Having an Instagram with a ton of Mamas on it gets a bit testy at times. I love them all and I've become great friends with so many of them BUT, some of them have no idea how to buckle up their children. There is one mom in particular that makes me cringe when she post pictures. Not only have I been seeing safety problems on Instagram, I've also seen a fellow blogger buckling both of her children in terribly wrong. Parents tend to get defensive when you correct their buckling. Instead of personally correcting one individual, I decided to write a long over due post on the subject.
CHEST CLIP
This is the number one thing parents do wrong. The picture on the left is wrong. Close but no cigar. Notice the picture on the right, the chest clip is at CHEST level. I see chest clips as low as the belly button. It is NOT a belly button clip. Its secured at chest level to help hold the baby in. If its a the belly button your child is more then likely going to lurch forward in a crash. It takes two seconds to scoot the clip up. Do it people!
STRAPS
The second thing I see many parents doing incorrectly is the straps. Notice in this picture I can actually pinch the strap. This is WRONG! You should NOT be able to pinch your straps. At a friend's house the other day I watched him buckle the child in then loosen the straps so that his hand fit between them and the baby.if the straps aren't tight they allow room for a baby to move. You don't want baby moving in a crash. Keep those straps tight to secure your little one. Not only do I see people loosening the straps, I also see big COATS being worn. When big coats are worn you are prevented from properly tightening the straps of the seat. Once again, your child will slip out in a crash. Your baby will be perfectly warm in a Sweater. Bring a blanket along or put the jacket on backwards AFTER buckling your child in.
Its literally takes a second to make sure your child is properly buckled. I'll admit that I had no idea what I was doing when B was a newborn. With a few pointers and some further education we became carseat smart.
I'm attaching a few articles that I find extremely informative.
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