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The Safe in the Seat Blog

Eliminate Waste & Keep Kids Safe

Eliminate Waste & Keep Kids Safe

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Road Trips Done Right

Road Trips Done Right

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Baby, It’s HOT in Here

Baby, It’s HOT in Here

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Why Do Car Seats Expire?

Why Do Car Seats Expire?

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To Recycle or Not to Recycle? 

To Recycle or Not to Recycle? 

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What New Moms REALLY Want

What New Moms REALLY Want

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See Something, Say Something

See Something, Say Something

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Top 7 Tips for Road Trip Safety

Top 7 Tips for Road Trip Safety

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Why Kids Hate the Car Seat

Why Kids Hate the Car Seat

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Winter Safety FAQs

Winter Safety FAQs

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Car Seat Grads: How Soon is Too Soon?

Car Seat Grads: How Soon is Too Soon?

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Car Seat Safety: Where Do We Draw the [Car] Lines?

Car Seat Safety: Where Do We Draw the [Car] Lines?

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The only words you ever want to hear after a car c The only words you ever want to hear after a car crash: YOU DID EVERYTHING RIGHT. It's why you're here; to control everything you possibly can so that should you be in a scary crash, you too will know you did all you possibly could to keep your child safe in the seat.⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ Here's this mama’s amazing story:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ "It was a day like any other. My husband and I were enjoying a fun game night at my brother's house late on Saturday night. Our little one was already comfortably sleeping in her Pack N Play since 7:00 pm. Around midnight, we were debating whether to play another game and sleep over at my brother's house or go home. At that moment, our baby girl woke up and started crying. We said, "Well, she's already up. Let's just pack her up and go home so we can sleep in our own beds." ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ It was 12:30 am, we were both tired, and we wanted to get home to go to sleep. Despite being sleepy, I secured our little one in her infant car seat and checked and re-checked the harness. ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ Earlier in the day, I saw a story highlight from your Instagram about projectiles. It reminded me to re-check the infant car seat base and remove projectiles since they always seem to pile up slowly in our car. ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ It's a seven minute drive from my brother's house to our house. Less than 3/4 mile into the drive, we were slammed from behind. Our car went spinning into a major intersection. As we were spinning, my husband and I both were screaming our daughter's name. When the car finally came to a stop, we both got out of the car as quickly as possible. Our daughter's car door was damaged so it would not open. We ran around to the rear driver's side door to access the backseat. She was crying, but she was in one piece and breathing. ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ The car came out of nowhere. We had zero control over what happened in that crash. But what we did have control over was securing the car seat and harnessing our baby properly. ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ The paramedic said, "The car seat was perfectly secured, she was perfectly fastened, and it saved her life. It did its job. Great job, mom." ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 @imhillaryous
Did you see it?! The shoulder straps are coming Did you see it?! The shoulder straps are coming out of the shell of the car seat above this little one’s shoulders. Not safe! Shoulder strap height is one adjustment made on every car seat and it’s a critically important one. Rear Facing: ⁠The straps should be positioned at or just below your child’s shoulders to keep their bodies from shifting upward in a frontal crash. The position of the harness straps also keeps their heads protected by staying below the shell of the car seat. ⁠⠀⁠⁠ ⁠⠀⁠⁠ Forward Facing: The straps should be positioned at or above your child’s shoulders to most effectively decrease the amount of movement they will travel when propelled forward in a crash and limit the impact on their head, neck, shoulders, and spine. ⁠⠀⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Take a look at your kiddos' shoulder strap placement the next time they are in the car. On some car seats you can adjust the headrest to reposition the straps (officially called a no rethread harness) and on others you have to manually adjust the straps by unhooking and rethreading (called a rethread harness). ⁠⁠ 🌟If you need help with all things car seat in the first year, check out my Building Your Car Seat Confidence course! I’ll teach you all about setting your seat up for your newborn and what to do as they grow. 🌟 Anyone need to do a seat fit check?! @locecile thank you for letting your sweet girl be our model!
Oh and raise some kids. 🤣 Happy Parent’s Day Oh and raise some kids. 🤣 Happy Parent’s Day. Cheers to making the impossible possible one day at a time. 🥂 On Twitter: @holly_bourneYA On insta: @hollybourneya
You decide when your child graduates from a five p You decide when your child graduates from a five point harness; the start of elementary school does not.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Best practice is to keep your child in their 5-point harness seat until they outgrow it, and no sooner than the age of 5. ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Remember that a booster seat gives your child complete control of their own safety. For a booster seat to do it's job in the event of a crash your child must be sitting properly and the belt fit must be spot on. Maturity plays a huge role in booster-readiness.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Many schools use a car line procedure to usher kids out of cars and in to classrooms. To prepare, you must practice with your child. Get them comfortable with unbuckling, grabbing their backpack and exiting the car (quickly). Consider tying the @unbuckle_me tool if the crotch buckle is causing challenges. If your child is not yet able to unbuckle, then work with the school in advance about where you can park to walk them in.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Buckling up will be important too. While you should not drive when anyone is unbuckled, the pace of car line may force you to. Practice with your child buckling up quickly. And if you need more time, predetermine a space very close by where you can safely pull over and buckle up.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Let's not add another milestone to your now school-aged child. Instead, practice. And do it now when the pressure is low and time isn't of the essence!⁠ ⁠ Who is headed to school car line soon?!
Because you need to be safe in the seat too! If Because you need to be safe in the seat too! If you are pregnant check out my pregnancy highlight for seat belt fit specific to you! Any adjustments you need to make?!
It really is this simple.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ The most da It really is this simple.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ The most dangerous thing we do with our children is drive them in a car. It's not only reasonable, but your responsibility to do all that it takes to protect them from their greatest risk. If other caregivers want to share in that responsibility, that's fantastic, but they must do so according to your safety rules. ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Share below with us how you set and manage these safety boundaries for your child with those who are a part of your village! ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠
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