Car Seat Safety Tips For Parents
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Author: Uber Kids
When it comes to car seats, you’ll hear a lot of conflicting advice about what you should and shouldn’t do. This can make it difficult for parents to know what’s best!
To provide you with a little guidance, here are 5 car seat safety tips from the team at Uber Kids:
- Be clear on which car seat your child needs to be in
Car seats are all classified into ‘groups.’ These groups are determined either by weight or by height. As children grow at different rates, an approximate age is attributed to each of these groups:
- Group 0+:0-13kg (Birth to 12-15 months)
- Group 0+/1: 0-18kg (Birth to 4 years)
- Group 1: 9-18kg (9 months to 4 years)
- Group 2/3:15-36kg (4 years to 12 years)
- Group 3: 22-36kg (6 – 12 years)
- Group 1/2/3:9-36kg (From around 9 months up to 12 years).
- Take off bulky coats and chunky knits this winter
As the weather grows cooler, it may seem easier to strap your tot into their harness in the coat, jacket or snow suit that they’re wearing, but in doing this, you may be putting them in danger. By leaving their bulky coats on, you’re creating a gap between your child and their safety harness. This means that, should you be in a collision, the harness isn’t as close to their body as it needs to be in order to restrain them properly.
So, remove any coats and jackets, then pull the harness tight enough so that you can get two fingers between your child and the straps. If your little one is feeling the chill, tuck a blanket in around them OVER the harness to keep them warm.
- Keep children rear facing for as long as possible
Legally your child should be in a rear facing car seat up until they’re 15 months old. It’s then advised that you keep your little one in a rear facing car seat until they’re at least 2 to 3 years old. Many parents worry about their child’s legs when they’re sitting frog-legged or cross-legged in their seats. Don’t fret about this as children are far more flexible than adults, so these positions are perfectly comfortable, plus research has shown this to be a safer position for them to be in.
- Be wary of toys in the car
When you’re travelling in the car, it’s easy to give your little one toys to keep them entertained, especially on longer journeys. Make sure you’re only giving them toys that are soft and will not hurt others travelling in the car in the event of a crash. During a collision, any loose heavy items will be thrown forward with force which could seriously injure other passengers in the car.
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- Been in an accident? Your car seat may need replacing
Many parents don’t realise that they may need to replace their car seats following a collision, no matter how small the collision may have been or if your child was in the seat at the time! In a collision, car seats can be weakened meaning they may not perform as well subsequently. The best thing to do if you have been involved in any kind of accident is to contact the manufacturer of the seat to ask for their advice. Some manufacturers, like Maxi-Cosi, will swap your car seat for a brand new one, free of charge, depending on the circumstances.
For more car sear safety advice, take a look at the Uber Kids blog where you’ll find up-to-date professional advice: https://blog.uberkids.com