Must-Know Tips to Make Your Car Seat Really Safe

Car accidents are a leading cause of preventable death, especially for children aged between 1 and 13 years. Sadly, such causes of deaths are mainly due to poor seat installation and incorrectly using car booster seats and latches among others. Regardless of constant seat improvement, a majority of parents still find a variety of car seats out there in the market to be very confusing. So, how do you make your car seat really safe, especially if there’s a baby on board? How do you ensure your safety and the safety of the wee ones while traveling? Here are a few pointers to follow so that you make your car seat really safe.

• Get the reclining angle right

While getting the reclining angle just right on a rear-facing seat may be a little bit challenging, nevertheless, it’s crucial. Kids have heavy, big heads but weak neck muscles: If the seat is too upright, your kid might end up to chin chest, a factor that can interfere with breathing. Additionally, being reclined also protects the little one’s spine in the event of a crash. There are very many models of kids seats out there but on comparing them, the Extended2Fit car seat seems favorable based on its 6 reclining positions.

• Ensure firm car seat installation

Driving around with a loosely installed car seat is a recipe for disaster. In the event of an accident, either you or your kid may end up badly hurt due to crashing into the dashboard and your kid crashing into the back of the front seat. If you are a parent, you need to shop around for a seat that promises easy fitting but comes with the promise of firm installation using a locked seat belt or a LATCH system. In comparison, we’ve found the Graco Milestone Car Seat to be good based on its fastening system and firm installation.

• Get the right fit

A majority of drivers and parents travelling with young children often think that a big, cushy, foam car seat is safe for their kids while travelling. An overlooked factor when it comes to matters to do with safety isn’t the size of the car seat but, but your size, and most importantly, the size of the kid. To be on the safe side, it is important to ensure that you go for seats that can accommodate the height and weight of your kid. Additionally, go for seats such as Graco4Ever that have shoulder straps that can be adjustable as your children grow.

• Avoid bulky material

During colder months, you may find yourself wearing heavy bulky clothes in addition to bundling your baby up, strapping him in the car seat and taking off. What you may fail to realize is that thick outwear clothing such as winter suits can significantly prevent the harness straps from securing you or your child as snug as they are supposed to be. The danger of heavy winter clothes with car seats and belts is that the fluff and thickness factor actually stops the restraints from securing you and the kid in the event of an accident.

• Avoid using second-hand car seats

How can you trust a second-hand seat that has probably outlived its role to protect you and your child in the event of an accident? Second-hand car seats are mostly expired and missing a lot of important parts designed to guarantee your safety while travelling. To be on the safe side and ensure that you arrive in one piece, avoid using second-hand seats that do not guarantee you the safety that you deserve. Is it Illegal to use an Expired Car Seat? Check it out!

• Change the car seats immediately after an accident

As a safety measure, you should never use a car seat known to have been in involved in a collision before even you or your child wasn’t in it before. The force of the impact can significantly weaken or damage parts of the seat, meaning that it may not do its job and protect you or your child in a future collision that may occur. Nearly all manufacturers require you to have your car seats immediately replaced after a crash –even for seats- in order to guarantee you the safety that you need while travelling.

• Know your stores

There are plenty of retailers out there that will give you an opportunity to test-install a seat in your car before making a full purchase. This is one way for you to ensure that you are actually buying a seat that will guarantee you the safety that you need. It is important to be aware of stores that not only provide this option but also accepts returns. To be on the safe side, consider making your car seat purchases with such retailers in order to ensure the safety of your car seat(s).

• Make purchases only after seeing the models in real life

The shiny and appealing car seat that you see online may not be what it looks like in real life. To ensure that your car seats –yours and for your kid(s) – are actually safe, you may have to see them in real life to confirm whether its online reviews are true.