Hidden Gems: Meet Lani Harrison of Lanicarseat

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lani Harrison

Hi Lani, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hi, I’m a CPST – a child passenger safety technician. I got started in this field because my oldest child, now 11, was born prematurely. She was only 4 lbs at birth, and she was too small for the car seat we’d selected. So we picked another one that was also not a great choice, and we had no idea how to put her in it. (We were planning to learn, but she was born a month early!). In the NICU (neonatal ICU), they do what’s called a car seat test, where they put the preemie into a car seat while on the hospital monitors and make sure they can breathe ok. Unfortunately, my baby stopped breathing for a moment. Looking back on it and looking at photos, I now know it was because she wasn’t positioned in the seat correctly. But then, I had no idea. I was so afraid to put her in the car seat then when we were discharged, I tried not to take her anywhere in the car. Finally, when she was 3 months old, my husband and I took her on a trip to Los Angeles from Rhode Island where we lived. I bought a new car seat for her and learned how to put her in and install it. I was so amazed and saddened at all I’d been doing wrong. I started helping friends with their seats, and then I eventually got a certification so that I could formalize it.

I’ve been a certified CPST for almost 10 years now! I do private appointments where I install seats and teach parents and caregivers how to install them, I meet with expectant parents and show them how to use their seat, I admin and moderate 3 facebook car seat groups where I answer car seat questions, and I have consulted with manufacturers as they design new seats. i also review new seats for a national website.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I first wanted to get certified, it was very hard to find a class that worked with my schedule – and then I found out I was expecting a second child! (Who thankfully was full term and 10 lbs, not 4!) So it wasn’t till he was over a year that I was able to take the class.

Another challenge is educating parents and showing them that what we did in the car when we were kids is not necessarily the safe thing. Saying “I did ____ and I’m ok, so ____ is ok” is a logical fallacy and dangerous. (For example, put “grew up without a smoke detector” in the blanks and you’ll see what I mean.) So it’s always challenging dealing with parents who look back nostalgically on the times when they played board games in the trunk of a station wagon! Thankfully though, even through the almost 10 years I’ve been doing this, I”ve seen things shift more towards safety awareness.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I show parents how to install car seats and educate families on how to use them. I am known for my expert installation skills, my ability to explain and educate, and my personalized appointments where I even bring a doll to demonstrate the use of their car seat.

I am known for my ability to solve difficult “three across” or minivan challenges, which is where the car and seats that a family has might not leave enough room for an upcoming sibling or carpool rider.

I’m also known for my ability to safely help families with preemies or medically fragile newborns. This gives me special satisfaction, as this is the reason I got into the field in the first place. I love being able to pay it forward!

I travel all through the Phoenix and Scottsdale areas – and farther for a small additional fee- and am happy to do these appointments at the client’s home. Car seats are hard enough without wrangling all the kids in the car to bring them somewhere for this! I’m also happy to meet parents in the hospital parking lot – as I myself experienced, car seats seem much easier in the store than actually at your car.

In addition, I am currently building up my social media presence, creating YouTube videos as another way to share my knowledge and educate!

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me in my business is keeping kids safe and keeping parents confident that they know how to put in the seat and how to put their kids in the seat. Customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance to me. I give each client my cell phone number, and they can text me questions at any time. It’s particularly gratifying when I can take a child “from birth to booster”, staying with them and advising them for their entire car seat career.

Pricing:

• $60 total for 1-2 seats in Phoenix/Scottsdale
• $75 total for more than 2 seats in Phoenix/Scottsdale
• $40 total for 1-2 seats at my home in Scottsdale
• $50 total for more than 2 seats at my home in Scottsdale
• $40 for a video appointment, $25 for a phone call or message consultation without an appointment

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lanicarseat.com
• Instagram: @Lanicarseat
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/Lanicarseat
• Twitter: @lanicarseat
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lanicarseat

Image Credits
I took all the photos (Credit Lani Harrison)