On a recent morning program was reported a medical miracle. It seems that in August this 2 year old boy was in his car seat and involved in an automobile accident. A pretty bad one, when the paramedics got to the scene they put him on a back board which ended up saving his life because when they got to the hospital it turns out that his head was internally severed from his body. I know, seems impossible. They took him to surgery and reattached with some metal rods and other devices and then waited for him to wake up to determine the degree of brain damage. It took 4 days for him to regain consciousness, but when he did, he recognized his parents and now today, he has relearned to walk and is learning to talk. At only two years old, he probably didn’t have many language skills but his father said that his newest and favorite word right now is “dude”

This brings to mind the importance of car seat safety. Having a really safe car seat and making sure it is properly installed is the key.

This information comes from an article written by The American Academy of Pediatrics;

The size of your child determines the type of car seat that you buy. You may need to purchase several during the childhood years.

To begin, when your child is an infant, they should ride in a rear facing seat until they are a year old and weigh 20 pounds at least. There are two types of car safety seats for infants, the convertible seat and the infant only seat. It is recommended that your child ride in a rear facing seat as early as the trip home from the hospital. Infant only seats have carrying handles and are small. They should be used only for traveling. Depending on the model you buy, they are used for children 22-35 pounds. It may have a base that can remain in your car, the seat belt goes through it and you don’t have to remove it from your vehicle each time. You will have to buy additional if you have more than one vehicle.

Rear facing or convertible seats are used for infants and then can be turned around to be used by larger children. These can be used longer, but don’t have carrying handles or separate bases that can remain in your car.

They can have two types of harnesses; a five point harness will attach between the legs, at the shoulders and at the hip area.

The overhead shield has a padded part that comes down over your child’s head to their chest/stomach area.

If you are using a rear facing safety seat, remember this, never use it in the front seat. Make sure the seat is tightly secured; know the type of seat belts you use as some seats are specific about which type of seat belt will work.

The graduation of child safety seats is that after two years of age, they can ride in a forward facing seat with a harness to keep them secure. The booster seat is one step above your car seat belt; booster is for around school age when they have outgrown the car seat.

When your child is 4’9″ (approx) and between 9 to 12 years old, they may begin to use the car’s seat belt for safety. Still in the backseat.

These are guidelines to give you assistance. The protection of your children are your first priority and the more informed the better.

Author Bio: Lawrence Reaves writes for Empire Covers, a leading provider of car covers, motorcycle covers, and truck bed covers. Empire Covers can be found online at: EmpireCovers.com or at their blog EmpireCovers-Blog.com .

Category: Parenting
Keywords: child car seats, car seats, child safety, child car safety