Some do's and don'ts for car seats

As a medical professional, it is common for me to see parents bring an infant into clinic strapped into an infant carrier that is attached to a stroller. While every parent has the best of intentions to keep their baby safe and comfortable, there are a few common mistakes I see daily.

·      One of my biggest pet peeves is the padded seat strap covers that are supposed to support the infant’s head and prevent the straps cutting into the neck. These dangerous additions to car seat straps only make your infant more uncomfortable and displace the car seat straps leaving your infant at greater risk of injury in an accident. 

·      Something I see that concerns me is the infant’s head flopped forward or to the side due to poor head control & slouching. Not only is this uncomfortable for the child, but it can cause difficulty breathing.  To counter this, some parents have placed towels to help with positioning, but these towels are likely to move out of place especially in a moving stroller or car.  This may place their baby in greater danger.

·      Another common sight the chest clip between the shoulder straps incorrectly placed over the abdomen.  This clip should be over the chest, right across the sternum, to prevent the baby from slipping through the seat straps in a car accident.

·      I often see after market car seat head supports in place because parents want to prevent their baby’s head from moving side to side. These head supports do very little because they do not provide support where the infant needs it most.  They also tend to move as baby moves, thus defeating their own purpose.

·      Last but not least the car seat straps should be secure and snug over your baby so only two fingers fit between the strap and your baby.

 

What can you do to prevent making these positioning mistakes with your baby?  First, be sure to follow all of the instructions provided by your seat’s manufacturer.  Next, get help if you aren’t sure. Then, to get optimal positioning use the Snuggin Go™, a patented & crash safety tested infant positioner designed by a mother & neonatal nurse practitioner.  Snuggin Go™ keeps your baby comfortable and breathing right for the whole trip whether in a car seat or a stroller. Please visit www.snuggingo.com for more information.