Car Seat Safety

I recently bought a new car and I wasn't sure how to properly install the car seat. I had always thought it had been installed improperly in my previous car but I wasn't sure. I decided to make an appointment at my local fire station to have it checked out. I learned some great things that I wanted to share. First you should always read your car's instruction manual and see if there is a section on car seat installation. If you don't have your car manual I am sure you can google it. It was so easy to install the car seat after we read the manual. Second if your car has leather seats and you don't want to damage the leather you shouldn't use a towel. I found out that it actually affects how much the car seat will slide and is a hazard. Instead use the shelf liner sheet that has the grips on it. You can purcahse a roll at any 99 cent store.

 

Non Slip Shelf Liner

Thirdly the plastic harness that is suppose to go across the baby's body should be at arm pit level. I always put this part of the car seat across the top of her abdomen which is wrong. It can hurt her in case of an accident. Lastly is the car seat mirror. I bought one of these mirrors so I can see my daughter when I am driving. I never knew what a hazard they were. These mirrors are not tested for safety in car accidents. Most of the mirrors have hard backs and can fly off in an accident. Worst of all you usually point the mirror at your child's head, can you imagine that mirror flying towards your child's face at 60 mph? So you must never use a car seat mirror and if you know someone who has a mirror please let them know what a safety hazard it is!