I can't take credit for writing this but saw it on a FB comment and had to share. it pretty much breaks down every aspect of car seat safety which is so very important in this day and age. it's long but please take a minute to read this: Protect what is near and dear to your heart, people- your precious children. We brought them into this world, it is our RESPONSIBILITY to keep them as safe as we possibly can.

EDUCATE YOURSELVES. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

Turning your child from rear facing to forward facing is NOT a milestone. Moving your child from a 5 point harness to a high back/ backless booster is NOT a milestone. Moving your child from a booster to a seat belt alone is NOT a milestone.

All of these are merely a downgrade in safety and puts your child at an increased risk of serious injury or death in an accident. Motor vehicle accidents happen in a split second and they are the leading cause of death for children ages 1-13.

Every single time you put your children in your vehicle, you are preparing for the worst case scenario. Please, buckle/ harness your children accordingly. They are depending upon you to keep them safe. Don't let them down.

1- Rear face to a MINIMUM of 2 years old, ideally to age 4. Most convertible seats are capable of rear facing average size children to the age of 4, some can even rear face them to 5 or 6!

2- Use a 5 point harness for your forward facing child (age 2+) as long as possible.

3- Top of the chest clip even with the child's armpits.

4- Rear facing straps- at or below the child's shoulders.

5- Forward facing straps- at or above the child's shoulders.

6- To be in a high back booster seat children must be AT LEAST 5 years of age. FYI- most children do not have the maturity to stay in the correct position 100% of the time until they are closer to 6 or 7 years old.

7- Use the lower anchors OR the seat belt to install your child's car seat. Never use both at once.

8- Do not add anything to your child's seat that did not originally come with it. The manual of your child's seat will also tell you this. It was not tested with your child's seat and can affect how the seat is meant to function in an accident. By doing so, you would be making your child a crash test dummy. DON'T DO IT!

9- Always attach the top tether on a forward facing harnessed seat. It is extremely important.

10- Realize that not all infant carriers will correctly fit all newborns. Just because it says 5-30 pounds does not mean it will fit a 5 pound baby or even a 9 pound baby! Remember - REAR FACING-STRAPS AT OR BELOW THE SHOULDERS.

11- No winter coats should be worn in the car and no coats should be worn in car seats. The coats will compress under the force of the accident and puts you and your children at risk of being ejected from the vehicle. There are other, safe ways to keep warm.

12- Your child's car seat should move no more than an inch side to side when testing for movement at the belt path.

13- Projectiles- anything that is not fastened down in your vehicle will become a projectile in an accident. This includes, sippy cups, bottled water, toys, cell phones, etc. Please limit the loose items in your vehicle because they can severely injure or kill you or your passengers.

#carseatsafetyadvocate

#raisingawareness

#knowbetterdobetter #rearfacingis532percentsafer #5pointharnessaslongaspossible