Unbelieveable but true. People really search for this question in major search engines, “why are car seats good for children”. I was gob smacked to say the least! To most people it is blatantly obvious, but I guess that if you are a very young mum without much experience , then you may be tempted to think that you are the safest driver and nothing will happen. You may also be unsure of what to look for and what type of seat to get.
Even if you are the safest driver on this earth, that doesn’t account for the billions of other people on the road who may not be, for weather conditions, pot holes and a myriad of other possibilities! All you need to do is to look on the Internet to see just how many babies and children are saved from potentially fatal or life changing injury… Just by being secured in child car seats. Thankfully, as it is law in most countries that a child is secured in the appropriate seat, you rarely hear of babies and children being thrown from cars.
Just Secure Your Child In A Car Seat – Right Now! Never assume nothing will happen even on a short journey. Even in a modest collision a child can suffer neck and brain injuries, let alone being flung through the windscreen like a missile. Being held by an adult is not a solution either, as in some circumstances, injuries can be worse. Even using a second hand car seat will be better than nothing.
For newborns infants, try not to use the seat too often until they are about 6 weeks old. The child should also be in a rear facing seat for as long as possible or, until at least one year old and/or 20lbs. Then the seat should be a forward facing one until 4 years and/or 40lbs.
If you can stretch to a new seat then find one with ISOFIX fittings unless you want one that is part of a travel system that comes in and out of the car easily. An ISOFIX child car seat will usually fit most cars, but do check before you buy if you car is pre 2006.
Any seat must include a 5 point harness for very young children, as they grow, a 3 point fixing will be sufficient and they will alsobe able to move onto a booster seat. Using a booster seat will allow a bigger child to wear an adult selt belt by raising their position and allowing the seat belt to slip through a clip so that the belt does not cut across their neck.
Our favourite child car seat is the Britax Duo Plus, only available in the UK but out of all the ISOFIX seats it has a unique pivot link system that in addition to holding the seat secure at the base, also stops excessive movement at the top of the seat in any impact situation.
I realise most of you will already secure your children safely, so apologies if I offend. However, for those who feel they do not need a safety seat for their child, I would urge you to reconsider.
But after finding this question being asked in the largest search engine, I thought I’d just vent my emotions!
You can find out more about how to check a second hand baby seat and an www.britaxduoplusisofix.com.
Tags: Babies car seat, britax duo plus, child car seat, isofix car seat
