Winter Car Seat Safety

Yes, I'm on my car seat safety kick (yet) again.  I hope that all of my readers are aware of new AAP recommendations to rear face up to at least 2 years of age.  If you don't trust me, google "internal decapitation" and then tell me you are comfortable forward facing your barely one year old.  The 1 year or 20 pound rule for forward facing is outdated.


And I don't want to hear the "but his/her legs will be squished" or "he/she wants to look around" nonsense excuses.  Of course I can't forget my all time favorite: "but I didn't use a car seat and I turned out just fine" excuse.  Seriously?  Seriously, people!?  Yes, you may *think* you turned out fine but there's hundreds of other people who weren't so fortunate.  It's your child's safety we're talking about. 
 
Don't forget that the chest clip on a 5 point harness system should be on the chest (imagine that!) or parallel to your child's armpits.  Make sure that the vertical straps that go over your child's shoulders cannot be pinched and you cannot fit more than 2 fingers under the straps.  This ensures that your child stays in their car seat if you are in a crash.  Car seats should not move side to side more than 1 inch, using either the LATCH system or seat belt.  If you ever have a doubt, most fire departments do free car seat inspections!

Anyway...I digress. :)  Back to winter car seat safety...

With the changing of the seasons, comes changing of wardrobes!  Here are a few tips for keeping your little one safe in the car during the winter:

• Bulky winter coats pose a safety risk when used with a 5 point harness seat.  These winter coats will compress during a crash which can potentially eject your child from the seat since the straps are not actually holding your baby in the seat. 
• An alternative to using a bulky winter coat is to layer your children's clothes and/or use fleece jackets to keep them warm.  Fleece does not compress and allows you to get a tight fit using the 5 point harness system.
• If you MUST use your bulky winter coat, put the coat in the car seat first.  Then place your child in the seat and connect all harness pieces. Once the baby is in the seat, pull arms through the jacket and zip/button up around the harnesses.   This ensures that the baby is properly strapped in and warm.
• Warm your car up before putting baby in (duh)!
• Use blankets for warmth.

Safe driving! 

This blog also has some great info, check it out!