Ensuring Your Child’s Car Seat Safety: A Checklist

Amelie Theron - 19 Aug 21

It may seem that child safety seats have been around forever, but they are a relatively new invention. Car seats for children were not invented until the 1960s, and did not become widely available or mandated in cars until the late 1970s or early 1980s. There are volumes of research that indicate having a child in a car safety seat greatly increases their chances of survival in the event of a crash. As a parent, you want your child to be as safe as possible all the time, especially in a car. How can you make sure your child’s car seat is as safe as possible? Here are some tips. 

Infants and Cushioning

Newborns and young infants do not have well-developed neck muscles. That’s why there is a car seat designed specifically to fit newborns and young infants. Infant car seats are intended to be rear-facing, and they resemble a basket. They cradle the infant with as much protection as possible. All infant car seats come with a piece of cloth shaped like a roller, to position a newborn’s head and neck comfortably and protect it from excessive rolling in an accident. If your child is a newborn, make sure you protect their head and neck using the cushions until their neck muscles are stronger. 

Head Strap for Toddlers

Unlike infants, toddler car seats look much like a chair. The seat has a strong back to help support a toddler’s back, head and neck in the event of a crash. Many toddlers get so comfortable in their car seats that they fall asleep. While many parents live for the moment their toddler takes a nap, you need to be careful if they nap in a car seat. Some parents choose to use a car seat head strap. Car seat head strap safety allows your toddler to nap in their car seat without their head dropping too far forward and making it difficult for them to breathe. The head strap will keep your toddler’s head comfortably in place and give you peace of mind as well. 

Upgrading Your Seats 

Parents may want to use their existing car seats for years, especially if they have multiple kids, but you need to keep in mind that car seats are always changing. Think about how much car seats have changed since they were developed. Over time, car seats have become much better at protecting children during the early years of their lives, but they must be constantly upgraded. 

Many police departments, fire departments, hospitals and schools offer seat checks throughout the year. That way, you can be sure that your child’s seat meets the current safety standards for car seats for their age, height, and weight. Also, many communities offer car seat trade in days. You can trade in or exchange an older car seat for a newer one. 

Keeping Your Child In A Car Seat 

One of the hardest things to handle as a parent driving a child around is the constant crying and complaining about the car seat. As your child gets older, they will want to sit in their car seat less, especially if they have older siblings who are car seat free. No matter how much they complain, keep your child safe and protected in their seat until they meet the age, height and weight requirements. 

For example, your infant will need a toddler seat between 18 months and two years of age. The guidelines for switching the infant to a toddler seat are on your child’s infant seat. In general, children have to be changed to a toddler seat when they reach 30 pounds, or when the top of their head is one inch or less from the top of the infant seat. 

Many parents rush their child from the booster seat to simply sitting in the car with no child safety seat at all, but that isn’t safe. Instead, keep your child in a booster until they reach four feet, nine inches tall. Once your child reaches that height, they have aged out of their child safety seats for good. 

Amelie Theron

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