Buckle Up For Safety!

  Baby Death Trap
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I go to a breastfeeding mom group once a week. It's nice to hang out for a few hours and see how every one's babies/toddlers are growing. It's like a weekly glimpse into the future.

This week a young lady, probably around my age, came in with her 8 day old baby (so tiny!). I noticed right away that the baby was wrapped in a blanket then buckled into the car seat and the straps were so loose they may as well have been unbuckled.

She was having trouble getting a proper latch so the LC that runs the group took her to a different room to help her out.

When she came back in I was going to tell her that her straps were too loose and that she has to buckle the baby in first, then she can tuck the blanket around. I don't know why, but I almost felt like I was being rude, but I know that I wasn't. I would want to be told if I was using my car seat wrong (and at one point I was, I left the handle up with a toy hanging off of it and that is a no-no).

She popped her head back in later to say she was taking off and I jumped up super fast to help her fix her car seat. She honestly didn't know that anything was wrong. So I told her the blanket is fine after the baby is buckled in, and that the straps need to be tight enough that you can't pinch them down at the shoulder. I also told her she could make an appointment with the CHP to inspect the car seat to make sure it was installed properly.

She was very nice and accepting of my advice/help. I pulled, no joke, at least 9 inches of strap through the back. Those straps hadn't been doing a darn thing to keep that baby in which scared the crap out of me. I know she isn't the only person who uses a car seat wrong. I think it all comes down to thoroughly reading the instruction booklet that comes with your equipment. Even a seemingly tiny thing, like leaving the handle up when it is supposed to be down, could be disastrous in an accident.

Moral of my story, 3 out of 4 car seats are improperly installed/used. If you haven't already done so, go get your car seat checked out. It doesn't cost anything, but it will give you peace of mind.

Child Safety Seat Inspection Station Locator
Car-Safety.org Ten Basic Rules

There is also a really good picture guide by Daily Momtra