This week is National Car Seat Safety Week and all around the country local police and fire stations may be offering a free car seat safety check. In case you're too busy to make it to see a professional Child Passenger Safety Technician for a formal car seat check up, here are a few safety tricks you can try on your own at home.
First, make sure you have read all of the instructions that came with the car seat as well as the ones for your vehicle. While the safest place in the car for your child is in the middle of the back seat (so that side impact crashes are less risky), many parents improperly use the side seat latches to install their car seat in the middle. The safest place is truly where you can install the seat correctly every single time, insuring that the installation is so tight that the base doesn't move more than 1" in any direction.
Second, keep your child rear facing for as long possible. The newest recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatricians is that children stay rear facing until at least age 2. Many parents worry that their child's legs are too long to stay rear facing or that they get bored facing backwards. The truth is that sitting cross legged is quite comfortable for babies because not all of their hip bones have fully fused together. And if you never let them face forward, they won't even know what they are missing. Staying rear facing can be four times safer for the still developing neck and brain than experiencing a crash forward facing.
Lastly, be sure to check the straps on your car seat at least every three months. Car seats are not a "one and done" operation where you can have it professionally installed once and then leave it for two years. When rear facing, straps should be below the shoulders (when the child is sitting with their bumbum scooted all the way back in the seat). They shouldn't be so far below the shoulders as to make it uncomfortable though. When forward facing, straps should come through the car seat ABOVE the shoulders. As your child grows, these need to be adjusted regularly!
One way to get regular help with your car seat is to visit CleanBeeBaby at one of their many mobile sites in our neighborhood like the Pump Station and The Right Start. They can help steam and sterilize your child's car seat in just 30 minutes, and then one of their Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians can help check the straps and safely reinstall it in your vehicle...for only $40! This eco-friendly service can also clean and repair your strollers. Visit www.cleanbeebaby.com to book a house call or see when this mobile business is close to you! They also have a Living Social Deal right now for new customers Click HERE
