Avoid These Common Car Seat Mistakes

Keep your baby safe by avoiding these common car seat mistakes.

September is Baby Safety Month, a month that asks parents to ensure that they are following the best practices to keep their children safe. In honor of this month, you should make sure that your kids are safe as they ride in your car. To ensure that your young children are safe, here are some of the common car seat mistakes that you need to avoid.

• Choosing the Wrong Seat

Many parents believe that every car seat is the same. However, this is not true as child car seats are specially designed for children of different ages, weights, and heights. This is why it’s important to check your child’s car seat and make sure that it is appropriate for your child’s current specifications. You might have to exchange your current car seat for a new one if the seat you are using is out of date or meant for a larger or smaller child.

• Incorrect Car Seat Placement

While you might feel like it’s safer to keep your child in the front seat where they are within easy reach, this is not accurate. The safest place for a child is in your car’s backseat where they will be away from airbags, a shattered windshield, and other exposures. Child safety experts recommend keeping all children in the backseat (even after they graduate from car seats) until they reach the age of 13.

• Improper Car Seat Direction

Finally, while it might make you nervous to not be able to see your child’s face, it’s actually safest to keep your child in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible (normally until the age of two). This is because rear-facing car seats offer better support for your infant’s head, neck, and spine and are specially designed to distribute crash forces across the shell of the seat.

These are some of the car seat mistakes that you need to avoid. Want another way to keep your children and your other passengers safe? Then make sure you have the proper auto insurance protections in place. For assistance with your car coverage needs, contact the experts at Robert J. Los Insurance Agency in Hamburg, New York.