News Moms Need

What are you doing on Saturday? September 18-24 is Child Passenger Safety Week.  Parents and caregivers are urged to have their children’s car seats checked on National Seat Check Saturday, September 24.  Certified child passenger safety technicians will be available to inspect car seats and provide hands-on advice free of charge. Car seat safety is critical.   If you have had a premature baby, make sure you read these special recommendations. 

To find information on the car seat law in your state, read new car seat recommendations for children, or locate a child seat safety inspection station near you, click on this link to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  Show up on Saturday and get it checked out. You’ll be glad you did.

Last week I posted on the importance of booster seats for “big kids.”   Prior to that I posted on car seats for babies being used only in cars.   And our website has great info on car seat selection and safety.   So by now I’m sure you get that we’re really into protecting our kids in traffic, regardless of size or age.

So how about protecting them, not to mention you, before they are born?  Experts agree that everyone, including pregnant women, should wear a seat belt when riding in a car. As you know, when used properly, seat belts save lives and lower the chances of severe injury during car crashes.

Depending on how severe the car accident is, pregnant women could be at risk for miscarriage and preterm birth and other serious complications. In fact, the more injuries a mother sustains during a car accident, the greater the risk to her unborn baby. If the pregnant woman is wearing her seat belt properly at the time of the accident, she and her baby will face fewer injuries.

I don’t want to spook you, but there are nearly 170,000 car crashes involving pregnant women every year. So it’s important for moms in all stages of pregnancy to properly wear seat belts at all times when traveling in a car. 

Guidelines for Wearing a Seat Belt
• Always wear both the lap and shoulder belt.
• Buckle the lap strap under your belly and over your hips.
• Never place the lap belt across your belly.
• Rest the shoulder belt between your breasts and off to the side of your belly.
• Never place the shoulder belt under your arm.
• If possible, adjust the shoulder belt height to fit you correctly.
• Make sure the seat belt fits snugly.

New York State started requiring booster seats for kids in 2005 and they have reduced the number of auto related injuries to kids aged 4-6 by 18 percent.  That’s a lot!  According to a recent study published in Pediatrics, this reduction in injuries applies to just these older kids because car seat laws already exist for younger children. 

While most states have followed New York’s lead and have adopted similar booster seat laws, there still is a handful that has not.  Three of my grandchildren ride in booster seats.  The two older ones use them, ages 8 and 10, because they’re just tiny people.  I’m glad their parents see the wisdom of keeping them in an appropriately sized seat for now. Almost all the safety equipment built into a car when you buy it is designed for adults, so it’s important to make adaptations until our kids grow into a more adult frame.  Regular seat belts fail to protect children who weigh less than 80 to 100 pounds and who are under 4-feet-9.

Lorrie Walker of Safe Kids USA says Kids need booster seats until they can do three things:
•They should be tall enough so that the seat belts rest against a hard, bony surface — such as the hips and collarbone — not a soft spot such as the stomach.
•Kids should be able to bend their knees at the edge of the seat, even while sitting up straight.
•And they should be able to maintain that position, without slouching or lying down, for the entire trip.