The Most Important Thing You Can Do to Stay Safe in the Car
Emily
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Do you know the most important thing you can do to keep your child safe in the car? It’s not refraining from texting or talking on the phone. It’s making sure their car seat is installed correctly. Although those are all really important things!
The most important thing you can do to keep your child safe in the car is to make sure they are correctly buckled into their car seat.
Here’s a quick checklist for you to make sure you are buckling your child correctly:
- The shoulder straps should positioned through the slots at or below the level of your child’s shoulder.
- The harness should be pulled tightly. This is one of the most common buckling mistakes made. A loose harness will not restrain your child correctly. To check, try to pinch the harness straps above the chest buckle, you should not be able to pinch any loose strap. Another way to check is to make sure you can only fit two fingers underneath the chest buckle.
- The chest strap should be level with your child’s armpits.
By double checking to make sure your child is buckled into their car seat correctly every time you drive somewhere, you will be taking an important step towards keeping your child as safe in the car as they can be.
Are you baby safety savvy? We’re giving away two Graco SnugRide Click Connect infant car seats! To enter for a chance to win, simply comment on this post with a personal tip on how you keep baby safe in the car.
Disclaimer: The content and viewpoints expressed here within are solely that of the originators. Graco’s sponsorship does not imply endorsement of any opinions or information provided and we do not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the content provided. Please always consult a professional for matters related to your child’s well-being. Click here to see more of the discussion.
Photo Credit: Graco
Emily writes about green and natural living at Live Renewed.
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Oooo! I would totally LoVE to win! With baby #3 on the way, the old car seat is looking a bit sad and worn, but I can’t justify buying another one.
My tip is rear facing until 2 and high back with 5 point for as long as you can!!!!
{I tried to post yesterday but it never showed up}
We always make sure car seats are properly installed & that the baby/child is properly buckled in. We also use a mirror to be able to keep our eye on the rear facing little ones.
We are fanatical about car seat safety. Taking a few extra seconds to make sure a child is safe is just worth it to us.
I go to a free car seat check to ensure that my kid’s car seat is in correctly. My area’s Red Cross does them, and Public Health departments sometimes sponsor checks, as well as children’s hospitals. The car seat technician at my local Red Cross told me that 90% of the car seats she sees are installed incorrectly. 90%!
Install your seat first, then have an expert double check it to make sure it’s done properly.
I like to use bundlemes instead of snowsuits.