Car seats are a wonderful piece of engineering. When used correctly, plastic pieces, metal, and this fabric keeps our children safe. Over the years car seats and the laws that require us to use them have kept our children much safer on the road. But in some respects, car seats are not very intuitive. There are many things parents need to know about car seats. Here's what parents need to know to keep babies safe in car seats. Quoted by Otodiva.com from mother.ly, among them namely:
1. Use in the car only!
While in the car, The car seat is truly the safest place to be. But once your baby leaves the vehicle, it changed. Researchers from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Pediatric Society say the most dangerous time for babies to be in a car seat is when they are not actually in the car.. It is important for parents to know that car seats should only be used in the car, and not as a baby bed, because car seats are not designed to be safe sleepers. When the baby is left to sleep in a car seat outside the vehicle, they are at risk of experiencing positional asphyxia, where the body position obstructs the airway. Every child care provider should understand this and should not allow children to nap outside the vehicle in a car seat, especially without supervision.
2. Think about minimum and maximum weights
Some car seats are approved for babies that weigh only 4 pon, while others have minimal weight 5 pon, and maximum weight may vary from 20- pounds to more than 60.
This is something important to think about when shopping for your first car seats. Are you happy to buy another car seat when your child outgrows the infant seat, or you'd rather get an all-in-one chair that they can sit in until they age 10 year? It's important to adhere to car seat weight requirements to keep your baby as safe as possible.
3. Get help if installation is complicated
Parents should not assume that installing a car seat is intuitive or easy. Many mothers and fathers use car seats incorrectly. One study found that 95% Car seats are abused by parents bringing newborns home from the hospital, and 20% extra seats are used incorrectly.
The good news is that there are experts out there who can help parents. A Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician can help parents when the direction of a car seat doesn't seem to make sense. Fire and police departments often offer car seat clinics where parents can get an expert assessment of their installation.
4. Don't leave your baby in a car seat for long periods of time
When you travel with a baby, plan to stop often. AAP merekomendasikan orang tua berencana “untuk berhenti mengemudi dan memberi diri Anda dan anak Anda istirahat setiap dua jam.” Ketika berbicara tentang bayi di bawah satu bulan, some car seat researchers recommend holding off on longer trips for a few more weeks.
Profesor Peter Fleming, a renowned car seat researcher, say parents of babies who have not yet reached the mark 1 month should try to keep the trip short. “Batasi untuk mengatakan, no more than half an hour or so,” kata Profesor Peter Fleming kepada BBC. If you have to go further than that, just plan a rest stop to get the baby out of the car seat.
5. Remove the mantle, before tying it
According to AAP, heavy coats and snowsuits can be compressed in a car accident, making the straps too loose to keep the child secure in their seat.
Car seat experts recommend dressing children in layers and removing heavy coats before buckling up children. They can wear lighter fur jackets as well as boots, gloves, and their hats, and after your child is strapped in, You can wear their coat backwards to keep them warm if necessary.
6. Use the LATCH system when necessary
Modern cars have car seat anchors in the rear seats known as the LATCH System. They allow parents to clip the car seat to hidden anchors in the seat folds without having to use an adult seat belt. Check your vehicle manual though to find out what the weight limit is on your LATCH system, in most vehicles it is simply built to withstand 65 pon. The weight limit is close to many of today's car seat models, but LATCH weight limits do not take into account the weight of the car seat.
If your baby is heavy 40 pon, combined with a car seat 15 or 20 pound them, this would put them above the weight limit for the LATCH system. It's time to switch to securing your car seat with a seat belt.
7. Use the top strap
Car seat experts say one of the most common mistakes parents make when moving from a rear-facing car seat to a forward-facing position is not using the top strap.. It's there for a reason, so make sure you use it when changing your child's position.
8. Always use as directed
When parents use a car seat, make sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions, because they help keep our children as safe as possible. There is a lot of information about car seats and it can sometimes feel overwhelming. If anything is confusing, contact your manufacturer.
Read Also, 7 Children's Car Seat Safety Tips
