We took a drive on Saturday in which Hazel was not a happy camper. Usually Oliver can settle her with her pacifier or by talking to her (“We’re almost there, Haze!”), but on this particular drive, she would not be comforted.
Oliver suggested that he sing to her and we thought, “Eh, what have we got to lose? Sure!”. So, he started in on one of the songs he’s been singing at school in preparation for their Christmas program this week. Sure enough, our fussy little lady quieted and turned from mad and sad to glad! Sure, it pleased us, but it absolutely delighted Oliver! He loves being able to do things to help her, it makes him feel so big. So he just kept singing. And singing. And since “Go Tell It on the Mountain” is kind of a circular song, it worked out for him.
>hehe so cute! as soon as my little heard him singing she came running over to see what was going on!
>how sweet Oliver is to his beautiful little sister! :) made me smile so big!
>Stinking adorable! How sweet that he was able to get her to calm down.
>he has the sweetest voice!!
>I read this and was shocked to see that song soothes her as well. My son, 13, Sings this song to our Ava 8 months and it does the same thing! Too funny to read this!
~Brandy Grisham~
>I love the headbob! Adorable.
>get outta here with that cuteness!!! :) AHdorable…and i kinda wanna gobble him up!
>Love it!
>I love reading your blog, and this video of Oliver was really adorable. My girls (3 and 2) love to sing to one another.
With two little ones in carseats, one of the first things I notice when people post videos when they are driving is how they manage fitting in multiple carseats.
I have to say though that the first thing I thought when I saw the video was, "Where is Oliver's seatbelt?" I know he is wearing one, but not how he should be. I know you are his mommy, and I am not writing to be critical, but rather because I care. I guess what I am trying to say is, I would kindly urge you to reconsider how you allow him to wear his seatbelt.
>Cute video!
As a child passenger safety technician, I'm concerned about Oliver's safety in the car. If you don't mind, there are a couple of suggestions I would make for how to keep him safer:
1) 4 years and 40 pounds is really the minimum you should look at for moving a child from a harnessed car seat into a belt-positioning booster seat (and I think he's probably right at that mark, so it's not necessarily bad that he's in the seat) – however – most children are really not ready to be in boosters until closer to age 5-6 (and sometimes even older), because for the booster seat to protect them properly, they need to be able to sit with their bottom at the back of the seat, with the lap portion of the belt across their hips/upper thighs (not their stomach), and with the shoulder portion of the belt across their shoulder (not into their neck or under their arm). AND they need to be able to sit like this for the entire duration of every trip (this is the part that makes it hard for kids younger than 5-6). There are many car seats out now that harness until 65-80 lbs. Have you considered moving Oliver back to one of those seats? I really think he would benefit from the structure of a harnessed seat for a few more years.
2) Although he's not in a harnessed seat, the same principle of not wearing puffy winter coats with car seats applies with booster seats and seat belts (for adults too! was really a bummer when I learned about that!) When a child/adult wears a puffy coat under their car seat harness/seat belt, the harness/belt will not be able to tighten enough to protect the passenger in the event of a quick stop or collision, because the coat material will compress and leave the harness/seat belt too loose. A better, safer solution for the car would be to look into layering with thin but warm material clothing and then using a fleece jacket with hats, gloves, etc…and then using blankets in the car once buckled in.
I hope this is helpful. I really don't mean to be rude, I know you don't want to be berated for every cute little video you post about your kids. I also know from reading your blog that you love your children, so I just wanted to offer some advice on how to keep them safer. If you have questions, the techs in the forums at car-seat.org are extremely helpful and there is also a FAQ section and a blog on that website with a lot of good information. Take care!
>I noticed the same thing about your son's seat belt (or lack thereof). Please, please properly restrain your babies!
>Oliver sang this to me on the phone the other day. It made me happy to hear his little voice. Cute kid.
>Cute video! My son (who is almost 5) sings to his little sister to calm her down too. Little boys can be so sweet with their baby sisters :)
The booster seat alarmed me as well though. First thing I noticed. Please google the name Kyle David Miller. Also search you tube with his name. His parents made a video with his story and there is also a foundation in his name. kyledavidmiller.org I believe is the website.
Someone shared his story with me when my son was an infant and I'm so glad they did. It's tough to watch and I bawl my eyes out everytime I see the video but Kyle's story is saving lives. Because of Kyle my nearly 5 year old is still in a 5 pt harness and will remain so until he reaches 80 lbs (the seat max). He's only 35 lbs so the seat should last him for many more years. Best investment we have ever made.
Hugs to you and your family. Your babies are precious.
Karin
>Oh my goodness! He is adorable! I think that is the first video I have seen of him! He sure loves his sister. My 2 year old ran over to see what I was watching as well.
Glad you got some good info on car seat safety. I have the hardest time not putting a coat on my little one because of the puffy coat safety, this reminded me I need to get him some fleece to wear in the car. Thanks!
>Cute video! My son asked me who it was, so I told him it was Oliver, and his mommy and daddy came to our church before he (and Oliver) was born. He said "Oliver is my friend. He's not mean." I love little ones!
I read through the comments and saw the safety feedback on the seatbelt. I think that one thing parents don't know and aren't told most of the time is about the coats. No manuals come with parenting, and they are changing the safety guidelines and adding more all the time!
>I don't want to scare people into things, but I do encourage people to watch this video before making the switch out of a five point harness. http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/
>We use a great 5 point harness seat that our daughter is really comfy in. Graco Nautilus. Just thought I'd pass it along! It is reinforced with steel for extra strength. She's 7 but only weighs 40 odd pounds. We also rear-faced her until she was 2. You have beautiful children. Happy Holidays! Bakingmomma (Kimberly)
>First, your babies are just adorable and I love reading your blog and I think your a wonderful momma!
I also wanted to thank you for your "friends post" because I had not read any of the comments in your post of Oliver singing and without your "friends" post I would not have gone back to read the comments and have learned such great things about the car seats.My children are all over 80 lbs now but I've been able to share with others about these seatbelt issues.
Also, Thank you to Karin for sharing about Kyle David Miller. I have posted the video from his site on Facebook for many to see. I pray that others will share it too and that it will make it's way all around Facebook and save more lives.
Amy
>I, too, just learned about the reasons not to use a coat with safety belts! I knew it was discouraged, but thought if we got it "tight enough" it wouldn't matter. But after finding out about the compression issue, I made a car seat poncho (or car seat/strolled blanket) for Dexter. I love it so far! They don't have to be taken off, you just lift them and buckle up, then tuck it back down. Now I'm making some for friends!