Children’s safety when it comes to travelling in a car is hugely important. These days as the weather is getting colder we all wrap up well to protect ourselves from the cold, however, apparently it’s very dangerous to wrap kids up in a big coat and strap them into their car seats.
Sue Auriemma from Kids and Cars showed the TODAY show just how dangerous the move can be. Despite the fact that it may look like your child is securely fastened into their seats, the reality is that the straps are actually dangerously loose.
Although it may look and feel secure, the few extra inches of fabric and filler can have fatal consequences. According to the TODAY show “At an official crash test lab in Michigan, a child dummy that appeared to be securely strapped into a car seat came hurtling out of it in a simulated 30-mph crash.”
Experts say it is best to secure your child without their coat on in a car seat, and the same advice applies for adults too. Sue Auriemma says “Instead of putting the coat on him, you can put the coat over him to keep him warm. Or you can use a blanket.”
Here is a video produced by The Car Seat Lady, demonstrating the hidden dangers of wearing thick coats while in a car seat:
The Car Seat Lady has a lot of tips and tricks on her website on how to keep a child warm while being securely fastened in at the same time. You can check out the posts here: http://thecarseatlady.com/warmandsafe/
Here I have summarized a list of tips found on simplemost.com to help to keep your children safe.
- Expensive seats aren’t always the safest.
2. Make sure the seats are facing the right way.
3. Make sure your child meets all the requirements for graduating from a booster seat.
According to Car Seats for the Littles these five steps must be considered when deciding if it is safe for a child to be without a booster seat
- Their knees bend comfortably at the edge, with their feet flat on the floor.
- Their bum is all the way back in the seat.
- The lap belt lies low on the hips, at the top of the thighs.
- The shoulder belt crosses on the collarbone.
- The tween/teen can stay seated like this for the entire ride.
You can check out the full article here: https://csftl.org/the-five-step-test/
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