Don't Say Maybe, Buckle Your Baby!

While buckling our own seatbelt is very important and should be done every time we enter a car, it also very important to have our children properly buckled in. Often when a child car seat is installed, it is done so improperly. There are online web pages and local organizations that are available to assist in proper installation. There are also certain car seats that are not compatible with certain cars. To avoid purchasing a model not compatible with your car, we suggest visiting the website http://www.carseatdata.org/compatibility_search.php?tun=home. Here they ask for seat brand, make, and type and for your car’s make, model, and year. Then they are able to tell you if that is a good match. Proper installation must begin with the proper seat purchase.
It is recommended that infants ride facing the rear of the car until at least their first birthday and they have reached 20 pounds. Facing to the rear of the car reduces the risk for spinal injuries during a crash. Infants should ride facing the rear for as long as the seat will safely allow.
Other lesser known tips for child seat safety include taking off big, bulky winter coats. The cushioning of the coat has been found to decrease the effectiveness of the car seat. Instead of using a winter coat, grab some blankets to cover the baby up. This fact also holds true for adults who wear bulky coats with their seatbelt. Another potentially harmful device is the review mirror sold separately that one can put in their rear window to keep an eye on their child. While a good idea in theory, an improperly attached mirror could easily fly off and hit the child during a crash or even with a sudden stop. Another tip is to keep your car locked at all times. Some people feel they live in a safe neighborhood and that they do not have to take such precautions, but better safe than sorry, so lock your doors. Also, safety belt adjusters sold in stores are not always government approved. Sometimes these devices, which are supposed to increase the safety of your child seat, actually wind up decreasing it. Make sure the adjusters is tested with that car seat and that the government approves of its effectiveness. Finally, if the child is riding in the front passenger seat that has airbags, they should not be holding anything, including toys or a sip cup. If the airbags deploy, the object might get between them and the airbag and be forcefully shoved into the child. (http://www.totsafe.com/carsafety.htm)
There are proper safety restraint devices to use at different points in your child’s development. They recommend infants, birth to one year and under 20-22 pounds, use a rear-facing car seat. When the child hits one year and is at least 20 pounds, the child should be placed in a front-facing car seat. At 40 pounds and 4-8 years of age (unless over 4’9”), the child should have a booster seat. (http://www.totsafe.com/carsafety.htm)
Once the car seat has been installed, no matter which type being used, it is always a smart idea to have it checked for proper installation. Using the internet one can find a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician in their area. The most common choice is your local fire department or law enforcement department. However, there are also some that work for car dealerships or stores that sell car seats. Yet others are volunteers, often parents, who just want to help make sure children are riding safely. By using the internet, one can find a local certified individual to ensure the safety of their child in the car seat.