Did you know that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in children in the U.S.? They result in injury to over 120,000 children each calendar year. Correct use of car seats can decrease the risk of death and injury by up to 70% when installed and used properly. This is a highly important topic that we wanted to take some time to shed light on!
Of course as mothers, keeping our children safe is a number one priority. In addition to increasing the safety of traveling with children, a properly fitted and installed car seat is often more comfortable for children and will result in a more pleasant trip for all parties in the vehicle!
Some Stats:
- An estimated 618,000 children under 14 ride in an automobile without a safety seat OR restraint system at least some of the time each year.
- Properly used, car safety seats can reduce the chance for death by 70% in infants under 1 year, and 54% in toddlers aged 1 to 4 years.
- Booster seat use can reduce the chance for serious injury by 45% in children aged 4 to 8 years.
- Seat belt use reduces the chance for death by up to 50% in older children and adults.
- An estimated 59% of car seats and 20% of booster seats are installed or used IMPROPERLY
- About 40% of the children riding with adults who are not using their seat belt are also unrestrained.
- Restraining children in rear seats rather than front seats can reduce the risk of death by 75% for children under 4, and by 50% for children aged 4 to 8.
Car Safety Tips:
- Adults should ALWAYS set an example by making sure they are properly wearing their own seat belt. It should be an automatic habit that kids see when you get in the car so that they will follow suit!
- Children ages 12 and under should be in the REAR section of the car. Certain safety features in the front seat are designed for adults and could injure or even kill small children.
- Infants should only be placed in rear-facing car seats for at least the first 12 months of life. Some states require rear-facing seats for the first two years and may also require the child is a certain weight before changing into a front-facing seat. Here is Minnesota, it is suggested that children may stay rear-facing longer in convertible seat up to 30 to 35 pounds, or based on the seat’s weight limits.
- After outgrowing a rear-facing seat, children should use a forward-facing harnessed seat until they outgrow that weight limit (typically 40-60 pounds, depending on the seat.
- The middle of the back seat is the safest place to seat a child. A car seat should be installed in the middle if possible. Behind the driver’s seat is the second-best location for a child or infant seat.
- Secure the seat tight enough so it doesn’t shift more than one each side-to-side or out from the seat.
- Read the manufacturer’s instructions and the motor vehicle owner’s manual to ensure the safety seat is being used correctly. Follow instructions carefully.
- Check the instruction manual for the weight and height restrictions for each child safety seat.
Different Safety Seats:
There are different safety restraints recommended by age/weight for children and it is important to use the proper one for each stage. These include:
- Rear-facing car seats
- Forward-facing car seats
- Booster Seats
- Seat belts
One of our fave resources!
A great place to find up-to-date safety information for travel with children is online! One of our favorite mamas to follow on Insta is @ safeintheseat. She has TONS of information about safely traveling with children of all ages including different diagrams of children properly positioned in their seats.
A few tips for moms-to-be:
- Practice before your baby is born with a doll or even a teddy bear. Get familiar with the adjustments of your car seat.
- When you have a newborn that is rear-facing, you want the straps to be at or BELOW their shoulders.
- Once you change your child to the forward-facing position, their straps should be at or just ABOVE their shoulders.
- Make sure that the straps are fitted very snug, but not so tight it is uncomfortable for your little one. If you can pinch harness material, it’s too loose.
- The chest clip must be at armpit level. This helps make sure the shoulder straps stay up on their little tiny shoulders properly. Do not leave this clip over their stomach region as it could cause internal damage if an accident is to occur.
For Parents of littles:
Thanks to a retired ECFE teacher resource of ours (who has chosen to remain anonymous), we have a fun song to share!
(To the tune of The Farmer in the Dell)
The wheels go round and round;
We drive our car through town.
We buckle up in case we stop;
So we’ll be safe and sound.
More Tips via YouTube!
A couple years back, a previous How 2 Mom Contributor put together this extremely informative, helpful and important video discussing car seat tips for those winter months.
Time to hit the road!
We hope that you have found some of these safety tips helpful to keep your loved ones from harm on the roadways! Be sure to research your local community for Car Seat Clinic courses. Having an in person class that teaches proper instillation/use can be so handy. Your State’s Department of Public Safety website should also provide valuable information. Some of the information in this blog came from Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Drive safely!
Love,
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