10 Deadly car seat mistakes you might be making

1. Using your car seat wrong! Nationally, the misuse rate for child safety seats is over 80% and as high as 95% in some areas. That scares me more then i can put into words. Please make sure your using your car seat correctly and have the installation checked by a professional.

2. Using Both the LATCH system and a seat belt to install your car seat.  I understand the thinking that using both is safer when in fact its not. Use one or the other but never both. Just use the one that gets the best fit and you are most comfortable using. If you prefer to use LATCH and want the seat in the center, make sure your car has center LATCH (many do not)

3. Infant Carries should NOT be used on top of shopping carts! I know you have seen other moms do this but they are not made to work with a shopping cart. Visit here for more info

4. Forward facing to soon. even tho the law states that you can turn an infant at 1 year and 20lbs the American Academy of Pediatrics now advises parents to keep toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age two, or until they exceed the height or weight limit for the car seat.

5. Winter Coats and Car seats don't mix.

6. Chest clip belongs on the chest not the belly. Chest clip should be even with the armpits.


7. Not reading the owner manual. Always read the owners manuals for your vehicle and carseat thoroughly.  They often contain specific information about carseat installation that may not be obvious.  Some models may vary from what you would expect.

8. Make sure the harness is snug. You should not be able to pinch any strap or put more then one finger between your child's collarbone and the strap. The straps should be as Snug as a hug.

9. Don't buy used car seats. You never know the history of a seat when you buy used and saving money isn't worth risking your child's life.

10. Make sure the seat is adjusted correctly for your child and the way they are facing. Keep the harness straps at or below the shoulders while rear-facing and at or above the shoulders while front-facing.

Top 10 reasons extended rear facing is for us

Some of these will be funny and some serious.
1. It's 5 times safer to leave a toddler rfing until the max of your seat.
2. On long car rides miss bug will sleep (forward facing she won't)
3. She can't kick my seat if she's rear facing.She just kicks her own
4. It protects her neck and spine.
5. When I go through drive through I don't have to share. I can a hand her a healthy snack and drink my coffee in peace!
6. I have never had a toy chucked at my head. Tho she has chucked them at people in the 3rd row (sorry guys)
7. She can see everything we see just after we pass it.
8. I can easily hand stuff to her i just reach back without looking and she takes it.
9. She looks so comfy especially when shes all cuddled in with a movie and blanket for long car rides
10. Her legs are supported and not just dangling
These are not in any order and yes she has forward faced in her dads car a few times because the car seat will not install correctly rear facing.  Emmalynn will be 2 on November 21st is 3feet tall and 30lbs she is still comfortably rear facing and will continue to be until she has outgrown her seat.

Emmalynn Rfing at 17ms

16 & pregnant and carseat safety

A few nights ago a mom friend posted this picture on her face book and i was horrified when i saw it.

It is taken of her TV while she was watching 16 and pregnant. As you can tell the baby is improperly buckled into the car seat.

This is not only illegal but also extremely unsafe in the event of a car accident this baby could be ejected from her seat causing life threating injurys or death.

I have since went through all the other episodes of 16 and pregnant from this season. Sadly most the infants are buckled in imporoperly. By doing so they are putting the child at risk everytime they are in the car.  

A little carseat safty leason

The chest clip should be on the chest thing even with the arm pits

The straps should fit snug on baby

You should not be able to pinch webbing on the childs should your fingers should slide off

Picture borrowed from Britax, no copyright infringement intended.

For rear facing the straps should be AT or BELOW the top the infants shoulder.

Picture borrowed from orbitbaby.com, no copyright infringement intended.

Puffy jackets shoulf never be worn in carseats

Car seat safty should always be taken sersiously!

Its your childs life that is put a risk so please do the research and keep that baby safe!

Extened rear facing

When emmalynn was born it was a no brainer to put her rear facing(its the law) at the time i planned on switching her to forward facing at 1 year and the weight requirment. But then i started to do some research and learned that its up to 5 times safer for a child to rear face until the age of 2. Even after 2 its still safer for a child to rear face.

 I have talked to lots of moms and those that switched at a year always have a reason. I have heard some of the folowing and more.

My child is tall it jsut looks uncomfortable. My daughter is in the 95% for height she is tall and just fine.

My child crys the who time they are in the car seat rear facing. Emmalynn crys as well but i give her a toy or a book

Her feet are touching the seat and i am worried a broken leg. "there is not a single documented case of children's legs, hips, etc. breaking or being injured in a crash due to longer rear-facing. There are plenty of cases of head and neck injury in forward-facing children that could have been prevented if the child had remained rear-facing. However, even if a leg or hip were broken or injured, it can be fixed. A damaged spinal cord (from forward-facing too soon) cannot be repaired and subjects the child to lifelong disability or death." {from http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx}

But all of those are just EXCUSES!!

Please do the research beofre you switch your child!

What you would rather happen if your child is in a car wreck

Forward facing crash test

Rear facing crash test

Rear facing is safer

Emmalynn Rear facing at 16.5 Months in a Graco myride 65

she is upset that she has to be in the car seat