4 Vital Car Seat Safety Pointers

Parents rely on car seats to keep their children safe and secure every day, but many are making critical mistakes that diminish the effectiveness of these products. Simply having a car seat isn’t enough. You need to make sure your seat is properly placed and correctly used to really benefit from its safety features. Make sure you’re following these important tips for car seat safety.

Register Your Seat

New car seats come with a simple registration card that helps the manufacturer keep track of customers. While filling out another piece of paperwork may seem like a hassle, this is one of the most important things you can do to ensure car seat safety. Registering your seat gives the manufacturer your name, address, and contact information. If there’s a safety recall for your product, they’ll be able to reach you promptly and provide a replacement. This will ensure you never miss an important announcement.

Have Your Installation Inspected

Installing a car seat isn’t as simple as it seems. Though you may feel that your car seat is secure, a professional inspection will often reveal that it’s not nearly as tight as it should be. Fortunately, there are many places where you can get a free, professional inspection from a certified technician. Look up the nearest location in your area and head in for an inspection today.

Secure the Straps Properly

Many children ride around with loose car seat straps for the sake of comfort. Even if your child squirms under the secure safety straps, it’s important to keep them snug. Loose straps won’t keep your kids in place in the event of an accident. You should also check the manufacturer’s instructions for the proper placement of the straps. Many parents have the clip that secures the straps together far too low. This shouldn’t secure over the abdomen, but rather needs to sit on the chest.

In cold weather, there’s an extra step you should take before buckling children into car seats. Remove their jackets while they’re riding. Puffy jackets and heavy clothing puts too much air between the safety straps and your child’s body. That thickly-padded jacket can compress in an accident, leaving your child only loosely constrained.

Turn Them Toward the Rear

Keep your child’s car seat rear-facing until he or she is at least two years old. This admonishment is often overlooked because children start complaining, kicking, and making a fuss over the positioning well before they should really be switched. Ignore the pushback from your child and keep the seat facing backwards until at least age two, and preferably longer. If your child doesn’t meet the height and weight guidelines for a forward-facing seat by two, you should keep him in the rear-facing position even longer.

Always take the time to read the directions for your particular car seat thoroughly. Every product is different, and the manufacturer knows best when it comes to installation and placement. When you’re well-informed, you can take all the proper steps to keep your children safe.

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