HOTlanta, it was!

I took a really quick trip to Atlanta this week to shoot an installation video and product feature video for a new car seat Graco has coming out later this year.  I don't know what it is about the product development cycle of Graco's car seats, but I feel like we are always filming in the heat.  I think the high was 98 yesterday, and just imagine how it's magnified even more with all of the lighting and being in and out of a mini-van for a majority of the day.  I know I'm from Texas and should be used to it (considering we've already had several days over 100), but that's why our electric bills are through the roof for at least 6 months out of the year...WE LOVE OUR AIR CONDITIONERS!

Anyway, I wore khakis instead of skinny jeans this time, in hopes that they would feel a little cooler.  And they did, I just felt a little frumpier that usual.  The heat was quite brutal though, but Todd at Fraser Films was really great about letting me hang out in the house whenever we weren't shooting.  He kept saying, "we've got to keep you fresh".  Well, I was far from feeling fresh, but hopefully I looked fresh....enough, anyway.

It was a long day, reporting to set at 8 am, wrapping at 6:30 pm and catching a flight back to the ATX and returning home at midnight.  I've done enough of these that the process has become kind of like habit, but the poor makeup stylist, Stacey, had a little more work than normal touching me up every 10 minutes, it felt like since I was basically melting.

Lunch is always a great break, though, when Chef Jaye is cooking.  We had a tortellini pasta salad with feta, flank steak, salmon, chilled cucumber soup, and hearty chocolate chip cookies.  Yummy, to put it lightly and  great perk of working with this team.

Here's a quick look at the setup:

 

 it just looks hot, doesn't it?

 this is the monitor the Graco team and the producer watch to ensure all looks good...hopefully this shot doesn't make the cut.

 prepping for the product feature video

closeup!!

demoing with a crash dummy how to properly use the harness

So what it comes down to, is the work still has to get done, whatever the conditions. Oh and how could I forget to mention the bee hive located inside the brick column of the carport, just a couple feet from the van.  Thankfully they were nice and didn't sting anyone!

The New Recommendation

Wow!  I knew it was coming, but didn't realize it would be a less than a week after I posted rear vs. forward facing.  I turned on my TV this morning and before I could turn it to my go-to, The Today Show, CBS's The Early Show was introducing the new recommendation from AAP and NHTSA.  Then I turn to NBC, and there I watch the same discussion.  This is big news, folks, and it's not just for the car seat crazies like me anymore, it's what everyone should be following!

I guess Reese won't be watching that DVD player in the car anytime soon...at least not forward-facing.

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Rear vs. Forward Facing

In my time working for Graco, I did quite a bit of volunteer work with various car seat safety organizations as a certified car seat technician.  Yes, I had to complete a 40 hour course to get this certification, and I've had to renew it twice.  This last time I renewed, I no longer worked for the company, but it was just something I wanted to keep up with.  I have become quite passionate about car seat safety, especially since a majority of the time, parents are using them wrong. 

Of course, in the end, we do have laws, which don't even begin to cover the ins and outs of car seat safety, but it's the parents that make the decision of how long their kids ride in car seats and whether they are rear or forward facing.  With Reese celebrating her 1st birthday almost 2 months ago, it got me thinking that maybe it would be helpful for parents if I provided just a little bit of education on why it is so important to keep them rear facing longer than the 1 year AND 20 lb mark.

The American Academy of Pediatrics set the guideline of 1 year AND 20 lbs before you could move your baby to a forward facing seat in the car.  However, I hear they are looking to change that recommendation to 2 years old.  I know that seems absurd to a lot of you, but think about it...when our kids are riding rear facing in the car, the seat is actually doing the work on impact.  They are facing the rear, which keeps them cocooned and pretty much free of whiplash, whereas forward facing our bodies feel it all.  And considering their little bodies and spine are so small and delicate, they can only benefit from staying in their rear facing seat longer. 

I know a lot of it comes down to convenience, and I get that, but at the end of the day, it should be about safety, not convenience.  Heck, in Sweden, they keep their little ones rear facing until 3 or 4 years old.

Reese has definitely reached the 1 year AND 20 lb mark, but she's still rear facing, and will be for quite a while yet.  She doesn't know the difference, and I know we don't ever "plan" on being in a crash, but I know I'm doing what I can to keep her protected in the event that we are in a crash.

So, I will get off my soapbox now, but being educated about these things is a good thing....it can only help us make better decisions, right?