Fitting a car seat correctly is as important as buying the correct car seat for your baby in the first place. An incorrectly fitted child seat can be as dangerous as not using a child seat at all!
Choosing the right baby car seat – The ideal method to ensure the correct fitting is to purchase the car seat from a reputable store with fully trained personnel that can demonstrate how to fit car seats correctly prior to purchase and then let you practice fitting it yourself. Additionally, once you get the seat home – do not attempt to fit until you have read all the manufacturer’s instructions. Once you are confident you can fit the seat correctly please keep instructions in glove box for future reference.
You will find that many online baby car seats reviews will actually score car seats on ease of fitting and clarity of instructions, this further re-enforces the importance of correct fitting. Please read the following tips which will help you to ensure your child seat is correctly fitted.
1) Push down on car seat when tightening the straps, this eliminates any excess movement caused by soft upholstery and ensures a secure fit.
2) Adjust the harness every time the seat is used. Many buckles will allow the straps to gradually loosen over time so this has to be checked regularly. Once you get into the habit of doing it every trip it only takes a few seconds. When doing this also check the condition of the straps for fraying or splitting, if you see any evidence of this then do not use the seat again. READ MORE
When considering the purchase of car seats for baby there are many factors to take into account, such as price, design, guarantee and safety ratings. These points are often well covered by manufacturers and retailers in their literature. However, we have included some additional factors below which many parents don’t consider (until its too late!) In addition, make sure you know how to fit baby car seats correctly prior to purchase.
Ease of removal and fitting
- How heavy is the seat? many seats weigh over 25lbs, this can be difficult to manoeuvre into the car and difficult to adjust to a snug fit once inside.
- Can you easily remove/fit the seat without straining? Sometimes a combination of the size of the seat and narrow door openings on smaller cars, can make it really awkward to position seat correctly
- Are the headrests/backrests/tensioning systems easy to adjust? Do you constantly have to refer to the manual for every small adjustment required, or are all adjustments intuitive and straightforward?
READ MORE
Why do we need car seats for babies?
Baby car seats are a matter of law in the UK since 2007. However, this is not just another “petty” law targeting motorists. Every year in the UK, 30 children (under 12) are killed while traveling in cars, with another 7000 injured. The proper use of baby car seats would have prevented many of these deaths and injuries. An unrestrained child (including children using adult seat belts or being held on parents lap) can be thrown forward with a force greater than 60 times their own weight, potentially seriously injuring other occupants and with a high risk of being ejected from the car through a window, often with horrifying results. The only safe way for a child to travel in a vehicle is to be secured using a car seat specifically designed for their weight and size, ensuring that the seat is fitted correctly, if you are unsure about fitting please see How to fit child car seats correctly.
Choosing the best car seats for baby. The first thing to remember about car seats is that the features you look for will change as your baby grows. For a newborn baby car seat a rear facing seat will be required, progressing to a forward facing seat for toddlers and finally a booster seat for young children.
Rear-facing car seats for baby are designed for infants under twelve months, sometimes referred to as “newborn baby car seats”. The seat has to be big enough to support the baby’s head, neck, and spine. If you find that the baby’s head is higher than the top part of the seat, then you need to get a bigger size. There is a choice between 3 and 5 point harnesses, 5 point harnesses offer slightly better protection but are very restrictive. READ MORE
Clear children backpacks for school
Clear backpacks are becoming increasingly desirable school accessories for children. In facy, many school districts across the United States are requiring that students carry clear backpacks to school as a safety measure to prevent children taking weapons, drugs or anything else undesirable into school areas. Even though many parents are more than happy to comply they are also faced with purchasing the items that traditionally can have a relatively short lifespan. Unfortunately, some clear backpacks have a reputation for wearing out prematurely and definitely long before the traditional backpacks made out of canvas, denim or other sturdy materials.
The Sedona Small Clear Backpack is a good entry level clear bag measuring approx 16″ x 12″ x 5″ and has two generous pockets in the front and even a utility pocket on the side.
Clear plastic backpacks for schoolchildren
Safety is the most important issue, here but many people are spending way too much money on clear backpacks that fizzle out in less time than it takes to get dressed in the morning. You send you kid to school with a brand new book bag only to find it unraveling like a neurotic in a traffic jam by the time the kid steps off of the bus.
READ MORE
Obviously, child safety is paramount for all parents of small children and this has to include car safety. When a child reaches the age of three or four, they may be ready to graduate from car baby seat use, to a booster cushion. However, many parents are unaware that simply placing them in a seat belt is not enough. In order to ensure safety and avoid possible internal injury or even death, many experts agree that booster car seats may be necessary for children up to the age of nine! It really comes down to the size of the child so there are no hard and fast rules on age limits, some children may be ready for a booster seat or cushion by age 3 other would be at risk unless placed in a proper baby car seat before age 5!
It isn’t until people have children of their own that they realize how important car safety is for children. Baby car seats became a prime concern for new parents today but this has not always been the case, you do not have to go back many years to remember kids riding around in the front seats of cars in their parents laps! Most newbie parents today I’m sure, are looking for the best, safest car seat they can find.
READ MORE
