Child Car Seat: 5 Safety Tips for Parents to Follow

No matter how nice staying at home with your baby is, there will be a time to drive around to places on your family schedule. 

When traveling with a baby, a car seat is one of the essential safety equipment parents should purchase.

According to an article published by Parents, research shows that car seats are useful if used correctly.

That is why the reminder to parents is always to make sure that the car seat is always placed safely. In doing so, injury to children during a crash will be avoided.

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Here are five child car seat safety that parents should follow:

The child car seat should be tightly placed in the car.

The best way to check this is by trying to move the car seat. If it still runs in any direction for more than one inch, it is not yet placed tightly.

To make sure that it is tightly placed, install the seat safety according to how the manual instructs installation. 

The bad thing about loose car seats is that it could injure the face or head of a baby during an accident.

Use the harness of the child car seat correctly.

The harness straps for the child car seat should be at a child's shoulders if the car seat is a rear-facing seat. If the seat is forward-facing, then the harness straps should be above the child's shoulder. 

The harness should not be loose when used by the child. The best reminder in checking the harness is that is should be comfortable but has no slack.

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Check for the best location for the child car seat in the vehicle.

Some states impose laws regarding the seats for children in the car. However, studies show that kids who are 13 and below are safer when seated at the back.

For vehicles with a rear-facing car seat, there is a correct angle that parents should follow to ensure that the head of an infant does not fall forward.

The harness clip has a correct spot.

To ensure that the child is secured in their car seat, the harness chest clip should be kept at the center of the chest. Its level should be the same as the armpit of the child.

An excellent way to check if the clip is placed correctly is by pinching the strap at the child's shoulder. If there are no excess webbings that could be tweaked, the clip is in its right place.

Pick the correct car seat.

There is an appropriate child car seat for every age. These safety seats are based on a child's weight, height, and age.

As they grow older, a seat suitable for them is better to be used. It is not ideal if parents will buy a big car seat with the thought that they will quickly outgrow the small ones.

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