Your child is your most precious cargo. “As a parent, you want to think of yourself as Superwoman or Superman and believe that you can keep your child protected. You need to do that by using a car or booster seat that is appropriate for your child,” encourages Dana Hodges, outreach coordinator of SAFE Kids of Topeka. It is best for it to be rear-facing, as most accidents are frontal collisions.
If you are an expectant mom, do not wait until the last minute to purchase a car seat.
“Seatbelts are designed for adults and will not fit properly on a child. Kids love car seats because they can see out the window so much better,” says Katie Schatte, coordinator for SAFE Kids Johnson County in KCK. Be cautious when buying a car seat. “Do not buy them at garage sales because you do not know the crash history,” advises Schatte. You may even want to check out the seat beforehand. “Ask the store if you can take it out to your vehicle to try it and make sure it will work well. There is no one seat that works best. It is all individualized and unique, depending on the child and the vehicle that they will be riding in,” Hodges says.
Try not to reuse seats.
“A lot of parents are not aware that car seats have a shelf life of six years because the plastic moldings they are made of get stress fractures that you cannot see with the naked eye due to temperature extremes,” Schatte says. “If it is beyond six years, the companies who make these seats will not stand behind their seat if a car is in a crash.” If for any reason you are in an accident, ask your insurance company whether they will help with the replacement of the seat.
The law recognizes child passenger safety.
“Missouri law requires children less than 4 years old or less than 40 pounds to be in an appropriate child safety seat. Children age 4 through 7 who weigh at least 40 pounds must be in an appropriate child safety seat or booster seat unless they are 80 pounds or 4 feet 9 inches tall. Children 8 and over or weighing at least 80 pounds or at least 4 feet 9 inches tall are required to be secured by safety belts or booster seats made appropriate for that child,” says Beverly Smith, child passenger safety technician with Safety and Health Council of Western Missouri and Kansas in KCMO. Kansas law identifies when your child is ready to travel without a seat. “You must use a booster seat until you are 8 years old, greater than 80 pounds or taller than 4 feet 9 inches,” Hodges says.
Be a role model.
“A recent study showed that when the driver buckles, the kids are buckled 92 percent of the time, but when the driver is unbelted, children are only belted 23 percent of the time. They are watching,” Hodges says. If you have questions or concerns, you may contact a nationally certified car seat technician at your local police department, SAFE Kids Coalition or Children’s Mercy Hospital. When you make car seats and booster seats a habit, you are putting your child’s safety first.