Car Seat Safety

Now that we are firmly in winter, it’s important to talk about car seat safety for babies and kids. Some people may be new parents and not aware of what you should and shouldn’t do in the winter with car seats.  I know when I was a new mom, I didn’t know everything about it. Car seat safety is always important to know. 

Keep your child refacing as long as possible. Most car seats now will accommodate being rear facing. When Noah was a baby, you were supposed to turn your child around when they turned one. Now, it’s two or as long as your child is comfortable. 

Never place a child in a coat in their car seat. The coat will prevent the straps from fitting properly. Have blankets to keep the child warm in the car. Make sure to bring a coat to keep them warm when they are outside of the car. 

Always replace the car seat when it expires. Yes they do expire. Never buy a used car seat. It’s illegal to purchase a used seat in a thrift store. The reason for this is that you never know if the car seat has been in an accident. Not everyone is honest. 

If you are in an accident, regardless of physical damage to a car seat replace it. Better to be safe than sorry. 

Don’t leave baby car seats out in the really cold temperatures. If it’s easy to remove and reinstall bring it inside. 

Make sure you have the proper car seat for your child. There are certain weight limits for car seats. Trust me I know it’s a pain as a mom who had to buy three car seats for Noah before he was one years old. To be fair, one of them I just didn’t like. The third one was because he was a big baby and exceeded the weight limit around six months old. 

When throwing out an old car seat cut the straps so it doesn’t get used by anyone else. You can save expired or old seats and use them for trade in programs that some retailers have. You end up getting a discount on a new seat.