Your child’s safety is paramount while traveling in a car or vehicle. Therefore it should be the first priority for every parent.
Choosing the right car seat
Different car seats are obtainable for children of different ages, and you can buy different sizes to correlate with your child growing up.
Start with an infant car seat for your newborn, then you could invest in a convertible car seat as your child reaches the age of 6 months and then, finally, you can buy a booster car seat when your child reaches the age of 1 years old.
Infant seats are suggested for newborn babies as they give you the autonomy to take the seat out of the vehicle and carry it around with you easily. This is a great asset if you are out and about, like shopping or visiting friends. Infant car seats come with 5-point harness systems and are put in the car in a rear facing position which presents the utmost protection to your child.
Convertible car seats can also be installed in a rear facing position, but they cannot be disconnected from the car, which is a key negative aspect for using them for infants.
Installing the seat properly
The next thing to guarantee after you have bought the seat is setting it up properly in your vehicle.
Rear facing seats should be installed at the back seat instead of the front passenger seat, as they can have problems with the vehicle’s air bag. Always get your air bags and other maintenance issues tested by professionals, like GSM Automotive.
You should also make sure that the seat is latched in properly. You may need to get a few extra latching clips to lock the seat securely in place. Make sure the seat does not move more than an inch at the base once it is installed. Anything more than an inch means that the seat is not fitted properly and can cause problems.
Don’t use extra accessories on the car seat
Car seats are tested by the producer without adding any additional accessories. Using extra car seat accessories which have not been produced and tested by the manufacturer can actually hurt the baby if an accident occurs.
Accessories like a toy bar (for example) can cause injury to your baby in the event of a crash. Extra items attached with the car seat can also change the way a seat is intended to perform in a crash. Therefore, using any extra items with your baby car seat should be shunned at all costs.
Using a baby car seat for your child not only makes sure of your child’s protection but it also gives you the reassurance that your child is in safe hands. Studying and reading reviews is a good way to make a decision on which car seat will go with your vehicle and will fit your child the best. Testing the car seats with your baby in it is also a good thing to do before you actually buy the car seat.
It’s a never ending battle of making your cars better and also trying to be better yourself.