When parents drive, they know they are carrying precious cargo. We know parents want to pay careful attention to car safety for their children—especially as they grow and car safety recommendations change. To help keep everyone in your car safe, we’re sharing a few car seat safety tips for preschool parents.
Choosing the Right Car Seat
The type of car seat you choose for your child depends on their height and weight. Your child will cycle through a rear-facing, forward-facing, and booster seat before safely using a seat belt. Along the way, it’s crucial to know when your child should be using which type of seat, safely.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing a car seat for your child:
- Your child’s first car seat should be rear-facing until they surpass the height and weight limits set by the car seat manufacturer, usually around two years old.
- Once they outgrow their first car seat, you will then look for a forward-facing seat that accommodates their height and weight—many of which go up to 65 pounds or more.
- Once they surpass the height and weight limit of their forward-facing seat, you will move to a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached the appropriate height (which is typically 4’ 9”) for the seatbelt alone to fit appropriately.
Most importantly, you will want to check your state’s car seat laws, as well as the standards set by your car seat’s manufacturer to verify the limits set for that particular seat. Ensure that you thoroughly read the installation instructions and safety precautions that accompany your car seat as well.
5 Car Seat Safety Tips
Choosing the correct car seat is essential, but the opportunities for safer car rides doesn’t stop there. Several other factors contribute to keeping your child safe on your daily drive.
Consider these car seat safety tips:
- Register your car seat. A lesser-discussed safety tip when thinking of car seat safety is registering your car seat with the manufacturer. This step provides the manufacturer with your contact information to notify you in the event that there is a safety recall.
- Know how to buckle up right. It’s critical that you make sure to review and practice proper procedures for your car seat’s harness and strap adjustments. Also keep in mind that winter coats or other bulky or puffy clothing poses a risk to your child regardless of how well they are buckled into their seat. Above all, make sure you are up to speed on how to secure your child safely as they grow into the various stages of their car seat.
- Take note of the expiration date. Many don’t know that car seats expire around six to ten years after their production. After the expiration date, the integrity of your car seat’s materials could deteriorate.
- Have your car seat checked by a certified technician. To ensure that your car seat is installed correctly, have it checked again by a person trained in car seat safety. You can use Buckle Up for Life to search for a car seat technician near you. The site is also a free resource that shares a plethora of information about keeping your child safe in the car. While not every firefighter, police officer, or nurse is a certified child passenger safety technician, you might also check with your local public safety departments to see if they offer this helpful service.
- Stay up-to-date on car seat safety with trusted resources. For more information about car seat safety guidelines, please visit the CDC’s resource page for Child Passenger Safety. As car seat laws vary by state, you can learn more about the car seat laws in your area on the Governors Highway Safety Association website.
Contact us with any questions or to schedule a virtual tour of your local school. If you would like to learn more about what The Gardner School is doing to keep our students safe, please visit our Coronavirus Information and Resources page.