VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A military mom of two is easing the fears of new parents by traveling directly to their homes to make sure their children's car seats are properly installed.
Andi Mattone, better known as "That Car Seat Mom," says she has spent the better part of a decade keeping families safe. Since 2017 she has been a certified child passenger safety technician who helps families install car seats correctly — at no cost.
"I don't want them feeling stuck. I want them to know that I'm here for them," Mattone said.
Mattone researches each family's specific car and car seat combination before meeting with them in person.
"I have to go do my research and see if the car is compatible with that car seat [that they bought] and then we meet and then we just go through the whole steps of installing and teaching and making sure the car seat's safe," Mattone said.
Isabel Graszler, a new mom from Virginia Beach, found Mattone through a military spouse Facebook page after spending hours trying to sort through conflicting advice online.
"I spent all night scrolling on which car seats had been crash-tested, [what] the tests looked like, and what car seat was the safest," Graszler said.
Graszler said having Mattone come to her home made the experience feel comfortable and reassuring.
"She just came highly recommended that when you get a car seat, you should definitely talk to her on installation," Graszler said.
"It felt comfortable because she came to me, she was in my home, in my environment, in my car," Graszler said.
Mattone shared several key safety tips for parents: When checking whether a car seat is installed securely, test it at the belt path — not at the top — and there should be less than one inch of movement.
"Check at the belt path, not at the top and less than 1 inch of movement should be had at the belt path," Mattone said.
Parents should also avoid adding any aftermarket accessories or modifications to a car seat.
"Don't touch the car seat. Don't change the car seat. It's been made that way because of crash testing [and] flame resistance [testing]," Mattone said.
Mattone also advises parents to select a car seat based on the child's height and weight rather than age alone. And if a vehicle has been in an accident, the car seat should be replaced — regardless of how minor the crash appeared.
"Safety first is replaced after every accident," Mattone said. "We don't know what crash forces were had in the initial crash."
For Graszler, having that peace of mind made a real difference when bringing her daughter home for the first time.
"When we had her and we were going home, that was one less stress we had to worry about," Graszler said.
Mattone works with several community partners, including Chesapeake Regional, the Red Cross, and a hospital in Portsmouth, where she holds training classes for families. She said she will also be at the Great Neck Recreation Center in Virginia Beach in October.
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