Many parents appreciate the requirements for a car seat or transport capsule for their kids, but regrettably, there are still many who do not have an understanding of this important requirement, or more specifically, the requirements to make the seats safe for their babies. Car or Baby Seats save lives- A baby is too precious to leave in anything less then the correct car seat or capsule when being transported around. I will do my best to explain the importance of this, as well as the different styles, and types of car seats. Among the easiest mistakes to avoid is to just make sure that your child is in the correct car seat for his age and that he is facing the right direction. Some people accidentally attempt to place their infants in forward facing car seats. This is very dangerous, and should always be avoided. The reason for this is that infants and young babies have under-developed neck muscles, and very heavy heads, in proportion to the rest of their body. Therefore, their necks are unable to support the head, if it is thrust forward in the event of a collision. Hence, it is essential that all infants and young babies are in rear facing car seats.

It’s even a good idea to keep older babies in rear facing car seats for as long as possible, again, for the same reason.

When the car has to come to a sudden stop, as the baby is facing the rear, the forces are on the head top be pushed back against the back of its car seat, so it is protected.

If the baby was facing forward, the result would be that the head has no support as it is thrust forward, and can cause serious neck injuty, not to mention other trauma. Children who reach ten kilos before their first birthday still need to face backwards and can be moved into a rear facing convertible seat. Smaller infants who don’t reach 10 kilos until after their first birthday should also continue to face backwards. This is more a minimum though, as per my earlier suggestion. Many people advocate continuing to sit toddlers rear facing in a convertible seat until they outgrow it for added safety. In all cases, it is safer for the baby, to face the rear for as long as possible. Further, it should be noted that some car seats are marketed as being safe for babies from birth, but we found that one of the car seats we bought that said this, was really only suitable from six months. The reason we say this is that the seat did not have enough padding around the head to fully support the head. Again, I always advocate greater safety, and not being sorry later. After they are ten kilos and have passed their first birthday, toddlers can use a forward facing car seat (either a convertible, combination or forward facing seat) until they are about 20 kilos. Children over twenty kilos should be placed into a belt positioning booster seat (either a combination seat or booster seat) and they will usually stay in it until they are at least 8 years old. You should not use your car’s regular seat belts until they fit correctly when your child is about 40 kilos and is one and a half metres tall. Remember that your child will not be ready to use regular seat belts until the shoulder strap fits across his shoulder and not his neck, and the lap belt fits across his hips and not his stomach. All children under 12 years of age should be placed in the back seat of the car, especially if you have passenger side air bags. While mentioning air bags, may I very strongly suggest that under no circumstances, should a child seat be placed in the front seat of the car- particularly, if the car is fitted with air bags. The deployment of an airbag can kill a baby, or cause severe damage. If you only have a car with front seats, there is usually an option to disable the air bag in the front passenger seat. Once you have the right seat, it is easy to make mistakes by not securing the seat correctly in your car or not securing your child correctly in the seat. Common mistakes when using a car seat include:

* having harness straps too loose or in the wrong position

* having a harness chest clip in the wrong position

* not locking the seat belt properly with a locking clip, seat belt retractor or locking latch plate. Keep in mind that newer seat belt systems have a built-in locking mechanism.

* not securing the car seat correctly, by either using the wrong seat belt path or not making the seat belts tight enough placing an infant seat in the path of an air bag.

Other mistakes to avoid depend on what type of seat you are using. In addition to following these tips, you should also read your car seat’s instructions. A recent study showed that many of these instructions are difficult to understand by many parents, so if you don’t understand what you are doing, either call the manufacturer or go to a car seat inspection station to see if you are using your seat correctly.

To make installation even easier, consider getting a car seat and car that has the new LATCH system, which doesn’t need to use your car’s set belts. LATCH tether anchors can also be added to older cars. When using an infant seat, make sure that:

* the harness chest clip is correctly positioned at your child’s armpit level so that the shoulder straps will be in the correct position

* the harness straps are snug and straight

* rear-facing harness straps are positioned at, or slightly below, your child’s shoulders

* the seat reclines at about a 45 degree angle

* you never place an infant in a rear-facing child restraint in the front seat of a car with a passenger side air bag When using a rear facing convertible seat, make sure that:

* harness straps on rear-facing seats are positioned at, or slightly below, your child’s shoulders

* the harness chest clip is in the correct location at your child’s armpit level

* the harness straps are snug and straight

* the seat reclines at about a 45 degree angle When using a forward facing convertible seat, make sure that:

* The harness straps on forward-facing restraints are positioned at, or slightly above, your child’s shoulders. You should be using the top set of harness slots for convertible child safety seats.

* the harness straps are snug and straight

* the harness chest clip is positioned at your child’s mid-chest or armpit area. When using a forward facing combination seat, make sure that:

* harness straps would be positioned at, or slightly above, your child’s shoulders.

* at 20 kilos, you remove the harness straps and use your car’s lap/shoulder belt, especially if the harness straps are below the child’s shoulders.

* you stop using a shield booster once your child is 20 kilos When using a belt-positioning booster seat, make sure that:

* you always use the lap/shoulder belt combination with a belt-positioning booster. Never use a lap belt only. This includes no back and high back booster seats.

* the shoulder belt rests snugly across chest, rests on shoulder; and should NEVER be placed under the arm or behind the back.

* the lap-belt should rest low, across the lap/upper thigh area, and not across the stomach. You should also avoid using a car seat that has:

* been recalled

* involved in a crash

* is more than 10 years old (or depending on the manufacturer,

* more than 5-6 years old)

* doesn’t have a label with the date it was manufactured and the seat name or model number

* doesn’t have instructions

* is missing parts or has cracks in the frame

In summary, whilst a car seat is imperative for your baby’s safety, it needed be a difficult process, as long as care, and attention to detail are applied, when one is fitted, and your child is correctly harnessed in one, correctly installed.

Martin Cohn is the webmaster of the site http://www.new-mums-info.com This site is designed for new parents who need help through the maze of parenthood, and want to answer as many of their questions as possible, from the one website. For specific car seat information, see http://www.new-mums-info.com/carseats.html