Child Safety Seats for the Car

							?As your child grows, several different child safety car seats will need to be
purchased. Each time you buy a new car seat, mail the registration postcard so that
you will be informed if there is a recall. Recalls of car seats are very common because
documentation of car seat performance continues even after manufacturing. Contact
your local health department for classes on child safety or inspections of car seat
installations. Differing locations may use differing personnel, such as the local
hospital or fire department to conduct safety classes. Below are some things you may
learn about car safety for children.

Put your child in the back seat of the car. Most automobiles have airbags in the front
seats and a child in a safety seat should not be placed in a front of one. The airbag is a
bit too powerful for a child's small mass, and children have been hurt by airbags. Even
if there is no airbag, a child is safer in the back. If a car seat is rear-facing, as it should
be for small infants, parents can use a special mirror to help them occasionally peek at
their child's face. Some parents hate to have the baby somewhat out of sight, but they
can usually put their baby to sleep in a crib out of sight. Remember the instinct to
keep a child close and in sight will not help the child in a car crash if the child is not
safely restrained.

Garage sales and secondhand baby stuff is a great way to save money, but not for
child safety seats. You never can tell if a seat has been in an accident and such seats
should not be re-used. Also seats that are more than five years old should not be
re-used. Seats that have been in a recall should not be re-used. This is why you should
buy your own seat and send in your registration card.

Another reason to buy a new seat is so that you will have the instructions necessary to
properly install your car seat. Read the instructions and follow them. We repeat, read
the instructions and follow them. If your car seat needs some kind of tether strap to
secure the seat to the car in addition to the regular seat belt, be sure to use it. If you
drive an older model of car that has no anchor to secure the tether strap, call a local
dealer of your model and order a bracket to have installed in your vehicle.

Since 2002, cars in the United States are required to have a LATCH system as part of
their design. LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. This system
makes installation of car seats easier than before. LATCH is a built-in system of
anchors and tethers to secure car seats. It works very well with the newer child car
seats.

Author Bio:
Gabriella Gometra, stay-at-home mother and writer, builds sites on a diverse number
of topics, such as her latest creation at http://stonewaredinnerwaresets.org which has
information about everyday dinnerware sets and white dinnerware sets for casual
dining.