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| How remembers these car seats? |
Car seats
have come a long way since I was a kid. To be honest, I’m not sure I was ever
put in one. I’m not sure I remember having to wear a seat belt until later on
as a kid. What I do remember is jumping back and forth from the front to the
back seat, riding in the beds of trucks, lying down on the back window ledge of
the car while it was moving and if the car came to a sudden stop my mom or dad
put out their arm to stop me from going through the window.
Car seat
makers have definitely come a long way, even since my kids were little. Now,
putting in a car seat seems to take hours! It has to be anchored down in 10+
places and seat belted in as well. Once it doesn’t move and has become one with
the vehicle, you are good to go. Putting a child in the car seat takes some
time as well. Once you’ve made sure to have all the straps of the 10 point
harness snapped, your trip to the store 2 minutes down the road can begin.
Don’t even get me started on getting them out of the car seat.
In all
seriousness, it really is very important to be thorough when putting in a car
seat and making sure the restraints are properly set to your child every time
you buckle them up. If you’re not sure how to put in the car seat or how to
properly use the restraints for your child, Safe Kids Worldwide is a great place to start to insure you set it up correctly. It also provides information on what the
correct way to restrain your child so that it’s not too loose or too
tight. The instructions they provide are
for infants to toddlers, toddlers and preschoolers, how long to keep them rear
facing and when to change them to forward facing. What about booster seats?
They have information on when to graduate up to a booster seat as well.
Safe Kids Worldwide also stated that in 2013, 2862 children 19 and under died in
car accidents. 480 of the children killed in car accidents in were 8 and under,
147 of them were not property restrained in their car seats. Take the time to
visit the link above and make sure your car seat is put in correctly and your
babies are strapped in correctly as well.
Farmers Inner Circle’s, “3 Car Safety Tips for Toddlers”, suggested making a
safety guide mental check for every time you put your little one in the car.
This is the list they suggested:
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First, make sure the car seat is fastened to the
car correctly. The seat shouldn’t wobble more than one inch from side to side
or forward.
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Next, ask yourself: is the harness strap snug
enough? Leaving too much slack in the harness can be risky. If you can pinch
the harness between your fingers, it probably needs to be tightened. (Be
careful though: don’t over-tighten the straps so that your child is
uncomfortable.)
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Remember, it may be freezing out but it’s wise
to avoid winter jackets inside the car. Bulky winter coats leave too much
wiggle room between the strap and your child.
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Don’t skimp on the car seat! Buying a used or
outdated car seat could lead to disaster. When it comes to old car seats, you
never know what you’re getting. There are chances it might be faulty, or even
recalled. Even at a bargain price, it’s just not worth the risk.
When my kids
were little, I remember there were times when it was a full on workout trying
get them in the car seat, especially when they weren’t wanting to be put in it.
Never once did I regret battling to get them in their seat. If I had it to do
all over again, I’d not change a thing. Protect your babies and make sure you
follow all the car seat and booster seat safety guidelines. Always better to be
safe than sorry.
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| Car seat? What's that? |
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