Paramedics Share Important Car Seat Safety Advice

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Correct car seat use is so important.

Recently an Australian couple, both paramedics, took to Facebook to demonstrate exactly how important it is that a child be in a safe car seat with the straps properly adjusted.

Krystal Kleidon, the Mom behind the Facebook page Project Hot Mess and also, a paramedic. Her husband is a paramedic too and along with their four-year-old son, they shared just how crucial it is that a child’s car seat straps be tight enough.

The image says it all.

Note that chest clips are not used in Australia, so that’s why their son’s car seat doesn’t have any.

This photo is striking and makes a point about the true purpose of a car seat — to make sure a child stays put, no matter what. In order for that to happen, the straps have to be tight.

Kleidon begins the post by acknowledging what a hot-button issue car seats can be in the parenting world. “I’m a member of a lot of mothers groups and communities and the discussion around car seats is ALWAYS a heated one. People give their opinions on rear facing vs forward facing, side seat vs middle seat, chest clip height (FYI – Australia doesn’t use chest clips), straps, wearing jumpers… if there’s something to have an opinion on, it has been discussed before.”

She goes on to say how with a combined 20+ years as paramedics, Kleidon and her husband are in the unique position of having witnessed plenty of kids surviving horrific car wrecks. And the one thing all those very fortunate children had in common was that they were properly restrained in a safe car seat.

“Between my husband and I, in our 20 years experience, we have NOT seen a single child harmed in a car accident where the child was restrained in their seat properly. Not a single one,” she writes.

Kleidon explains, “When you become a parent you spend AGES researching the ‘best’ car seat. You look for safety features, star ratings and reviews and fret over if you can afford the best. But, it doesn’t matter how much money you spend on a car seat if you DON’T strap your child in.”

The couple also dispels the notion that the car seat should be a pricey one. That’s not how it works. “We’ve seen car seats ejected from vehicles, we’ve seen cars that have rolled over so many times you can barely tell which way is up, we’ve seen accidents where you would be certain there would be no survivors.”

“But in our experience, the biggest difference between a child’s safety hasn’t been if they were in the $600 car seat or the $200 one. It’s been about those straps,” she shares.

Her last bit of advice relates to the photo: “Would you be confident in doing THIS to them? Would you be confident in turning your child upside down in their seat?”