Tips From Moms

There are a lot of mothers out here who are uninformed about the importance of car seat safety, there are a lot of mothers out here who do not know how to properly install a car seat and there are a lot of mothers who do not know how to properly strap their children into a car seat. Here are some very important tips to keep your child safe in their car seat during every ride

Straps - The straps on your little ones car seat should always be tight enough that you cannot pinch the fabric. Loose straps are not good when traveling, your child could possibly slide out of the seat during an accident and they can climb out of the car seat while you are driving causing a distraction for the driver therefor possibly causing an accident. Make sure the straps are not twisted as well.

Winter safety - Winter time means puffy jackets, hats, mitts, boots etc. If your little one is going to be mostly in the car for example, going to the grocery store or the mall or a long trip, they will not need a big puffy winter jacket. There are jackets you can buy that have a liner inside of them that is removable, they also have winter jackets that are not puffy. It is extremely dangerous to strap your child into their car seat while wearing a puffy jacket. If you do have to put one on them it is best to unzip the jacket and pull it out of the straps as much as possible, strap your child in and make sure the straps are tight enough so that you cannot pinch the fabric. Always put the chest clip up to the childs armpit. When you are done strapping your child in pull the jacket to the front and zip it up, when you are finished the straps should be inside of your childs jacket. This is the safest way to strap your child in. If you do not believe us try it for yourself. Strap your child in with a puffy jacket on, make sure it's tight so that you cannot pinch the fabric. Now remove the jacket completely and strap your child in, pinch the fabric, do you understand what we mean now? Very dangerous.

Chest clip - A lot of mothers think that the top clip of the car seat is actually a belly clip, well it's not. The clip is a chest clip, this clip should be level with your childs armpit. As you can see when the clip is on the childs belly, they can slide their arms out or they can lean forward without effort. When the chest clip is at armpit level your child cannot slide their arms out and they cannot lean forward. This is the safest way for your child to be in the car seat.

Properly installing - Properly installing the car seat into the vehicle is very important. All car seats come with installation instructions, it is very important to follow these instructions and install your childs car seat correctly. If you are not sure how to do this you can contact your local police and fire department, they can show you how to install your childs car seat.

Expiration dates - Always follow expiration dates. If your childs car seat is expired, time to buy a new one.

Extended rear facing - Rear facing is the safest way for your child to be in the vehicle. Just because your little one has hit their first birthday, does not mean they have to be forward facing in the car. When a child is rear facing in an accident their head does not jerk forward, when a child is forward facing in a car during an accident their head jerks forward.

Follow weight & height regulations - All car seats have certain weight and height limits, it's best to buy a car seat with the maximum available height and weight.

Second hand - It is not recommended that you buy a used car seat as it may have been in an accident. If you are to buy or receive a second hand car seat be sure to ask questions such as : What is the expiration date? how old is it? was it in an accident? how long did you use it? what is the maximum height and weight?. It is a good idea to only buy or receive used car seats from friends or family, this way you are sure the seat has not been in an accident.