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We Pimped His Ride.

Once upon a time, there was a Little Boy who had a delightfully fun and stylish car seat. He loved it and often begged to go for a ride, just so he could sit on his throne. His amateur parents lovingly referred to the seat as his "tranquilizer", since every time they strapped him in, he was out like a light.

They chose the Citrus Green seat for it was fun, cheerful and totally boy. They were proud of his car seat, beaming with pride when strangers approached and inquired about the unique seat. So sleek. So nice.



Everything was rainbows and cupcakes when they sat their little Lovie in his carseat. The earth stood still, the sun shined brighter and the Little Boy slept...and slept....and slept.

Until...

One day Mommy and Daddy went about their usual routine and loaded up the Little Boy in the car. They backed out of the garage and turned into the street, and the earth began to shake.

And so did their brains.

The Little Boy yelled. And screamed. And hollered. And fought. And wailed. And...and...and...

He wouldn't stop.

"Well, that must have been a fluke", his parents thought after they got him calmed down.

.......

Until two days later when Mommy went 45 minutes away with just the little Bebe in tow.

And he screamed. And cried. And flailed. And yelped.

As soon as she arrived to her destination, she climbed into the back seat to rescue her Little Fella and instantly, he flashed his million dollar smile at her, as if to say, "I just wanted to see you, Mommy."

She melted.

And then she bought some earplugs.

So, after several trips like these, Mommy and Daddy decided it was time to provide some entertainment for the Little Boy. First, they rigged some hang down toys on the handle of his car seat.



He hated them. He refused to delight in his new toys and continued to scream.

So, they bought something more fun. Something that played music. Something that would surely calm the child down.



Awesome. A frog whose cheeks blink to the rhythm of the baby diddies. Now that's not annoying...

As if the little boy's car seat couldn't get any more flamboyant, he decided to have two too many blow outs, and Mommy decided she couldn't (er...didn't want to) wash his car seat every other day.

So, she found this little number:



If indeed, the Little Boy decided to go #2 so heavy that it was going to leak out, then by golly, we were going to have a device to catch it. Brilliant.

Mommy didn't realize how different the Little Boy's car seat looked as they were making the changes, since they slowly added each new feature. Yesterday, as she hoisted her Love Button out of his seat, she looked down and bursted into laughter.

Their once sleek and stylish car seat is now, well....ghetto fabulous.



The End.

(Thank you to those of you who offered advice in getting a mirror. We've had one up since Day 1,( just for my benefit) and he likes to look at himself, but it doesn't occupy him like the toys do. :))
I am a modern day homemaker with a passion for family, cooking, celebrating, decorating, travel, and memory making! The Lord has blessed me with the desires of my heart in my husband and our two sons. We recently built our dream home and cultivating a loving and happy haven for my family is where I find so much joy.

Comments

  1. I read your blog, but don't often post. As a NICU nurse, though, I saw this and cringed.

    Do not put ANYTHING on the careseat unless it came WITH the carseat. That blanket under him to catch the poop can limit (and I'm being serious here) the shock absorbency if you were to be in an accident. Nor should you ever put those big snowsuits on a baby in the winter (put warm blankets OVER the carseat).

    And the toys are okay when he is in the house, but the handle needs to be DOWN at all times when in the car. If the handle is up and you're in an accident, the handle could snap and puncture your little one. The handle is NOT meant to withstand any force in an accident and should NOT be over the baby during "drive time."

    This is stuff that I deal with ALL The time, and I didn't know them until I had my NICU nurse job (and thus I did this dangerous stuff to MY kids!). I know the screaming is annoying, but it's better than being injured in an accident.

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  2. Wow to the comment above...wow...

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  3. Try a mirror that straps onto the seat in front of him.....our little one loved looking at herself and it's easier for you to see him too!

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  4. WOW!!! WOW....I am in shock! I mean there is a polite way of giving advice without making a mother feel as though she is on the bottom of Mother Of The Year Award! Good grief. Has she ever been driving with a child SCREAMING in the back seat and NOTHING worked?

    Glamorous Life of a Housewife, you ARE an amazing mom!!!! I have no idea who you are but I have followed your blog for a while now and I love it!!! You inspire me to be a better mom and mine are 19, 17, and 5!!! Keep up the good work! A mirror worked wonders for my kiddos too!!!!!

    Do NOT take that comment to heart. She probably means well, but should have worded it better! Keep up the amazing stories and pics of that sweetie pie!!!

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  5. Love his car seat! We had to add a few toys to ours as well, once they got a bit bigger. They loved those chime things.

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  7. i have been reading your blog for a while now, and i love your posts. i know i don't know you, but as a mom, i can imagine how you might feel when someone offers advice (which i'm sure was well-intended) that comes across a bit harsh and critical. as a parent, you do the best for your child that you can. i think you are a wonderful, loving mother. that's the most important thing.
    we also used the mirror for our son, and he loved it! :)

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  8. Hey girl! It is so fun to read about what you are up to! I read most of the posts that fit on this page and just loved it all! We were all about baby car and car seat contraptions that soothed Mason-- he actually hated his infant seat for a good 7 months until he grew out of it (and I just praised Jesus for him growing out of that torture seat!).

    Okay, I'm going to read more now :)

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  9. 2 things

    The first comment..... I think she was just being passionate about what she has learned, and probably seen being a NICU nurse. The mommy of the little girl I babysit said her nurse friend has told her the same thing. You know when you're in high school and they show you all the horrible pictures of what happens if you drive drunk....all for the shock value of course. I'm sure if she hasn't actually experienced it first hand as a nurse, then she's learned (seen) it in her training.

    Second - A little tip my sister taught me. If they have a blow-out, it's time to go up a size with the diaper. ;-)

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  10. I don't see anything bad about the first post either. It is just a reminder written straight to the point but I think all of us who can read this can learn from it.

    As a new mom, I've done some things that I THOUGHT is nice because it works out with my LO but there are some real things like this one, that we sometimes should be reminded of.

    I know the feeling and all I want too is for my little one to be happy too.

    I think you are fabulous and you are also blessed to have readers who can remind you directly when needed to be.

    God bless and enjoy motherhood! I love the carseat as well and Levi is adorable=)

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  11. I don't see anything wrong with the first post either. When it comes to our kids - sometimes we're trying to do the best we can, and we don't know any better. How else will we learn? I admit my first thought when I saw the cute toys was also that they were not safe to have on the carseat.

    A crying, safe baby is better than a not bored, unsafe one. No one is saying that Whitney did anything out of malice, or is a bad mom. We all make mistakes - a first child is a learn on the job experience! :)

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  12. I agree...nothing wrong with the first post.

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  13. Oh how I remember those days. My 1 year old still throws a screaming tantrum in her seat every now and again.

    We hung a few toys from the handle bar above the window wear she was strapped in. I've heard that's a no-no too, but not until after she'd grown tired of them and it was too late.

    As far as the first post goes...people who offer advice like that have good intentions. You have to remember that. It's not a personal attack on you, it's someone who is earnestly concerned for you and the well being of your baby as I think most of your readers are. Although that kind of unsolicited advice can trouble us (especially when you're just trying to write a cute post and then it turns gravely serious without your permission), it's well intentioned.

    I think it's up to you whether or not to follow it (obviously) but at least you have some more good information when you make your final decision.

    But I agree with everyone...you're an awesome Mom! I personally am so encouraged by yours and husby's commitment to raising Levi in the fear and admonition of the Lord! He's a very blessed little boy!

    Now, buck up and come to my blog to enter for some free cupcakes!

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  14. That's too funny! I love your stories! And I think that you are a great mom too! :)

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  15. I know you have good intentions and I agree with the 1st poster; the bar should be down.

    I was in an accident with my mother and her sunroof shield (which locked) flew back when we were hit.

    I'd hate for Levi to get hit by the bar (or pieces of it) if anything happened.

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  16. hahaha this is great!! "ghetto fab" for sure!! I hope your ears okay!!

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  17. With all the comments on the first post, I'm curious what your opinion is? How do you feel about it?

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  18. ps - I think she probably could have emailed you and been a little less harsh...i mean it IS your first time, heeellloooo. hopefully she understands that..or perhaps she will read everyone else's comments and remember :)

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  19. Ok Sorry Whitney but i have to add my two cents to this.

    The pad under little Levi's bum is ok according to this web sit

    http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/a/carseatcoat.htm

    it states that nothing added behind the baby's back. I tacked a cloth diaper into the car seat to help catch baby spit up it was easy to take out and wash.
    And the website also has some great insight on winter coats which are not all bad and you can put a coat on your baby as long as it is thin not bulky.
    The rule of thumb that I have found to be true is if it is thin no added padding it is ok. The Swaddle Me if it is the thin cotton one is ok to because the straps are touching the baby just like it would with out it you wrap them up after the car seat straps are in place.
    Please look at the safety website very informational. We put the handle back when driving but i have a toy on the side that Cy likes to hold on to and play with.

    Sorry about the rant but I needed to. I think it is very hard to know what to do and not to do. I did not know any of the car seat stuff until Cy was in the NICU. Our Nurse (Head of the NICU) told me if its thin not adding any padding it is ok. But if in doubt don't add it.
    Go with your mommy gut. Its always the best way.
    love you girl

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  20. love your story telling ways! ;)

    lady #1 might have choosen to email you....jeepers.

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  22. The lady in the first comment was just being passionate about this. She knows firsthand because she sees very sick babies day in and day out. I was a NICU baby myself.

    When you've been on the receiving end of the NICU, you will look at things from a different perspective. She just wanted you to know the facts so that little Levi didn't get hurt.

    I had a friend who had a 3 year old daughter in the car with her. The little girl didn't like the carset belt rubbing her, so she slipped it off. The family let her do it repeatedly, so they thought nothing of it that day either.

    They got in an accident that day. The little girl was hanging upside down in her carseat. It snapped her neck, and she is now paralyzed from the waist down(She's 4 now). The doctor said he was so mad because he knew it could have been prevented had the parents made her put the belt back around her. You never dream that things like that would happen to your child, but they do. I'm sure the woman meant well. :)

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  23. (Dear Well Intended Commenters: This post was for humor purposes only. One of my friends is a licensed safety inspector and I am fully aware of what could be harmful to my babe. The "poop catcher" (as I call it) has absolutely ZERO padding to it and is as thin as a cloth diaper. It is absolutely safe. I take no offense to your advice, but please know that I would never do anything to harm my child. Thanks for your concern, but come on guys, this was JUST supposed to be funny! Let's laugh today!)

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  24. This is such a cute post! You are very talented my friend!
    His seat is so colorful now!

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  25. Geez, Whit, you really know how to get people fired up!

    :)

    Love the ghetto fab ride!

    Love, Cowgirl

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  26. I can totally relate! My little guy used to love the carseat too! Then all of a sudden one day he just flipped a switch and protested every car trip! Now at five months he has learned that if he can hear my voice -badly singing to the radio- then I am still there with him and I can hear him happily cooing in the back. :)

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  27. I'm so glad you posted this for two reasons:

    1. Beanie has suddenly decided he hates his carseat, too! I don't understand! He used to talk and laugh back there, but now he just screams the entire time we're driving somewhere. We do have hand toys, but apparently those are boring to him. Maybe I'll have to find one of those blinky toys for him...

    2. I was going to email you and ask you to do a post on what kinds of toys Levi is playing with these days. I have some of Beanie's favorites, but I wonder if he's missing out on something great! What do you guys play with?

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  28. We have a little lion that dangles from her car seat, and that's it. This lion has produced HOURS of entertainment.

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  29. you are so cute! and your posts always crack me up=) and Levi is adorable!! oh the explosive diapers, haha=)

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  30. When my husband was two months old, his parents drove him from Oklahoma to Michigan, the baby lodged between the two front seats....in a Rubbermaid trash can stuffed with pillows. I'm not sure why this was, as the carseat was invented long before then (I googled), but hopefully it gave you (and others) a laugh and served to lighten things up a little ;)

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  31. I am so sorry that my post was taken to be harsh. I reread and certainly understand that it could easily be read that way. That was NEVER my intent, and I am sorry that I didn't do a good enough job explaining it in a nicer manner.

    I think a lot of why it was read that way is that I am very much "Miss Blunt." It was honestly meant with the best of intentions. There are so many things as moms that we can't prevent or change, so I am passionate about doing what I can to help control things whenever possible. I'm also a control freak and Type A (thus the reason I'm an intensive care nurse!)

    Thus, I offer my apology that my words were not given with a softer tone.

    I will not, however, take the message back. I am passionate about car seat safety because it is something that we can control. And, in case anyone wondered, I do have two kids. I wasn't a NICU nurse back then and did things differently because I didn't know differently. I am a firm believer in the parenting philosophy of "as we know better, we do better."

    I won't criticize anyone for feeding choices (breast or bottle), whether or not they cry it out or not, or anything like that. Different babies have different needs. That is one of the reasons I like reading this blog--it is very much parent as your baby needs parenting and not "one size fits all!" I will, however, if I see something that has the potential to be dangerous, try my best to point it out (and I'll be more gentle in my written word, I promise!). I don't want anyone to ever be in a car accident and have their child injured and think, "If only I'd known!"

    Oh, and the reason I'm just responding to this now is because I was on vacation with my family and away fromthe computer. It was never my intention to "post and hide!"

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May the Lord bless you and keep you safe today! Thanks for the comment, friends! :)