Did you know that over 70% of car seats are improperly installed and/or used?  For what is intended as a lifesaving device, this is an alarming figure.   Wonderful Welcome is adamant about car seat safety.  Thankfully, Jen is a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) or "car seat tech".  CPSTs are highly trained professionals who can evaluate and install car seats properly.  From choosing the appropriate style and location for your car seats to safe installation and use, CPSTs are able to advise. 

Jen has been a certified CPST since 2019, and installed literally hundreds of car seats for families around New England.  Although Jen's car seat checks through June 30, 2023 were offered through Diaper Lab, seat checks July 1, 2023 and beyond are offered directly through Wonderful Welcome.  Please fill out the Car Seat Registration form found here to book one.  

Car seat checks are done as "house calls" and can happen at your house, place of work, or any other location with a safe place to park.  During a car seat check, your seat(s) will be fully inspected, ensuring secure installation and educating you on proper use.  A car seat check can be conducted with or without baby.  Many people consider getting a car seat installation checked before baby arrives; as baby grows and requires a different angle or adjustment of a current seat; or as baby outgrows one seat and moves to another, such as moving from an infant (or "bucket" seat) to a convertible seat, or to a combination seat or booster.  

Book an appointment for a car seat check via our online registration system.  Once you register, you will be sent to Venmo to provide payment (or reach out to arrange payment by cash or check), and then Jen will be in touch (usually within 48 hours) to schedule.  The appointment itself can usually happen with a few days if you’d like, but you may request an appointment months in advance.  Alternately, feel free to email info@wonderfulwelcome.com to find a mutually convenient appointment time before you register, if you prefer.

A seat check at a location of your choosing (within 20 miles of Cambridge, MA) costs $60 for the first seat (an infant seat + one base counts as one seat) and $20 for each additional base or seat.  Locations outside of a 20 mile radius will be charged a $20 travel fee.

Please note that we cannot accommodate drop-in requests for “just a quick check” of any car seat.  To provide car seat services, we are required by our certification through Safe Kids Worldwide to not only look at your already installed seat(s), but also to perform a full uninstall and reinstall of the seat and/or base with you present, as we complete a multi-page checklist.  This process usually takes between 20 and 45 minutes, depending on the exact car seat and year/model/make of vehicle.

A car seat check is intended not only to ensure your seat is properly installed, but to help you learn how to install and use your car seat confidently and correctly.  You will be the one using the seat, both in terms of installing and reinstalling the seat, adjusting it for the baby at any given moment, and maneuvering the baby or child in and out of the seat countless numbers of times. Jen wants you to feel confident about using the seat correctly every time, so takes time to make sure you understand the details of your seat!

Please note that we do not recommend any particular brand or model of car seat (there is no “best” car seat - they have all passed the same safety testing requirements).  If you are looking to purchase a car seat, please visit our friends locally at Magic Beans.

If you are a Wonderful Welcome client already, a car seat check is complimentary with your doula package; simply ask Jen to take a look at your seat!  However, even if you are not a doula client, most families want the reassurance of proper car seat installation prior to baby's birth, so register now to schedule yours ASAP!