Today’s Did-You-Know: Car Seat Edition

Did you know….

• That U.S. law states you can turn your baby forward-facing at a year old, as long as he weighs 20 lbs?
• That the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping your child rear-facing until age two?
• That many people would recommend that even two is too young, and that in Sweden kids often rear-face until age four? This is to give your child’s neck time to strengthen, and his body to catch up proportionally to his head. That way, there is less of a risk of spinal-cord injuries during a crash.
• That car seats have expiration dates? And you should definitely pay attention to them!
• That accepting a used car seat is very risky? Even a small accident can adversely affect the car seat’s integrity and safety. And on that note…
• That you should get your car seat inspected after any crash?
• That putting your child in a car seat while she wears a heavy coat is dangerous? Just turn on the heat, use multiple thin layers, or drape a blanket over her after she is strapped in (Note: never strap your child in with anything, even a thin blanket, between her and the harness).
• That the chest clip on a car seat needs to be at armpit level for maximum safety?
• That the perfect harness tightness means that you can’t pinch any slack in the straps? (Please don’t squish your kiddo though—I occasionally would accidentally overtighten the straps, which is not comfortable for munchkins)
• That it is NOT safe to put your infant seat on your shopping cart? I know that it looks stable, but far too many accidents happen each year. If you don’t want to babywear, use a stroller, or carry your tot, please place the infant car seat inside the main shopping cart compartment. That little front area is not meant for balancing car seats, it’s meant for tiny tushies.

Those are a lot of Did-You-Knows, but car seat safety is incredibly important, and I think we can all benefit from a refresher now and then.