A Friendly Reminder

Many of you know how obsessed I've become about car seat safety. Some of you probably haven't had the pleasure of engaging me in "car seat talk". That's about to change, my friends.

There are several things to keep in mind now that the weather is changing for the better. Here are some things to double check before your next road trip.

**First off, bulky coats aren't for car seats. If, by chance, you've kept your kiddo in their heavy, bulky coat all winter, now you know not to do that next winter. ;)

It's always a good idea to check the fit of the harness straps periodically anyhow, but an even better idea when your child starts to wear fewer layers. Make sure that you can't pinch any of the strap together with your fingers. BUT make sure that it's not too tight. The idea is for them to be safe, not cut off their oxygen supply. ;)
IF your seat CAME WITH strap covers, feel free to use them. If your seat did not come with them, DO NOT BUY ANY. Anything that was in the box when you opened that seat for the first time was crash tested with that seat. Anything you find in the aisle next to the car seats at the store wasn't. In fact, no one tested that stuff. Skip it.

Also, make sure that the chest clip is located-you guessed it-on the chest. A good rule of thumb is to keep it even with your child's armpits. The reason for this is because their tummies are so so soft. In the event of an accident, you wouldn't want all of the force from the crash to be absorbed by that pudgy little tummy, would you? Not only that, but the lower the chest clip, the easier it is to wiggle those shoulders out. Trust me, you don't want a wild toddler loose in your car.

**While we're on the subject of the buckle and straps... It's a good idea to make sure that the seat hasn't accidentally become unbuckled (if you're using a seat belt).
This may sound really stupid, but it happened to us. We had out-of-town guests visiting so we went touring around town. Generally, no one else rides in the back seat of our car so it never even occurred to me to check the seat belt. We had driven around for a day after our family left with Alex's seat unbuckled! My aunt had accidentally hit his buckle instead of her own when getting out of the car. Super easy to do.

Also, make sure you're using all your seat has to offer. If you have LATCH and aren't sure exactly what you're supposed to be doing with it, read this. LATCH isn't safer than a lap belt or vise versa. It's not which method you use, it's how well you use it. If you're following the directions in your car seat manual and car manual about how to install a seat (with either method) then you will be fine. Here are some common LATCH mistakes.

Please, please, please make sure that you're securing the seat in the vehicle properly! You can be so diligent about how your child is buckled in but if the seat isn't fastened properly it isn't going to do a thing to protect your child.

**Most of us carry around a snow scraper during the winter months. (Some of you are very lucky and don't have the honor.) It's so tempting to just toss it into the car when you're done using it, whether it be on the floor in the front or back seat. Please resist this urge. Snow scrapers are very sharp on the end! I heard a good phrase the other day. The woman said, "Don't leave anything unsecure in the car that you wouldn't hit your child with over the head." I'm fairly sure none of us would hit our children over the head with ANYthing. The items (including that snow scraper) that aren't anchored down in your car can simply become projectiles in an accident.
This spring, when you exile the snow scraper, take the time to exile other objects that could potentially fly around the car in an accident.

**On the subject of projectiles... With sunnier days approaching, it's really tempting to install a window shade for your little cutie. Resist that temptation. Suction cups are by no means fail proof. There's not a whole lot keeping those suckers (pun intended) stuck to the window.

Finally, there are so many good resources out there to help you with any car seat question or issue you may be having. Call your local State Police barracks and ask them if/when they do seat checks. Most stations do them at least one day a month by appointment. If they don't, they should be able to direct you to a location that does do checks.

We all know that we should never trust everything we read online BUT here are two of my favorite sites.
The Car Seat Lady and Car-Seat.org Car-seat.org has great resources if you're looking for a particular car/seat combination. Just type in the make and model of your car and the seat you have and I guarantee there will be posts to guide you in the right direction.