To help my funk of posting I have decided to do a weekly post. Many of us have hobbies, passions, or things that interest us that we want to share. Well, over the last couple of years I have become very interested in car seat safety. So I am going to hop on my soapbox and try to share a tip, statistic, fact, etc., each week and hope that I can give some of you new information that you may not have known, which will help keep your little ones safe. I was amazed at all the things I have learned that get overlooked, causing about 1/3 of children in the wrong restraint for their age and size, and an estimated 73% to 90% of car seats are not installed or used correctly. It’s more than just putting your kids in a car seat; it’s using it correctly that keeps them safe in an accident. My intention is not to tell you what to do, no one likes that. But, I do want to share with you what I know and you can make a decision after that.
So, for Week 1, we’ll talk about installation, seems like a good place to start. The first thing you want to do before anything, is read your car seat manual and your car manual. There are certain places in some cars where child restraints are not allowed, there are many vehicles that you cannot use LATCH in the center position, but only outboard, some infant seat handles are to be left up, others must be put down, etc. So become familiar with your vehicle and seat. When installing your seat, use the seat belt or LATCH, not both. To properly secure the seat you will most likely need to get your knee into the seat to push down as you tighten the belt. Using a rocking motion from side to side will also help. A little movement is okay as long as it is less than an inch at the belt path. If you can’t get it tight enough try a different spot in your vehicle. And don’t forget to hook your top tether. And also it never hurts to get help. Here is a link to where you can find out where to get your seat checked by a tech. http://www.safekidsweb.org/events/events.asp
So that’s it, sweet and simple. If you have questions please ask and I can address them in another post.
Double Trouble
16 years ago
5 comments:
So informative - THANKS! Two questions... 1. will you do it for me (just kidding) and 2. How do you get your husband to do it too? I'm going to check out that website.
thanks, i didn't know all that, especially about the handle being up or down. I will have to check that out!
such a good idea maegs. this post made me think of a year and 1/2 ago when my son opened your car door as it was moving. Talk about bad parenting....
Thanks for the info, I know how good you are with being up-to-date on things. We of course have read our manuals, and next month our daycare will be having free child seat check-ups.
This might sound dumb but why can't you use the latch system and the seat belt?? We thought that would be extra safe. I would love to know if I should only use one.
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