Buckle Your Kids!

My company has put out another car seat public service announcement, with Jacob as the star, on why parents absolutely need to buckle their kids correctly in car seats. I cannot stress enough the importance of car seat safety. If you read the manual, its not enough. If you listened to the hospital staff, its not enough. If you think you're doing it right, its not enough. Have your local fire department check the car seat. Can you believe that 98% of parents in our county do not buckle their car seats correctly? That's only 2% of children riding around safely! Some aren't even buckled in at all!

Tips on How To Install a Car Seat Correctly
1. The seat belt should lock and then be tightened holding the car seat in place.
2. The base or car seat needs to be so tight it doesn't move when you try.
3. Straps on the car seat around your child should be tight enough that they pass the "pinch test". This is when you try to pinch the strap and you can't. But don't put them too tight.
4. The strap lock should be at or about your child's armpit level.
5. Make sure straps fit at or above the shoulders.
6. Place the car seat in the middle of the back of the car if possible. That way if you are hit on the side by another car, your child will be less impacted in the middle.
7. Newborns under 1 need to be in a rear-facing seat. Toddlers 1 year and up can be in a front-facing seat...Very important: Do not place baby front-facing before a year, even if they are big enough. A baby's neck muscles are not strong enough to withstand a head on collision.
8. Keep children in a booster seat, in the back seat, until they are at least 8 years old.