Making use of a car seat is the number one step in helping to secure the security of your kids in your automobile. However just possessing a car seat is not adequate in itself: the car seat must be us

Employing a car seat is the most important step in helping to secure the security of your child in your car. But just possessing a car seat is not adequate in itself: the car seat needs to be used, and it has to be used the right way. Here are some helpful tips to assure that your kids will be as safe as possible in their car seats.

- Always be certain to read and understand the recommendations from the manufacturer on how to use the car seat correctly. Improper car seat usage is the primary reason for car seat failure. In addition, completely read the owner's manual for your vehicle as it relates to the use of car seats. Most car owner's manuals have specific recommendations for car seat usage and these recommendations should always be given the utmost consideration.

- To optimize the security of your children, always put the car seat in the rear set of your car, not in the front seat. for optimum safety, you should place the car set in the middle of the rear seat so that there is increased protection against intrusion during side-impact collisions.

- If your car seat can only be used in the front seat (if there is no back seat), only place it there if there is no front seat passenger airbag or if the airbag can be turned off. And then make sure that the airbag is indeed turned off. Never use a car seat in the front seat of a car when the passenger-side airbag is enabled.

- Keep your infant in their rear-facing car seat for as long as possible so long as they meet the size and weight restrictions for the car seat in that configuration. It is safer for your child to be facing to the rear.

- When you strap your kid in their car seat, be sure that the straps fit snugly and be sure to use the chest strap. The chest strap should sit over the chest per the manufacturer's instructions. If this strap is too low, your child may not be secure in the event of an accident. If the strap is too high, it may crush your child's neck in the event of an accident.

- As soon as your child gets to big or heavy for their car seat, they should use a booster seat until the seat belt fits them properly. This is typically until they are about 4' 9" tall or 80 pounds. Check your vehicle owner's guide for the specifics on your car. When it does fit correctly, the shoulder belt should fit over the shoulders, not the neck, and the lap belt should fit across the hips, not the belly.

- After you think you have your car seat correctly put in, have it inspected by a certified car seat technician. This can be done in minutes, usually at no cost. Check http://www.seatcheck.org/ to find the closest seat check location to you.

- If Possible stay away from used car seats unless you know the history and age of the car seat. Do not buy car seats more than five years old, or car seats that have been in an accident. Be sure that used car seats still have all of their labels with the manufacturing information, manufacturing date, and model number. In addition, make sure that the instructions are available; never purchase a car seat without the manual.

- If your car has the LATCH system for car seats, make sure you purchase LATCH-compatible car seats. Using the LATCH system makes for easier installation, leading to increased security and reduced chance of installation mistakes. Still, the car seat installation should still be looked at by a certified car seat technician once it is complete.

- Check the website of the manufacturer for your automobile. Many times, automobile manufacturer's website will list, on a per-model basis, the car seats they recommend for use in their cars.

Article Source: http://www.article-gems.com/

Karen is a housewife with 3 kids and as such she's had plenty of opportunities to use a lot of car seats. You can check out her car seat reviews at eDistiller.

Please Rate The Above Article From The Advice Category
Article Title: Making use of a car seat is the number one step in helping to secure the security of your kids in your automobile. However just possessing a car seat is not adequate in itself: the car seat must be us

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated

Syndicate Advice Related Articles Via RSS!

Boost your websites' search engine ranking! Attract more repeat visitors!
Automatically, consistently update your content via Really Simple Syndication (RSS). To syndicate the above article and other Advice related articles on your blog or site, simply click on the XML Icon above to grab the RSS feed -- It's FREE!