Car Seats: What You Should Know
My sister recently purchased a car seat for my 13 month old niece. My sister sent me a text frantically asking for my advice:
“I can’t get the thing to fit in my car and I have tried every possible way. I think I might have to return it!”
My sister wants to be the best mother possible and feels that keeping her daughter in a rear facing seat is the safest possible position until she gets older. According to healthychildren.org, thousands of young children are killed or injured in car accidents each year, all due to improper use of car seats! There are so many car seats for purchase out there, here are some tips to finding and purchasing a car seat that is right for your child.
First of all, the type of seat your child will need will depend greatly on their age, size and the type of vehicle you drive.
Infants and toddlers should be placed in rear-facing only seats and rear-facing convertible seats until they are at least two years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
Toddlers and Preschoolers should be placed in convertible seats and forward-facing seats with harnesses. These types of car seats, according to healthychildren.org, should be used as long as possible and follow the car seat manufacturer’s guidelines.
School-aged children should be placed in booster car seats until the vehicle’s seat belt fits properly. This is typically achieved when a child has reached 4 feet 9 inches in height.
To learn more about car seat safety, such as how to properly install a car seat and view images of the different styles of car seats mentioned above, please start your research on the following websites:
Thanks for listening!
~Kayla