[Opinion] The do’s and don’ts of using car safety seats for children

There is nothing more important than protecting your child from harm, especially when it comes to car seat safety. It’s imperative to ensure that your child is secure while you’re on the open road, and part of that is investing in a quality car seat. There are rules and regulations that dictate basic expectations for car seats so make sure you are following the rules, but there are also some helpful tips that can help you keep your children safe as you take to the roads to travel.

Remember, a safe car seat is a difference between life and death in a car accident, but injuries can also happen when children are able to free themselves from their seat, and it doesn’t take an accident for a seat to come loose if it hasn’t been installed properly.

What Not To Do

1. Install a net in the boot of your vehicle so you can place heavier objects underneath it. That includes canned goods or any other heavy (or hard) object that could potentially injure you or your child in an accident.

2. Don’t rush, just because your child is desperate to sit in the front seat doesn’t mean that they should.

3. Your child should remain in their backward-facing car seat until they are at least two years old or they weight over 20 pounds. UK law states 15 months is the minimum age a child must be before you can turn the seat around, though some advice from the US suggests keeping your child rear-facing until the age of three.

4. Remove your child’s coat before you place them in their seat, the jacket can affect the fit of the seat’s harness.

5. Don’t set off until you have checked the security of the seat. Wiggle it back and forth to ensure it doesn’t move any more than an inch.

6. Don’t place your child’s seat in the front of your car, they should remain in the backseat.

7. Don’t ignore the guidelines of the seat. There are height guidelines that dictate that your child’s head should be an inch below the top of the seat’s shell. As soon as this isn’t the case for your child, you should upgrade the seat.

8. Don’t forget to tighten the harness straps, you should only be able to slip one finger beneath the harness.

9. This should go without saying, but once you are behind the wheel of the car your mobile phone should stay out of your hands.

What To Do

1. Safety experts suggest that you shouldn’t use a special mirror to track your baby in the backseat of your vehicle as it diverts your attention away from the road. If you are worried about your baby simply pull over and check up on them.

2. Plan your journey and aim to run early so you don’t forget any of the necessary safety steps to secure your baby in their seat.

3. Always ensure the harness clip (in a rear-facing seat) is at armpit level. Failure to secure it in the correct place may cause the straps to slide off, leaving your child at risk.

4. Always follow the rules of the road when your children are in the car with you, their education starts early.

5. Ensure the rear-facing seat sits at an angle of 45-degrees. If the car seat is too flat it could cause the baby to slip and if it’s too upright it could squeeze their airway.

6. When your child is too big for a car seat to move them into a high-back booster seat, it provides extra safety in the event of a car accident.

7. When your child is in a forward-facing car seat the harness straps should sit above their shoulder, this will provide them with the most protection.

8. When shopping for a car seat choose one that has a five-point harness, this will provide your child with the best protection.

9. If you’re driving with a toddler and it’s a long one, pull over so they can stretch their legs and run off their energy. It will keep them from kicking off and distracting your driving.

10. Do visit a professional to have your car seat inspected to ensure its properly installed. If you have more than one vehicle it may be wise to have more than one seat so that it doesn’t have to be removed often and switched from vehicle to vehicle.

Visit https://www.hotuksavings.co.uk/stores/kwik-fit/ to get incredible discount codes and voucher offers for your latest automotive needs. You don’t have to break the bend to keep your car in perfect running condition. Safety first. When you go shopping for your next car seat don’t be afraid to ask the salespeople about the safety information, you’d be surprised at how much information they can provide you with. Before you make your purchase do a bit of research online about the car seats you are looking at. You can find out more about its safety record.