Today I have been doing a lot of reading on Car Seat Safety. It's a pretty big thing that most people do not understand. I think it is just because there is lack of education out there on this topic. If you don't know a lot about Car Seat Safety that's OK. One of my biggest fears is a car wreck and that's why I have made sure I know what there is to know about Car Seat Safety. Dear Husband doesn't know how to even install a car seat right now let alone how to do pinch tests, were the chest clip should be, and how tight the straps need to be. We will go over those and what their reason is as well as several other topics on Car Seat Safety.
Just how important is Car Seat Safety?-
It is very important! We all have a car and we have to drive some were on a weekly basis atleast. It doesn't matter if you are the worlds best driver or not, there are still other people on the road who don't pay attention. They could be talking on their phone, they could even be texting, I have seen people even put make up on while driving. Everything you do while operating a vehicle takes away from your awareness.
Child safety seats reduce the risk of a potentially fatal injury
substantially for babies in particular and also for toddlers if used properly.
How to properly install a infant car seat.-
How to properly install a convertible seat.-
Rear-Facing.-
Rear-Facing is best for baby and here is why, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sssIsceKd6U What one would you rather be in if you were in a collision? The minimum requirements is Newborn to Age One and Twenty Pounds. Many others recommend that your child is Rear-Facing until they reach
the maximum rear-facing limits of a convertible seat. Most convertible seats allow 30 pounds rear-facing weight limit or when the top of their head is within one inch of the top of the seat what ever one comes first.
Extended Harnessing-
The twenty-pound/age one rule has become the standard for keeping
infants rear-facing. After that, there is much debate and confusion. Many
parents choose to move their toddler/preschooler to a booster seat once
they outgrow the weight limit on their forward-facing convertible seat. Keeping children in a 5 point harness is best until at least 4 years old and 40 lbs or they are to tall for the seat. Britax Makes a 5 point harness seat for the weight up to 80 pounds!
Winter Coats-
Cole is due in November where its starting to get cold and we are right in the middle of cold and flu season. So of course we are very worried about keeping him away from sickness as much as possible. We also want to keep him as warm as we can. Did you know that car seats and winter coats do not mix? Doesn't matter if they are think winter coats or not they are still very dangerous! Here is a GREAT video that shows how they really do not mix. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=CNGT9eBL_gg Scary huh?
How the child should be buckled into the seat.-
This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I have friends who don't even pay attention to how they are buckling their child into their seat. The first thing is the straps should come out of the car seat ABOVE your child's shoulders. If your child sits on the holes were the straps come out its not doing your child any good. When you are buckling your child in make sure that the chest clip is at arm pit/nipple level. Not down on their belly not up under their neck its called a chest clip for a reason and if you child can move the clip down your straps are not tight enough. If your child can move their arms out of the seat your straps are not tight enough. To check and make sure that your straps are tight enough is very simple and easy. Put a finger under the strap and with your other hand try to pinch the strap. If you can pinch some of the strap it is to lose. If your fingers just slide over your other finger then your straps are tight enough for your child.
Did you know that the cute covers that you have made or buy are not safe either? If it didn't come on your seat when you purchased it, it does not belong there. It has not been tested with that cover and there is no telling what could happen. Yes they are super cute and I even want one but the safety of my child is more important to me instead of cute covers that nobody is going to pay attention to.
Make sure when you buy your car seats if you buy them used that you know all the information on the seat and you buy it from some one who you know. Most people do not understand that if your car seat has been in a car wreck it is no longer safe. It doesn't matter if it was expired or not it is null in void after that even if it is just a fender bender. Also if you don't know if your seat is still good or not you can take it to your local fire department or hospital and they can tell you if it is good or expired (yes they expire six years from their manufacture date). So say you bought a car seat in 1999 it expired in 2005! To find out if your seat has been recalled you can write your model # down that is on the seat and Google it. If there is a recall or has been a recall on them it will show on the first few links.
Remember it doesn't matter how great of a driver you are, there are other people who do not pay attention to what they are doing and I would hate to see something happen to a child because the car seat was not installed properly. If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask. I will be more then glad to help you with what I can. :)
Thanks for reading!
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