Car Safety For Children
Children spend many hours in a car each week. In carpool to and from day care or school. On quick trips with Mommy or Daddy to the grocery. Drives to playdates, the park, and many other places.
How can you ensure your child's safety while in a car?
The first and most important way you can protect your child while in a car is by making sure he or she is sitting securely in his seat. For an infant that means sitting in a rear-facing car seat. They should remain in a rear facing infant seat until they reach 1 year of age and weigh 20 pounds.
Once a baby is over one year of age, it is time for them to move into a convertible car seat. They should still sit rear-facing, until they become too tall for the seat in that position. The car seat can then be 'converted' to a forward facing car seat. Your toddler or preschool age child should remain seating in a front facing car seat until he or she is about 4 years old.Next they move into a booster seat. The car parts are designed for adults, and therefore the regular seat belt is too large for a child. A booster seat is a seat which 'boosts' the child up just a bit, so that the regular adult seat belt fits properly. A child should remain seated in a booster seat until approximately 8 years of age.
Once your child has grown tall enough and big enough to outgrow the use of a booster seat, it is now time to sit in a regular seat using an adult seat belt. You should still make sure that your child is strapped in securely before ever beginning to drive.
Children up till age 12 should only sit in the back seat of a car. The front seat is not a safe place for a child if God forbid there is a crash. The airbags are a car part that can crush a child since they are not the full weight and height of an adult.
Keep these seating regulations in order to ensure that you are driving safely with your children.
There are also some other helpful ideas to keep your children safe while in the car.
One idea is installing child-safety locks. These auto parts are important in order to prevent your child from opening the door of a moving vehicle.
Another tip, is never give a child any food to eat while the car is moving. This can pose a potential choking hazard, and can be very dangerous. A good idea is to bring along a sippy cup with some juice or water, so your child will not be too hungry.
Putting up a sun shield for the window is also a big help to keep the inside of your car from getting too hot. It protects those in the car from the suns UV rays as well.
You should also take your car fro routine checks to make sure all the auto parts are in safe working condition.
Keeping these safety guidelines in mind will help you be sure that you are doing the utmost for your children's safety.