Four Car Seat Safety Tips That Need to be on a Parent’s Radar and a Safety 1st onBoard™35 Air+ Infant Car Seat Giveaway!

Congrats to our winner Lisa!

September was Baby Safety Month (Sept. 15-21 is dedicated to Child Passenger Safety), and as you probably know, car crashes are the number one killer of children between the ages of one and 13. Here are Some sobering facts

• Less than one third (31 percent) of parents are following manufacturer’s safety guidelines when deciding when to transition their child’s car; seat from rear- to forward-facing.
• Car seat safety experts recommend parents keep their children rear-facing as long as possible and transition to forward-facing only when their car seat manufacturer’ s guidelines are met.  However, nearly half of parents (49 percent) are choosing to turn their child’s car seat based on comfort, rather than safety. Top reasons parents transition their child’ s car seat from rear- to forward-facing  are because their child’s feet were touching the vehicle seat (31 percent), followed by their child being too uncomfortable (10 percent) or fussy (8 percent) when rear-facing.
• Despite widespread understanding that children in car seats should remain rear-facing as longs as possible, a whopping 58 percent of parents underestimate the age at which it is safe to turn their child’s car seat to the forward- facing position.
• One-in-five (19 percent) parents say it was difficult installing a convertible car seat, yet parents are 40 percent less likely to get professional help installing a convertible car seat than an infant seat (15 percent vs. 25 percent, respectively)

And you may have seen, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in San Diego just released findings that 93% of parents leaving the hospital made at least one critical error when installing or using their car seat. While this is a troubling statistic, it’s an issue that can be easily addressed by spreading the word about car seat safety and proper installation.   To help raise awareness about this important topic, the consumer safety experts at Safety 1st share their four Car Sear Safety Tips and keep reading for a chance to win a Safety 1st onBoard 35 Air +Infant Car Seat. The Air Protect + combines the advanced protection of the Air Protect® cushion system with patented GCell HX™ foam designed with hexagonal shapes for superior protection around the torso. TOGETHER they provide full body side impact protection For Safety 1^st!

Car Seat Safety Tips By the experts at Safety 1^st

Importance of Rear Facing

In March of 2011 the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated their car seat recommendations advising that children should remain rear facing until the age of two.  According to a study in the Journal of Injury Prevention children under the age of two are 75% less likely to die or be severely injured in the event of a car crash if they are rear facing. When a child is rear facing their head, neck and spine are better supported and in the event of an accident, crash forces are distributed over the child’s entire body.

Location

Typically the center rear seat is the safest place for a car seat, and never install a car seat in the front seat.  If your car does not have a latch connector for the middle seat, you can use the middle seat belt to properly secure the base.  When installing, make sure the base of the car seat moves no more than an inch from side to side. An easy way to test this is to hold at the belt path.

Car Seat Expiration

Car seats do have an expiration date, it is recommended that car seats be replaced every 5-8 years, or immediately after a crash.  The reason for an expiration date is because plastic can warp and materials can fray, which can make car seats not as effective in the event of a crash.  Additionally car seat technology and state and federal car seat regulations change over time.  Important warning labels may wear out and instruction books may get lost, which can lead to improper use of the car seat.

Safeguard the Car

Childproof the inside of the car and eliminate projectiles.  Anything in the car that is not secured is a possible projectile – even a child’s toy, or a water bottle. In a crash, objects take on greater weight due to crash forces.

And we are giving one reader a chance to win a  Safety 1^st ‘s  first infant car seat with Air Protect + technology: Positively the safest choice in full body protection.

The onBoard™35 Air+ Infant Car Seat features our new Air Protect + to keep children from 4-35 pounds safer in the car. Air Protect + combines the advanced protection of our Air Protect^® cushion system with patented GCell HX™ foam designed with hexagonal shapes for superior protection around the torso. TOGETHER they provide full body side impact protection.

In addition to Air Protect +, the onBoard35 Air+ is LATCH equipped with an adjustable stay-in-car base with LATCH storage.  We’ve also included a customizable infant insert to give a safer snug fit to tiny travelers.

• Rear-facing 4-35 pounds
• Accommodates a 4 pound tiny traveler
• Featuring Air Protect +
• Air Protect® advanced cushion system protects your child’s head, where it’s needed most
• GCell HX™ patented foam with hexagonal shapes inside the seat provides superior body protection
• TOGETHER they provide full body side impact protection
• 5-point harness with up front adjustment
• 4 harness heights and 3 buckle locations to accommodate your growing child
• Customizable Infant Insert
• One Click™ LATCH equipped with LATCH storage
• Carry Curve™ Handle features ergonomic design
• Base Belt Lock-Off easily secures the vehicle’s seat belt across the base
• Adjustable stay-in-car base
• Meets or exceeds Federal and ASTM Safety Standards

To win this onBoard™35 Air+ Infant Car Seat Follow The Staten Island Family on Facebook and leave a comment that you did so. For another chance to win you must FOLLOW @melissaSChapman on Twitter, TWEET this giveaway and leave a comment here that you did so. For another entry you can subscribe to our YOU TUBE CHANNEL and leave a comment here that you did so. For another entry you  can Follow MelissaSChapmanWriter on Instagram and leave a comment here that you did so! For Another entry you can  follow MelissaSChapman on Pinterest . And for another Entry you can follow Melissa Chapman on Google +  and leave a comment here that you did so! GOOD LUCK giveaway ends November 4th!

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