Dear Kyle David Miller Foundation, The Miller family and Laura Bower,
I'm writing this testimony for a number of reasons. One is to thank the Miller family for spreading the word about car seat safety and another is to share my experience with the Kyle David Miller Foundation.
I must admit that I came across the YouTube.com video by mistake. It wasn't something I went out searching for, it was completely by accident.
I had a friend over, when her cell phone rang. It was a friend of hers, from work, stating that she no longer needed to put her 65 pound, 6 year old daughter in a booster anymore; she said she could ride with just a seat belt now. The police told her so. This sounded a bit worrisome to me, so I decided to check out our states car seat laws on the internet. After looking at a couple web sites I realized that, low and behold, her friend on the phone and the police were right. This seemed so young to me (as I have a 44 pound, 5 year old daughter). I saw a link on the web sites I was on for a video about the importance of a 5 point harness. I thought maybe it would be a 5 minute video on how to install a car seat or something. I pushed play and the music started...all I saw was "I'd like you to meet my son Kyle" and I was already starting to cry.
My heart was aching for this little boy and this family. It was almost too much for me to handle...I couldn't watch it. I have 2 daughters of my own, one is 5 and one is 2; I couldn't even imagine losing either one of them. But then I thought, even though I don't know this family or this precious little boy, I owed it to them to watch to the end.
My friend and I sat in silence. My 2 daughters gathered around the computer to watch. My chest felt heavy with grief, with sadness. I put myself in this mother's shoes for a moment...I felt like I was going to be sick. My stomach actually hurt.
My oldest daughter is in a no-back booster. This could have been us. This could have been any of us. My youngest was in a 5 point harness BUT forward facing. She's 22 pounds; I thought she was just fine - the car seat said I could flip her at 22 pounds, so I did.
The second after seeing the video I started searching for a 5 point harness for my 5 year old. I knew I needed to do something more to protect my child. I have never felt comfortable with her in just a booster, even though according to the booster guidelines, she's the proper weight for her seat.
I kept searching, unsure of which car seat to buy and knowing that even if I found a 5 point harness that would fit her, we could never afford a $200 car seat. I contacted The Kyle David Miller Foundation via email, to see what they suggested for my daughter given her height and weight and I also applied for help. I really wasn't expecting a call or even an email back. I figured they were swamped with so many families that need help, that no way would anyone get back to me.
Within a few hours the phone rang. It was Laura Bower from the foundation. I was so excited! Someone had actually gotten back to me! We talked for a long while. She was so easy to talk to. I asked question after question and she answered them all. She informed me about a good 5 point harness for my older daughter and, when I told her what brand 5 point harness my younger daughter was in, she told me that she could and should technically still be rear facing in that kind of car seat. I NEVER knew that! She told me that rear facing was the BEST and safest place for young babies/children and that the longer you can keep them that way, the better. She knew all the car seat brands and weight/height limits. She was knowledgeable, it was like having a expert at my finger tips.
After we hung up Laura kept her promise by emailing me a bunch of links with locations to have my children's car seats checked for proper install and to car seat forums where you can ask questions about car seats. Questions kept popping up in my head...I'd email Laura and she'd email me right back with an answer. Every time!
When I put my younger daughters car seat back to rear facing position, I emailed her a picture of what it looked like and she emailed me back with some suggestions to get a better fit.
When my mother-in-law purchased the Radian65 through the Little Folks link (to my surprise), on the foundations web site, Laura checked with Sunshine Kids on the max height for the Radian65 and advised about about compatible/incompatible seat belts. Who does that!!!??
I can't say enough good things about Laura. She really can't get any better:) She is passionate about this cause and about keeping children safe. Her love for this shows through her dedication and extensive knowledge about car seats and car seat safety. I am so thankful and appreciative to her and to the foundation.
Thank you. Thank you all for keeping my children safer. For keeping all children safer. I have now sent this YouTube video to everyone I know and have been encouraging all my friends and family with kids to have their car seats checked by a CPS tech. I also have asked them to PLEASE put their children that have outgrown the typical 5 point harness, back into a 5 point harness, anchored (if possible and applicable) and tethered, that will accommodate their child's weight. You all are literally saving children's lives everyday!
Thanks again,
Karla Bethany
Mom to: Daughter#1 (age 5, 44#, 45"-soon to be in a Radian 65)
and Daughter#2 (age 2, 22#, 36"- RF in a Cosco Scenera)
P.S. We are waiting patiently for our Radian65 to come this week, where it will be tethered into our SUV:) We're also having the install checked this coming weekend.
