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What You Need to Know About Car Seat Safety
for Your Kids
Infants
Babies
should ride in their "rear-facing" car seat until they reach both 1
year of age and a minimum of 20 pounds. Parents have a tendency to want
to turn their child to face forward because it is more convenient for
them and because they can see their baby's face and their baby can see
them. This is NOT safe because a babies neck isn't strong enough to
withstand the force of an accident.
Infant Car Seats
Infant car seats are Rear-facing and
have a handle so that they can be carried. These seats usually have a
stroller system and a base that they can simply snap into for
traveling. Each infant car seat brand is different but they all must be
rear facing and they usually do not hold a child over a weight of 30
pounds. Most infant car seats come with a base that you can leave in
your car soyou simply snap the car seat into the base so you do not
have to struggle using seat belts each time you remove the car seat.
You can also buy more than one base to go with your car seat so you
have one for each car that your child rides in.
Convertible
Car Seats
These seats can be used rear facing until the child is old enough and
weighs enough to be turned to face forward. These seats can be used for
a longer period of time because they are built to hold children at a
heavier weight and height. They are however not meant to be taken in
and out of the car all the time.
Harnesses
There are two types of harnesses for car seats. One is a 3 point
harness and the other is a 5 point harness. A 3 point harness is a T
shaped shield that attachs at the shoulders and then between the legs.
A 5 point harness is the most secure harness because it attachs on both
sides of the shoulders and the hips and then between the legs.
Properly
Installing a Car Seat
These are important things you need to
know about installing a car seat properly for kids:
- Always
make sure the car seat is installed tightly and securely to the base
and that the harness is buckled completely.
- If
your car seat has locking clips be sure that they are clipped to the
actually car seat.
- Never
put a car seat in the front seat due to the airbags. If an airbag is
deployed on a car seat it will cause serious injury to your child, may
be even death.
- Make sure to check the angle of the
car seat. Most car seats come with a level on the side to show you when
the car seat is at a safe angle for your baby's head.
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