Seen those baby on board bumper stickers? How about the Baby inside stickers that look like the intel processor chip logo? There is no doubt that the baby in the car is the most precious cargo in the vehicle, and worthy of letting everyone know that you are carrying valuable cargo, but there is also some important things you need to do to keep the baby safe. Baby car seats hold your most precious cargo. Whether you are running down the street for a gallon of milk, or you are going cross country on vacation, you should always make sure that your baby is strapped properly in the car seat. There is the right and wrong way to do this, so lets take a look at what it takes to make sure you are on the right side of the baby car seat set up.
You should always put your baby car seat in the backseat of the car. The reason for this is many fold. Some of the key reasons are that your baby will be in the most centered location of the car, should you get in an accident. The backseat of the car give the child the best odds of minimizing impact. The other reason is the front drivers air bag. You do not want the air bag deploying on the child should you get into an accident. If you are driving a truck, then you have no other option, except to strap the baby in the middle of the seat and not next to the door. But, if you are driving a truck, then you really should consider other options in transportation. Your child should be worth that extra consideration.
When you install your baby car seat into the back seat of the car, you want your baby to face the back of the car. If your baby is facing the front of the car, then car seat is not put in correctly. Not only should the baby face the back of the car, but the car seat should not be standing up straight. The car seat should be sitting on the seat of the car as if your baby is in the lying down position while inside of it. Many infant car seats have a level marker so that you can get it just perfect when you are installing the car seat into your vehicle. Depending on the age of the baby, you may be able to have the car seat facing forward, but that is typically for toddlers. Check the manufacturers recommendations to be sure you have your child facing the right way.
Again, make sure your child is in the center of the back seat. Placing the baby car seat in the middle of the back seat will keep your baby from getting much direct impact from a probable car accident. Also, be sure that the seatbelt is snug around the baby car seat, so that it can not be moved. Always be sure that the seatbelt is buckled as well. When you try to move the carseat, it should be snug and not have a great deal of play. If you can shake the seat around, you run the risk of a snapping motion in event of an impact. The carseat should feel like an integral part of the back seat...as one unit.
Lastly, remember that the baby car seat is a safety piece of equipment, not a fashion piece. While you probably have a nice seat for your baby, don't get hung up on the fact that you may need to change the seat when you child out grows it, or if something were to happen to it.
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