A Few Pointers to Ensure Your Child's Safety in a Child Car Seat

The holiday is a perfect scene in which we see families visit relatives and friends, exchange gifts, and have dinner together. Packed in their car and in full force, from the parents to the youngest child, they drive across cities, towns and states to share every happy moment of the occasion with their loved ones. This is perhaps an equally perfect time to remind all that as with any type of travel - whether by air, sea, or land - the safety of everyone should be of prime importance, especially to the most responsible persons in the traveling group.

It isn't enough that a child is placed in a child car seat when traveling in a car. There are certain measures or steps parents must take to ensure that their young child traveling with them in a car is secured in the child safety seat. To start with, there are certain rules to follow when buying a child car safety seat. The child's weight, height, and age should be considered, along with the compatibility of the child car seat with the seat-belt system of the car.

For example, until babies weigh about twenty pounds (or about nine kilograms) and are able to sit up (usually between the ages ten and twelve months), parents must make them ride in the car facing rearward. A child, who is not developmentally ready, though weighing twenty pounds, should be shifted to a rear-facing convertible child car seat. As the child grows, the convertible child car seat may be adjusted to forward-facing (from rearward-facing). There are basically two types of this seat which you can purchase: the harness-and-shield combination type and the type with just a harness. Most parents, however, prefer to use the latter for their babies. This is because the shield in the other type tends to come up too high, usually above the baby's chest. Other parents also think the harness-only type is much better for their toddlers since the straps are able to hold the hips and thighs more securely than shields can. One drawback of the harness-only type is that its straps may become coiled, which isn't the case for the shields.

For children weighing forty to sixty pounds (about eighteen to twenty-seven kilograms), a booster seat is highly recommended. This is because at this weight range, the child may already be too big for a convertible child car seat, yet still too small to use the regular car seat belt. Booster seats come in different styles, and each one must conform to the seat-belt system of the car. Among the various styles, the one that affords the best protection is the high-back, belt-positioning type used in conjunction with the lap and shoulder belts of the car.

As with buying the right type of child car seat, installing and using it properly is equally important. Be sure to follow every instruction indicated in both the child car seat manufacturer's manual and the car owner's manual. The harness of the child car seat should first be tested to ensure that it fits closely and comfortably. A good way to do this is to make sure that you are able to fit only a finger between your child and the straps. The car's seat belt should likewise be checked to ensure that the child car seat is strongly fixed in place. A tightly-held seat must not move from side to side for more than a fourth of an inch (about one-half centimeter). Also be sure to use a locking clip if your car's seat belt requires the use of one. [Read the Original Article]