Though oldsters take so much trouble to choose a high quality baby car seat to carry their valuable bundle of joy in the auto, one of the most tragic facets of child safety on the roads is that in most situations they don’t fit the seat in the correct way. According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) almost 80% of child safety seats are badly fitted or misused. And this means that of those 80%, an equal number equipped with infant car seat covers are also misused.

The most prevalent blunders are harness straps that were loose and safety belt attachments that are incorrectly fastened. These mistakes are outlined by the NHTSA as ‘critical’ because there’s a likelihood of heavy injury in the event of an accident.

First, make sure that you are using the right type of seat for your baby’s age and weight, and that it is facing facing the proper way. Some multi-purpose seats can be fitted to face either forward or backward and the fitting will change as your kid grows. Babies under one year old and under 20 lb in weight should have rear-facing seats.

It is also feasible to buy infant seats for young babies. These are built to be rear-facing only, so you will need a new seat when your kid gets bigger. You can carry your sleeping baby around in their safety seat.

If you favor, you can purchase a convertible seat that may be changed to fit babies and toddlers. They must be fitted in the rear facing position for young babies and then when the child turns one or weighs over 20 lb, the seat can be turned around to face the front. A convertible seat will generally hold kids up to forty lb.

But whatever type of seat you select, the most vital point is to fit it in the correct way. You must read both the instructions that come with the car seat and the owner’s manual for your vehicle. First, make sure that you’ve got the seat firmly and correctly buckled into the auto. Then make sure you understand the way to fit and secure the harness straps that hold your baby within the seat.

Don’t guess – have your baby’s seat checked by a certified technician if you aren’t 100 pc certain that you have it correct. US visitors can go to http://www.seatcheck.org to get a child safety seat inspection center near you.

The label should tell you the date of make and you mustn’t employ a seat that is more than five years old. Confirm that you’ve got the manufacturer’s instructions and that all the parts are included. If the instructions have been lost, you could be able to discover a copy online, but make sure you have the right manual for your exact safety seat. It is not not worth taking the chance.

Above all remember that in an accident, your child’s life relies on the baby car seat.
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