Something that is very important to me is car seat safety. Three years ago today, Becky Fletcher, friend of my sister’s, lost her 6 month old baby when they were rear ended. Although her baby was actually in the car seat properly, Becky’s mission is to make sure everyone knows proper installation and fit. From this article in Union-Bulletin.com, which tells the story of the event: “Ultimately, her message is not that car seats are ‘100 percent guaranteed, but what you do have control over is being absolutely sure you’re using it correctly’.”
A lot of people feel like car seats on vacation are not as important as at home. I see people at the airport jump into a cab with their toddlers and no car seat. Traveling with car seats truly can be a hassle. But there are many ways to make using car seats on vacation less painful. Here is a 3-part series from Trips With Tykes with all you need to know about flying with car seats. I couldn’t have written it better!
Whether or not you bring your car seats with you on your trips, please do check these links for information on safely installing and fitting your car seats. It is said that 68% of us are not using our car seats correctly. Be sure you’re not one of them. The last thing any of us wants to worry about in the event of a car crash is, “Did I install my car seat correctly?”
Please share this post and these links with your friends. If even one life is saved with the knowledge of proper car seat installation and fit, it is worthwhile.
Helpful Links:
Picture Guide to Car Seat Safety (Daily Momtra) I really like this post with photos of the right and wrong way to adjust a car seat.
KidsSafe.org lists by state the places where you can have your car seat checked for proper installation:
The Car Seat Lady is a great resource with safety tips and videos, car seat reviews and fit tips, and more.
This is how we manage getting our car seat through the airport, using GoGoBabyz TravelMate, which attaches to the car seat, turning it into a stroller. You can read more about how we manage the car seat in these posts: #1 Travel Item Flying With Toddlers A Mom and Two Kids Fly Standby