September is Baby Safety Month sponsored by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). So, I thought I would talk about a couple of safety concerns that are near and dear to my heart.
1. Car Seat Safety
I have three children, ages 5 and 2 (twins). And in that small three year difference, the recommendations for car seats usage changed. Now the laws did not change, just the American Association of Pediatrics’s (AAP) recommendations. The AAP recommends that all children under the age of 2 be rear-facing, and if your car seat allows, longer. Laws require infants stay rear-facing until they are 12 months AND a minimum of 20 pounds. It is also important to make sure you have the correct car seat for your child. Rear-facing, front-facing, booster (with/without a 5-point harness)–it’s so confusing when you walk into a baby super store. Take the time to research what is best for the age/weight/AAP recommendations for your child. And keep checking, they can change often.
But regardless, no matter what seat you find works best for your child, you want it installed correctly! It can be the best rated car seat, but if it is not installed in your car correctly, it will not matter. All car seats come with an instruction manual and there are various online resources like safercar.gov that offer advice on all things car seat (best kind, how to install, etc.). But we are very lucky that the City of Knoxville also has Child Safety Seat Checkpoints. We have taken advantage of this FREE service every time we have had a new child and every time we get a new seat (or reposition a seat). The men and women who staff these checkpoints are very diligent in making sure your car seats are in correctly and they teach you how to put them in. For information on dates/times/location and other information on the Child Safety Seat Checkpoints, click here.
I personally prefer to purchase car seats new. That way I know they have not been compromised in a crash. But, if you are buying car seats used (or borrowing), please ask the seller if they have been in a crash and check the expiration date of the seat. The date should be imprinted in the plastic or on printed on a sticker under the seat. In most cases it is 6 years past the manufacture date, but again, please check your specific seat.
2. Recalled Items
I’ll be honest, sometimes I just shake my head at the recalls I see for baby products. A lot of things seem common sense to me (don’t leave your baby unattended in a Bumbo seat on a countertop, for example). But many times I see products that really need attention.
Since I sell and shop at consignment (check out an updated list of consignment sales here), I try to stay in-the-know on recalls so I don’t sell or buy anything that might endanger a child. For instance, for my oldest we had the drop side crib before they were recalled and ultimately stopped being made. A great place to check on recalls is by visiting the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website. You can even sign up for emails on recalled products there.
Laws, recommendations, recalls–it can all be very confusing and take up a lot of your time researching. I hope the links to the websites I have provided is a good starting place. And it’s never too late to look at this–mom-to-be or mom-of-three, you will learn something new, I promise.
What are your safety concerns? Do you know of another place that offers child safety seat checkpoints? Let us know in the comments!
Great blog, Katie. Car seat safety is one of my big concerns. Some people think it’s odd that my 6 year old is still in a 5 point harnessed seat, in our primary vehicles (he does ride in a high back booster in his grandparents car). My argument has always been as long as he doesn’t complain about it, we’ll keep him harnessed. We are now looking at transitioning him to a hbb so that his sister can get his seat, she needs cup holders!
My favorite car seat site is http://www.car-seat.org/. They have tons of great information. You can search for the best fit for your vehicle, how to fit 3 seats in a row, which seat is best for your child based on their size, and much more. I used the forum before I purchased Wyatt’s Britax Frontier and before I bought my Mazda5.
As a side note, I get so frustrated when I see facebook pictures of children barely buckled in seats! I’d like to find a nice way to tell them their children aren’t safe just because they have them in a seat, they need to be used properly.
Thanks for commenting Dana. I too find it frustrating when children are not buckled in correctly, or their seats are not in correctly, when there are so many resources they can turn to. It’s something that can save a child’s life!!!