Baby Safety Car Seats

It seem that even though parents take such a good deal of time in picking a good quality baby car seat for the car, among the most distressing facets of baby safety on the roads is that many times parents don't set the seat in correctly.

Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have shown that about 80% of child safety seats are poorly fitted or ill-used.

These studies show that the most common mistakes parents made were not tightening the harness straps that they were too slack and safety harness attachments are often incorrectly fastened. These errors are outlined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as vital since there is a possibility of life-threatening trauma in the case of an accident. Therefore many child safety seats are not as safe and secrue as parents may believe.

So many parents are wondering now, how can their babies be safe while traveling in the car?

First and foremost, parents to need to make certain that they are using the proper style of seat for their baby's age and weight, and also that it is facing the correct way. Many multi-purpose child car seats can be equipped to face either forward or backward and then can get adjusted as the child grows. Infants under the age of one and also below 20 lbs in weight should have a rear-facing car seat. It is important to mention that every child safety seat, whether facing forward or backward, should only be placed in the back seat of the car.

Many parents will also just buy the infant seat for newborns. These care seats are specifically fashioned to be rear-facing only, as the baby grows then you will be required to buy a new child car seat. The plus side is the infant car seat will be a closer fit for your infant and they are also easier to store and transport since it is smaller. Many parents then carry around their sleeping baby in their safety seat.

You could also choose to purchase a convertible car seat that can be accommodated to suit babies and toddlers. Convertible car seats tend to be bigger and more heavy-duty than the infant car seats, thus being more likely to keep it in the car most of the time. These car seats will be placed in the rear facing position for infants and then when the baby either becomes one or weighs over 20 lbs, then the car seat can be swung around to face forward. A convertible car seat will typically accommodate children up to 40 lbs.

However it really doesn't matter what style of seat you choose, what is important is that it fits correctly. So it is very important that you study both the instructions that come with the car seat and also the owner's manual for your car. Start, by making certain that you have the seat securely and correctly buckled into the car. Then make certain you know how to fix and secure the harness straps that keep your baby within the seat.

If you are at all in doubt then get your baby's seat checked out by a certified technician. United States visitors can check out http://www.seatcheck.org to obtain a child safety seat inspection center near you.

Whenever you're thinking about purchasing a secondhand seat or one is given to you as a gift, consider the age and shape that the seat is in. Car seats that have been previously used by many kids in a family, or car seats that have been in an accident, could possibly be battered or worn out and not safe for a child. The tag should give you the date stamp of manufacture and you shouldn't use a seat that is more than five years old. Also make certain that you have the manufacturer's instructions and that all the parts are enclosed. If you lose the instructions then you can probably find a copy online, just make certain you have the correct manual for your safety seat. If not, don't use the seat. Although it may have been given as a gift, it's not worth taking the risk.