Child Safety Tips You Should Know

Automobiles are one of the greatest inventions in modern history. They can take you from point A to point B, protect you from the elements and flying debris.

But in order for them to function properly, we need to take good care of them. Just like many other mechanical machines, they also require some basic maintenance like oil change, brake fluid change, filling up your window washer fluid, and so on. If we don’t take good care of our car, it will gradually start to break down and it will become a safety hazard, for both you and your family, including your children.

Car Seat Safety Tip

One of the best car seat safety tips all experts can agree upon is that you should never strap in your child with an adult seat belt. The reason behind this is quite simple. Adult seat belts aren’t designed to go around children’s bodies and they won’t hold them properly in case of an accident. So instead of that, you should opt-in for a booster or special car seat.

Some children might be reluctant to be strapped in, but show them a positive example of wearing one yourself.

Furthermore, you should never hold your child in your lap in the front seat. Trying to hold on to a baby during a crash (at a speed of no more than 30mph) is like trying to lift 8 bags of cement all at once.

Try Not to Crash

There are methods that will ensure that both you and your passengers (including your child) suffer minimal or no damage at all in case you get into a car accident. However, the best thing would be if you don’t get into a crash at all. So make sure that you pay attention to the road while you’re driving, don’t go over the speed limit, and don’t text (or call) when driving.

Make Sure You Have the Right Car Seat

There are in total, 5 different versions of child seats. Aside from the prenatal make, there are additional 4 types. Children will move up from one type to another depending on their age, height, and weight. So make sure that you keep track of their physical development and have a child seat that is appropriate and safest.

Read the Manual

When you purchase your car, it will come with a manual. Many things that belong in a vehicle will contain a manual, and so will your child seat. Manual usually contains useful information on how to properly set up the child seat and other additional helpful tips such as where’s the best place to put it on the rear seat and also how to set up multiple seats in case you have more than one.

Test It Before Buying It

Child care safety is no joke and the store that sell equipment know this as well. Many stores will allow you to test the new car seat in your vehicle before you buy it. This is actually a really good thing because you will avoid having to return it to the store once you buy it. You’ll know that it’s a good fit, that it matches your car, and that your child is sitting safely in it.

Setting Up Your Child Seat

According to the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, every child should be facing the back of the car until they are the age of 2. This is because child seat safety is better this way and many US states are changing their laws in order to support this measure.

In case you didn’t know, it is proven that rear-facing child seats are actually 5 times safer, even for older children.