Why Do You Need to Know About Car Seat Safety?

Importance of Car Seats

Almost all parents know the importance of car seats for their children, but many don’t know all the specifics about how to use them safely. Installing and using a car seat properly is crucial to your child’s safety in the event of a car accident. 

The best way to save your kids from accidents when they are in a car is by using a car seat. Car crashes are one of the top reasons for the injury and death of kids. That is why everyone should follow car seat laws to save the lives of their loved ones. 

But how to keep your kid secure depends on selecting the right car safety seat and using it properly. The optimum car seat should be the one that fits your kid’s size, weight, and age, also your vehicle. 

Here are a few things to understand to choose the right seat for your kid

1. Select a seat that exceeds Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213. 
2. Learn how to set up the seat and use the strap before your kid’s first ride.  
3. Visit a child car seat store to confirm if you have set up the seat correctly.
4. If you’re using a second-hand seat, be very careful. 
5. Don’t use the seat if it was in a crash. It might be damaged in a lot of ways you cannot foresee.
6. Don’t use a car seat that lacks a manufacture date, expiry date, and model number.   
7. Don’t use it if you see any cracks or other signs of wear and tear on the seat. Contact your manufacturer and ask how long the seats can be used safely.
8. Ensure to fill the registration card of your item, so you get recalls immediately. 
9. For babies, you can use rear-facing or convertible seats. With age, kids switch to forward-facing seats. Here is which seat to use and when. 

Types of Car Seats

Infant-only Seats

This seat fits newborns. You have to purchase another one when your baby grows. These infant seats are designed to save your kids from birth unless they reach up to 30 pounds (depends on the model). 

Infant seats must be set up to face the rear of the vehicle. A small kid is less prone to die or be severely injured when faced in a rear position. This is due to the back of the safety seat, which will hold the head and neck of the baby in a crash. A kid’s neck is very fragile to bear a crash at this stage. 

Infant-only seats are easy to use, but don’t let your kid spend excessive time at home or daycare. This can limit the movement and stimulation of your baby, which is essential for developing motor and sensory movements. 

Convertible Seats

 These seats are designed to save kids from birth to forty pounds facing backward and from sixty pounds to eighty pounds facing forward (depending on the model).

 Convertible seats can be put in different positions relying on the size and age of a kid: 

1. They face rear unless a kid is all set to face forward.
2. Then, they could be turned around and switched to a forward-facing seat. 
3. Few car seats are also known as all in one because they switch from real to front-facing to booster with the strap removed. 

These seats are:

• Heavy and not very handy
• Must be used just for traveling purpose
• It could be reasonable because you may not want to purchase an individual infant seat. 
• It’s a good choice for bigger babies who outgrow their infant seat but still need to be faced rear. 

Forward-Facing Seats

These seats are designed to save kids from twenty to eighty pounds or more (depending on the model).

All children that have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their car seat must use a forward-facing seat with a full strap. They must only switch to a booster seat that depends on the seat belt of the adult vehicle when they pass the weight and height limit for their forward-facing car seat. 

Air Bags

Airbags save adults and teenagers from severe injury when combined with safety belts during a crash. They have secured lives and avoided a lot of accidents and injuries. But younger kids could be harmed or die if they ride in the front traveler seat when an airbag opens. 

Airbags are specially designed to keep adults in mind. They should open up to two hundred miles per hour with great power to save a standard size, one hundred and sixty-five pounds male from the accident. While this power is fine for adults and bigger children, it could be risky for small babies, probably leading to neck and head injuries. 

 Save your babies or toddlers from airbags injury by following these guidelines.

1. It’s always suggested to never place a rear-facing infant seat in the vehicle’s front seat because it has a passenger-side airbag.
2. Place a kid safety seat in the back seat of the vehicle. 
3. If you have no other choice left but to place a kid in the front (that is, if your vehicle is a two-seater or if the car seat would not fit in the back seat), pull the traveler seat as far away as it would go. 
4. All children under twelve years of age must always ride on the back seat and in the center of the back seat whenever possible. All travelers should have their seatbelts tied up. 
5. One of the car seat laws enables car manufacturers to set up a manual cut-off switch that temporarily disables a traveler-side airbag. As suggested by National Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA), if you place a kid in a booster seat in the vehicle’s front seat and your vehicle has this cut-off switch, utilize it to hinder the airbag for the whole ride. Be very sure to switch the airbag back on when removing the booster seat. 

Get Your Car Seat Checked

If you have just installed a car seat or want help setting up, get help from a car seat inspection station. Certified mechanics will check your car seat free and show you how to set it up correctly.