Is your child properly seated in the car? The type of car seat your child needs varies on age, size and weight. Knowing the correct seat to provide your child with and how to properly install it could be lifesaving.
All children under the age of one should ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing car seats. Infant-only seats are to be solely used while rear-facing. Convertible and 3-in-1 car seats typically have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time. Many parents prefer this type of seat, as rear facing is the best way to keep him or her safe. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, they are ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness. Children who are four to seven years old should face forward in a car seat with a harness until they outgrow it.
Then, it’s time for a booster. Keep your child in a booster seat until they are big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not on the stomach or pelvis region. The shoulder belt should be snug across the shoulder and chest (not across the neck or face).
No matter the car seat, child’s age, or size, the back seat is safest. It is best practice to keep your children under thirteen years of age in the back. Find the car seat appropriate for your child’s age and size, be sure it fits correctly in your car, install it properly, register it, and sign up for recall notices and safety updates. Read both your car’s and the seat’s owner’s manuals for further installation instruction. If the seat can move more than one inch in any direction, it is not installed correctly. Here is a resource presented by the United States Department of Transportation to have on hand to keep your child safe in the car as he/she grows older. https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/safercargov?redirect-safercar-sitewide The site includes information on recalls, safety issues, safety ratings, and more. The more you know about child transportation safety, the more you can protect the children around you.
Should you need assistance installing your child’s car seat, contact Doug Shannon with the Mount Vernon/ Lisbon Police Department and he will set you an appointment to help install the seat.