The Importance of an Infant Car Seat ~ Road Safety Series.

Being a first time mam can be pretty daunting in and of itself. There’s just so much to take in- advice by the bucket load and so. much. stuff. to buy. The very first decision we make for our little one’s safety is their car seat. Most Irish maternity hospitals now ensure you have a seat before they allow you to leave the ward, so I thought we’d talk a little about your options when it comes to your first purchase. To save money down the line it can seem ideal to buy a convertible seat (one that rear faces while baby is new born then converts as baby grows) but we’ll take a look today at why it’s a much safer option to start out with a car seat specifically designed for infants.

Why Do I Need an Infant Child Seat?

There are two distinct advantages to a specially designed infant car seat over the convertible option. First being far and away the most important- safety. Babies by their very nature are top-heavy, their little heads making up the majority of their body weight when born. A rear-facing child seat reduces the risk of injury in a head-on collision by more than 80%* when compared to a conventional forward-facing seat, as infant car seats are specifically cushioned with this weight difference in mind. This means that the force of an impact is distributed evenly over a large area.

The second advantage is convenience. Compact, easy to install infant car seats are now sold as part of newborn travel systems. The detachable seat can be transferred to pushchairs with ease. When the last thing you want to do is wake up a baby who hasn't slept for more than two hours at a time, then you best believe it's convenient to lift them from the car without disturbing their slumber.

The Difference between Infant Seats and Others

What Differentiates an Infant Car Seat?

· Usually smaller than their convertible counterparts. Most will have a carry handle, especially if they are bought as part of a travel system.

· The 3 or 5 point harness means baby will be as secure as possible in the seat. Some models recline, though you may pay more for that feature.

· ISOFIX bases are by far the most convenient part of Infant Car Seats. The base is easily clicked into place and you can be secure in the knowledge that they are fitted correctly. The base also remains in the car at all times, so you have the convenience of one click safety. You can buy more than one base for the same seat should you be using more than one vehicle in the family. 

These seats are used for infants up to 22 to 40 pounds, depending on the model. 
Should be used only for travel (not for sleeping, feeding, or other uses outside the vehicle). 

The most important feature of whichever car seat you opt for is fitting. As Infant car seats will mostly have carry handles, it’s important to note that the carry handle position can sometimes be critical in fitting as this acts as a rebound bar in the event of sudden braking or a collision.

Why Choose Extended Rear Facing Over Forward Facing?

It can be tempting to urge our children toward the next milestone in age and forward facing in the car is one of those perceived milestones. While laws are being gradually introduced to make extended rear facing the norm in Ireland and the UK, we really do need to consider just how much safer it is to extend rear facing travel. As mentioned above, if a baby travels in the car facing forwards, their relatively heavy head is unrestrained in a forward collision. Rear facing group 1 seats are 5 times safer in a frontal collision. They protect the neck and head by distributing the force along the back of the seat and are much more effective at protecting internal organs.*

We mentioned in our first post (HERE) the large percentage of car seats seen by the Check It Fits teams that are incorrectly fitted. However, another common issue they encountered was newborns in the wrong seat e.g. a seat that is designed for a much older child.

There are several ways of ensuring your chosen seat is fitted correctly but if you are ever in doubt, a visit to the Check It Fits service will put your mind at ease. This can be done before baby is even born to ensure you’re ready for your new arrival. Check your nearest Check It Fits team stop HERE. We'll be visiting the Check It Fits service on site in January to show you exactly what's involved and just how easy it is to ensure your little ones are as safe as possible, while in the car. 

Tell us: are you about to purchase your first infant car seat? 

Do you have any hints or tips to add on this topic?

Be sure to join in the Road Safety conversation & get in touch via Twitter, Facebook or right here below with any questions or comments you might have.

*Source 

Disclaimer: 
This is a paid for social media 
safety collaboration with the RSA. 

How to Choose and Fit the Best Child Seat for Your Child! ~ A Road Safety Campaign

You might remember me speaking about working with the Road Safety Authority on an upcoming campaign. Having worked as a Road Safety Officer for 7 years (cue Michael Caine’s ‘Not a lot of people know that’) I knew we’d be a great fit to share some road safety information with a particular focus on child safety that’s not always common knowledge. 

In this first installation we’ll look at equipping you with the essentials on purchasing and correctly fitting your child’s car seat so that it satisfies EU Law. According to which ‘All children must travel in an appropriate child seat, booster seat or booster cushion.’

In a time when we're savvier than ever about our children's safety the fact still remains that the greatest danger they face daily is as passengers in our cars. Luckily initiatives like Check It Fits from the RSA exist so that we might make more informed decisions about road safety and make the best choice possible when it comes to keeping our little ones safe.

It can feel like a daunting subject to discuss serious injuries and fatalities by way of road traffic collisions. But the aim of the RSA, the Check it Fits initiative and this particular social media campaign is to give the power back to you. To equip you with the right information to get your child the right protection in the car; to take away the guess work so that you have one less worry in your day as a busy parent or guardian. Lord knows we have enough of those already, right?

The first step in ensuring your children’s safety is in choosing the right car seat for your needs. That means one that not only suits both your child’s height and weight - but also your car. It’s worth noting that, unlike most purchases for our children, car seats are not judged by the age of the child but by their height and weight to ensure the safest possible fit.

Height & Weight Requirements for Child Seats.
Children below these parameters must have an appropriate car seat. 

Despite our best efforts in buying a top of the range car seats, all that is for naught if the seat doesn't suit the child’s needs or is incorrectly fitted to the car. Astonishingly 4 out of 5 car seats are not fitted correctly; which is hugely worrisome, considering a properly fitted seat can reduce the risk of injury or death in rear facing seats by up to 95%*!

There are several things we can do to ensure we buy the right car seat first time around:

• Measure your child’s height and weight before deciding on the car seat best for you 
• Do some online research - WHICH.co.uk have a comprehensive Child Car Seat Guide, including the Best and Worst seat available 
• Always bring your car when buying your car seat so that an expert can guide you through fitting it correctly, or better still fit it for you
• Consider an ISOFIX* car seat to take the guess work from fitting
• If fitting the seat yourself always read both the manual for the seat and the manual for your car to ensure the safest fit 
• Visit a Check It Fits pop up to have an expert check the seat is fitted correctly

*ISOFIX 

IsoFix is one of the safest systems available for attaching child car seats, guaranteeing protection for your child. IsoFix is standardised worldwide and was developed in partnership with the automotive industry. Almost all new cars are fitted with the IsoFix system. We'll discuss in more detail in the next installment exactly how and why ISOFIX are the preferred type of child car seat. 

In a digital age it is ever more tempting to buy our car seats online but, unless it is an ISOFIX compatible seat there is a high probability you can go wrong. There are exceptions of course; should you have done your research as outlined above, weighed and measured your child and checked the compatibility between the seat and your car - it is possible to correctly fit your car seat. In which case I couldn’t recommend more using the free Check It Fits service to guarantee your child is in the safest possible position. 

A Correctly Fitted ISOFIX Compatible Seat

Buying a second hand car seat can be a risky business unless you know its complete history. Again the temptation is to save money but the likelihood that the seat will be safe and suitable for your needs is minimal. There are many risks associated with buying 2nd hand eg no instructions, not sure about compatibility with child / car, missing parts, broken etc. The saving of a couple of euro really pales in comparison when looked at in the context of saving a child’s life or preventing serious injury in the event of a road traffic collision. 

When fitting a car seat yourself, the first concern is seat belt placement and tension once the seat is secured. The seat belt should not be twisted as it anchors the seat to your car; this twisting can lead to a slackening of the belt and put undue pressure on the buckle in the event of an accident. The seat belt should be taut and tight once the seat is secured. 

Another indicator to look for is ‘Buckle Crunch’; this happens when the belt buckle is holding the seat in place rather than the webbing of the seat belt. This too can lead to pressure on the belt buckle but in the event of impact can also cause the belt buckle to snap open, releasing the seat and its precious cargo entirely. 

RSA Expert Fitting at Check It Fits Event

These are the basics for purchasing and fitting your child’s car seat. I think it’s appropriate to mention that while it’s second nature to protect our little ones, child restraints aren’t a matter of choice any longer, they’re a legal requirement. As the slogan goes ‘No Car Seat – No Excuse’.

If you would like any further info you can visit RSA.ie. Like them on Facebook or pop me a comment below or on Twitter. And do let us know what you think of this initiative! If anything it's made me genuinely miss my time working in Road Safety. 


* Source: Liberty Insurance


Tell us are you in the market for a new car seat? Would you have known the basics above when it comes to purchasing and fitting? Any questions relating to anything you’ve read? Let’s get this very important conversation started!




Disclaimer: 
This is a paid for social media 
collaboration with the RSA.