for Mindy Kaling. Oh, does she?

[Sam]

Yeah, I've seen the Mindy Kaling clip. I didn't know what they were making.

[Kelly]

Yeah, she makes. And I have never. I've actually guess I never made a frittata because I have never heard the setting it on the stove. But she did the same thing and I was like, I need to try this because that is my problem. Where I think things haven't turned out good in the past is to set it on the stove.

[Sam]

Yeah, set it on the stove first.

[Liz]

I also haven't seen this Meghan Markle thing yet, but I saw someone say that like at the beginning of one of the episodes we see like a glimpse of her car and they were like, you need to figure out what car she drives.

[Kelly]

Oh, what do you mean?

[Liz]

Like, remember how with the, with the Mormon wives we like try to figure out what car they all drive? Apparently there's like a glimpse of part of her car in one of the episodes and like, what does she drive?

[Kelly]

You know, everyone wants me to be so good at like guess the trunk and like you show me like an obscure part of the car. I'm like supposed to get it so hard. I'm sure she does have like a.

[Sam]

Close up of an all black interior. You're like, yeah, I know there's some.

[Liz]

Cars that you can kind of like see like the headrest or the second row. Like you can kind of try and do some investigative journalism. But I mean, it has to be one that we're like in regularly.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I'll have to recognize if I can look it up. I would guess you'd probably be like, honestly, I think she's probably like a Range Rover girl.

[Liz]

Yeah, that would. Yeah, I would agree.

[Kelly]

A Range Rover girl, I think. Or maybe like an Audi.

[Sam]

Well, to be clear, it's not an Atlas frittata. No, it's certainly not in that list. The breakfast frittata has been my go to breakfast recipe for the last like 4.4ish. Years. So it sounds inspired by me. Oh, no, I'm glad. I'm glad that she should be awesome.

[Kelly]

Never compare you. I would never compare you because. Okay, I would never compare you. Don't you want to know what car seat she has too, though?

[Sam]

Oh, no. That's what I really want to know about. I love when, like, celebrities or influencers post their car seats, and sometimes I'm like, oh, that's a mixed match. Like, wouldn't have expected that one, right?

[Liz]

Did you guys see the paparazzi photo of the Biebers? They have a duna. Oh, I did, yeah.

[Sam]

Every celebrity has a duna. So unoriginal.

[Liz]

So unoriginal. So not for me. Okay, guys, Well, I think that's gonna be our episode. So, Sam, thank you so much for joining us. It was so good to have you on. If you want your car seat questions answered, go to thecarmom.com and check out chat with a CPST and Sam will get back to you as soon as she can. And thanks for listening within 48 hours. So thanks so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.

[Kelly]

See ya.

[Liz]

Thank you for listening to the carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz. Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode. And if you enjoyed riding with us, tell us everybody you know. There's room in the car for everyone.