Today’s Hint: An Easier Way to Get Help With Installing Car Seats

I never imagined that getting help with installing a baby car seat would be as hard as it turned out to be. I naively had thought we’d just go to the local police station with our car seat and someone would be there ready to guide us as we buckled it in. Maybe it’s like that in some cities, but here in San Francisco, finding car seat installation help took a lot of work.

I called at least four local police stations and the California Highway Patrol; left lots of messages, learned about a lot of wait lists for appointments; and then finally, found a fire station outside San Francisco with someone willing and able to help us. If only I had known what I’ve learned since: There are companies that you can call to arrange for someone to come to your home and help make sure you get that car seat installed just right. That’s why today’s hint, to help save soon-to-be parents some headaches, focuses on just such services.

In the Bay Area, Buckled Baby will send a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration certified technician to you for an hour or so inspection. In the Chicago area, Seatcheck offers similar services, while Car Seat Savvy serves the Los Angeles area and Strapped In Car Seat Safety serves New York and surrounding areas.

Looking for a similar service in a different city? I found those above just through quick online searches so you should be able to find similar safety technicians who can help you in your city, and the folks over at CarseatBlog.com may be able to help you too.

To be sure, these services are a lot more expensive than the free inspection you may get at the local police station. Buckled Baby charges $95 for a single car seat inspection, while Strapped In Car Seat Safety Charges $50 for a house call check. However, time is money and these services can save you a lot of that. Customers, like blogger Girl’s Gone Child, also seem very pleased.

What are your hints for getting car seats properly installed faster and with fewer headaches?