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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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It pays to be a book worm in the car seat safety w It pays to be a book worm in the car seat safety world! But let’s be honest-manuals can be confusing AF. —Manual Mayhem— Episode 02: Rear Facing Car Seat Touching Vehicle Seat in Front Is it allowed or not?! 🤔 WTF is it? Some vehicle manufacturer's prohibit anything to touch or press on the back of the vehicle seat. Some car seat manufacturer's prohibit the car seat (and/or handle) to touch the vehicle seat. If one doesn't allow touching then there must be space between them. Swipe right to test your skills! Bottom lime: If the vehicle manual or car seat manual specifically states that touching is not allowed (and some may give an exact amount) then give them space! If you can’t find anything about this in either manual then chances are the two can “kiss” but not make out. 💋 When in doubt, leave a little breathing room. Pro-tip: Consider this detail when choosing a car seat. If you are tight on space then go in knowing what’s allowed and what’s not for your vehicle and look for car seats with multiple recline options so you can get the seat more upright for kids with neck control! Did you master this manual mayhem challenge?!
Still not sure that taking your car seat on the ai Still not sure that taking your car seat on the airplane is a game-changer for safety and sanity?! Hearing from these voices in the Safe in the Seat crowd may convince you otherwise! Who else has a story to tell?! Share your voice about this topic below! ✈️ ❤️Special thanks to the members of the private Wheels Up Facebook group who submitted these! (To join the Group check out the Wheels Up course-link in bio)
It’s time for another hide and safety seek! Di It’s time for another hide and safety seek! Did you spot this one?! This is a little tricky because the rule on this varies from one infant car seat to another. What you need to know is all infant seats have a required position/s for the carrying handle to be in when riding in the car! This is the @clekinc Liing and the carrying handle is required to be in the most upright, locked position when the load leg is not in use. (US use) Your car seat manual will let you know what your seat’s rules are. Some car seats (like this one) so kindly put a picture with a reminder right on the handle for us! The car seat was crash tested with the carrying handle in various positions and the approved position/s are the only ones you should use in the vehicle for that reason. #itmatters 🌟If you need help with all you need to know about the infant car seat stage, check out my Building Your Car Seat Confidence course for all the how-to answers in one place. Link in bio🌟 Did you spot this misuse?! 🤔❓
What day is it? Where am I? 🤔 Credit: @mythera What day is it? Where am I? 🤔 Credit: @mytherapistsays
We all know that when eating or drinking there is We all know that when eating or drinking there is always some level of risk of choking. But when a child is buckled up in their car seat behind you, well, the risk is greater because we can't intervene in a timely manner. ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Below is what I want you to consider, then you determine your risk tolerance level and what works for you and your family.⁠⁠ ⠀⁠⁠ 1. Choking happens. And when you are buckled up in a moving vehicle coming to the aid of a choking child just may not be possible in a timely manner, if at all. And many times choking is silent so with our eyes focused on the road we may not even know it’s happening. ⠀⁠⁠ ⠀⁠⁠ 2. It’s recommended that children under the age of 2 not eat or drink in the car. Their muscular and developmental abilities are just not mature enough to handle eating or drinking safely, especially in a very reclined position. ⠀⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ 3. Children should not be breastfed while in their car seats (yes, this happens!). When a woman leans her breast over in to the car seat to feed her child, she is no longer sitting safely and is likely a projectile risk if unbuckled. The child is also not developed enough to be safely fed in this manner.⁠⁠ ⠀⁠⁠ 4. For kids 2 and over, refer back to #1. If you are comfortable with this risk, mitigate it in any way possible by carefully selecting the food choices (those that are low choking risks) and containers (low projectile risk). ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Hangry is real so when possible, allot time for a snack before you have to buckle up and ride. If that’s just not possible then be very intentional about what food and drink you allow. Consider the containers being used as well since they would become projectiles in a crash. ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Chime in with your thoughts below!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⠀⁠⁠ ⠀
The car seat safety road is a lonnnnng one. Most The car seat safety road is a lonnnnng one. Most kids do not outgrow the final stage (no back booster) until they are between the ages of 10-12. ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ All kids start in a rear-facing harness seat and should stay facing that direction as long as possible!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ The INFANT seat stage is an optional one; some caregivers prefer the fit and convenience of this seat type for their newborns through approximately their first year of life (I am a big advocate for starting with this seat and it’s why I built my first o line course with this stage!!).⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Other caregivers start with the CONVERTIBLE stage right from the get go and use it rear-facing and then convert it to forward-facing use.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ After outgrowing the forward-facing harnessed seat then it is on the the HIGH BACK BOOSTER where a child will learn how to sit properly with an adult seat belt rather than a harness. Maturity plays a really big role for this harness to seat belt transition! ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ A NO BACK BOOSTER is the final stage and its role is to continue to boost the child up until they can fit properly in the vehicle's seat belt.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ A child is ready for a SEAT BELT when they pass the 5-step test (swipe).⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ The bottom of this graphic shows the various combinations of seats that are sold. Some car seat manufacturers have simply combined stages in to one car seat. ⁠⁠ ⁠ With any car seat, check the height limits, weight limits and harness height limits in all stages the seat says it can be used. Some manufacturers are tricky and they will boast that their seat will last you forever but when you investigate the limits you will see that it’s marketing at its finest. Do your homework! ⁠ ⁠⁠ Hopefully this helps set the foundation as to what the stages are and to how they are often grouped in to various car seat products! Check out the "long road" highlight for more details about each stage and when to transition. ⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Does this help?!
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