Car Seat Safety Tips

By law, all babies must ride in a child safety seat beginning at birth. In fact, many hospitals check to be sure the parents have a properly installed car seat before sending the baby home. If your hospital checks and you don’t have one, the release may be delayed. You will either have to purchase one or the hospital will refer you to the appropriate agency, if you can’t afford to buy one.

 

There are several factors to consider, both when purchasing a car seat and when installing it in your car. Proper car seat safety is essential to protect your baby from possible serious injury or even death in the event you were in a car accident.

 

How to select the best seat: There are many organizations that rate car seats for safety, including Consumer Reports. To learn more and see how the current models rate, visit Consumer Reports at http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/baby-toddler/travel-gear/car-seats/reports/. Another factor to consider is how well a particular model will fit in your car. Some may fit better than others. Ask a sales associate at your local store to let you try out the floor model to be sure it fits before purchasing or adding a seat to your registry. You don’t want to find out at the hospital that your car and infant seat is a poor match. 

 

Tips for installing the seat correctly: After you purchase your seat or after your baby shower, start to become familiar with your seat. Read the manufacturer’s directions carefully for installation. Don’t wait until you are in labor to put it in the car. Install it a few weeks ahead of time to allow enough time to figure it out and possibly have it inspected before the baby arrives. The seat should not more at all when it is properly buckled. Many parents find that kneeling on the seat and putting their weight into it helps ensure a tight fit with no wiggle room.

 

Have your seat checked to ensure it is installed properly. An alarming number of infant safety seats are not installed properly. According to the National Safety Belt Coalition, between 80 and 90 percent of car seats are not installed correctly. http://www2.nsc.org/traf/sbc/sbcchild.htm This could have dire consequences for your child. In many areas, local law enforcement or other agencies offer free inspections to ensure your seat is installed correctly.

Consider taking a car seat safety course. Courses on car seat safety are offered by state and local agencies around the country. These courses are very informative. You will learn a lot about safety and may be able to have your seat inspected after the class has ended. We took a class several years ago and our local agency partnered with a few manufacturers to offer an incentive of a free seat for every participating family. This was a great second seat to use in my husband’s car.

Learn your state’s child restraint laws. The laws regarding the use of child restraints vary widely. In all states, infants must be in an approved car seat. However, the age at which the child no longer must be in a car seat varies. In addition, some states have begun to pass legislation regarding the age at which a child may sit in the front seat. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has a handy chart with information about all 50 states. It can be found here: http://www.iihs.org/laws/ChildRestraint.aspx.