The wonderful world of children comes with many a necessity, from cribs to car seats and everything in between.
While we certainly aren’t experts on lullabies and sleep routines, we can advise on these three things you might not know about car seats…but that might come in handy.
Heavy winter coats can make a child seat unsafe
When your kids are wearing their big, puffy winter jackets, or have blankets on them, the extra bulk can prevent the harness of the child seat from holding your child properly in place. This means that, if there’s an accident, they’re not securely fastened in.
If it’s really cold, you can always put their coat or a blanket over the top of the car seat and harness once they’re secure. That way, they’ll be able to push it off when the car has warmed up, too!
It’s also important to remember that babies can quickly get too warm in a car when layered up. Although removing bulky clothes will help prevent this, CYBEX have produced SensorSafe technology which will send warnings to your phone when the car is too warm for your child.
Your child might outsmart the seat
If you’re a parent, you’ll have undoubtedly had to face the seat buckle struggle. Although you have to strap those wriggly little bottoms in more than once a day (most likely), it still seems like a challenge every single time! Yet somehow, these little escape artists we call our children seem to be able to perform a spot of wizardry and get themselves out of the straps and free to roam the back of the car.
Some mums swear by buttoning a shirt over the seat buckle to prevent inquisitive little hands, but for peace of mind, we recommend the 5 point plus anti-escape system which works by shielding the gaps in a child seat harness to prevent escaping.
A used car seat might not be safe
By this, we don’t mean you need to get a new car seat every time you’ve been out with your little ones, but certainly for people with a second-hand seat, or for those parents reusing old car seats for new additions to the family, it’s important to make sure the seat is thoroughly checked for signs of wear and tear. Car seats also come with a use-by date which should be displayed on the seat’s label.
A bit of dirt or a small tear to the fabric is nothing to worry about, but for significant damage such as damage from impact (e.g. dropping or in an incident), or if the straps are damaged or broken then it’s best to go for a new one to guarantee your child’s safety during travel.
If you’re unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident, many insurance companies will supply a voucher for a new car seat that can be redeemed at your local Halfords store.
Anything else boggling your brain when it comes to getting your smaller family members from A to B? Head over to our car seat advice guides for more help.
Or for extra tips and advice, you may find this post useful: ‘Can my child sit in the front seat of a car?‘