I will never not speak out about a child improperly restrained in a car seat. It never comes from a place of shaming a mom, no one wants that. It does come from a place of wanting children and babies to be safe. I have a background in child welfare, which forced me to be trained in car seats. If I didn’t have that background, I definitely wouldn’t know much about them and would have to seek out information.

Just placing a baby in a car seat doesn’t make them safe, they have to be properly secured,

I have seen an increasingly high number of improperly restrained children on my own personal social media lately, and have had to speak to friends about it. They were grateful, because all parents WANT their kids to be safe. I don’t think they are bad parents at all, simply undereducated regarding car seats.

If you choose to educate yourself on car seats and then continue to not restrain your child in a safe manner, then that is simply irresponsible.

*I am from the U.S. I know very little to nothing about car seat laws in other countries.*

In fact, even in the U.S., laws vary from state to state.

BUT, simply following the law doesn’t ensure safety either. The AAP is now recommending all children stay rear facing as long as humanly possible. It’s simply safer. My pediatrician actually said he thinks when we have self-driving cars, everyone will ride rear facing, as it is JUST that much safer. The law might not say that your 14 month old baby needs to be rear facing, but they certainly need to be.

-Keep baby rear facing as long as possible. PLEASE. They might start to hate it and they might cry and want to be turned around. Too bad. My own personal opinion: turning a child forward facing prior to two years old is simply irresponsible. Most convertible car seats rear face up to 40lbs. Obviously, keep an eye on the height restrictions too, but your baby should not outgrow them that quickly. Certain car seats will be adjustable, which allows for baby to feel more comfortable while rear facing longer.

-Chest clips. Here in the U.S. we have chest clips. They need to be at the chest. Arm put level. They do nothing for baby when they are at baby’s tummy.

-Shoulder straps. Those suckers should be tight. You shouldn’t be able to pinch them and grab fabric with your fingers. Get baby nice and secure. When rear facing, straps should be at or below shoulder level. When forward facing, straps should be at or just above shoulders. Be sure to adjust strap height as needed as baby grows.

-Keeping baby warm. Don’t place baby in a car seat with their puffy winter coat. A light jacket is typically fine, or we prefer the Carter’s fleece body suits with hoods (size up if you get these, they run small). If you are unsure whether or not the outerwear is too thick, there’s a test: put baby in the coat/jacket/etc and secure them properly in the car seat. Take baby out without loosening the straps. Take the outerwear off baby, and place baby back in car seat. Are the straps still tight? If you can pinch them, the coat is too thick to be worn in the car seat.

-Add-ons & Extras. Don’t use any aftermarket items for your child’s car seat. The cutesy things you see in stores like strap covers, furry liners, head pillow things...no. Only use inserts and accessories that come with the car seat. These have been tested by manufacturers and their safety proven. The cutest aftermarket accessories could impact the effectiveness of your car seat in the event of an accident.

-Installation. Always have your installation checked by a certified technician, just to be safe! Follow the manual when you install a car seat for the first time. Be sure the car seat incline is at the appropriate level for rear facing/forward facing. We have the Graco 4Ever, and the settings 1-3 are all meant for rear facing. Be sure the base is secure. When you go to rock it, it shouldn’t move more than an inch. If it does, it isn’t tight enough. This can be especially hard with some Graco convertible car seats, which require you to get behind them and utilize all your body weight to secure them properly.

I am sure I have forgotten some things, but these are the ones that have been weighing on my heart. Keep those sweet babies safe and secure! ❤️

Edit: When utilized properly, rolled up receiving blankets can be used to help support those extra small babies. Make sure you talk to a car seat technician to ensure you do this correctly. ❤️