Car Seat Safety. - Cleveland,TN

This seems like a no brainer, but I am alarmed at the number of people that I know who do this: It's not ever okay to take your child out of his/her seat while the car is in motion just because they are crying or having a fit. A friend of mine nurses her child in the cargo area of their van while her husband drives. NOT okay.

Great post, J.! I am always a fan of people raising awareness to car seat safety. When I was a new mom, a friend of mine saw my son buckled loosely and she showed me how to properly buckle him. She did it with kindness and I chose not to take it as a slam on my parenting. :) I'm so glad she cared enough to step out and say something. I wish I had read your list when I was a new mommy!

The best advice is probably to get your install (with child in it) inspected at a carseat check. Seat check Saturday is coming in mid-September!

Also, the type of seat (to offer maximum safety, since why not?) is important. I rear-face to 4, harness to 8 and booster to 12. To do so, the Diono rear-faces older kids a long time, and the Frontier85 harnesses kids a long time. And, an average kid is about 11 before he/she fits the adult seatbelt, so don't rush him out of a booster. Some kids will fit sooner, but others won't.

If the seatbelt sits over the abdomen, in a crash that can cause fatal internal injuries. Less than $30 for a booster will position the belt over the stronger bones, which could save his life in a crash.

dont text or use the phone while your tot is in the car, and use your seatbelt, and make sure your child sees you put it on, they will want to use theirs because they see you using yours. we attached the babys carseat to the seat frame itself, that way the only way the carseat could come loose was if the seat itself came out, not real likely. when our daughter hit three feet tall( at two) we turned the carseat so it was facing forward, instead of backwards, gave her more leg room
K. h.

I love this post! Thank you! :)