Parents-to-be have so much information to absorb. It\u2019s difficult to keep track of it all. Then, baby
\narrives and the sleep deprivation sets in. It\u2019s easy to mistakenly do something dangerous,
\nespecially when it seems that the safety recommendations are constantly in flux. Even if this
\nisn\u2019t your first go-round, it\u2019s likely things have changed since the last time you had an infant in a
\ncar seat. Keep on reading to be sure you\u2019re avoiding these common car seat mistakes.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no doubt you\u2019ve seen lots of babies in car seats perched atop shopping carts<\/a>. It\u2019s a very There are boatloads of aftermarket products<\/a> sold for car seat use. Everything from hanger toys When the temperatures drop, it\u2019s only natural to want to keep your baby warm and cozy, With the convenience of a carrying handle, it seems that infant seats are designed to help Perhaps this should go without saying, but with the constant need to maximize the use of our Keeping track of all the \u201crules\u201d can be overwhelming when it comes to childrearing. However, <\/p>\n For car seat installation and support in the Baltimore area, please contact Sheena Hill<\/a>, CPST at Parenting Works<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Parents-to-be have so much information to absorb. It\u2019s difficult to keep track of it all. Then, baby arrives and the sleep deprivation sets in. It\u2019s easy to mistakenly do something dangerous, especially when it seems that the safety recommendations are constantly in flux. Even if this isn\u2019t your first go-round, it\u2019s likely things have changed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2367,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"5 Car Seat \u201cDon\u2019ts\u201d you Want Avoid | The Nurturing Root","_seopress_titles_desc":"Keeping your baby safe is your biggest priority. Learn more about common mistakes parents make regarding car seats for infants and toddlers.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[124,129,14,133],"tags":[169],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":124,"label":"Childbirth classes"},{"value":129,"label":"Doula"},{"value":14,"label":"infant care"},{"value":133,"label":"parenting"}],"post_tag":[{"value":169,"label":"car seat safety"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"Carmen Calvo","author_link":"https:\/\/thenurturingrootsa.com\/author\/carmen_admin\/"},"comment_info":"","category_info":[{"term_id":124,"name":"Childbirth classes","slug":"childbirth-classes","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":124,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":28,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":124,"category_count":28,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Childbirth classes","category_nicename":"childbirth-classes","category_parent":0},{"term_id":129,"name":"Doula","slug":"doula","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":129,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":32,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":129,"category_count":32,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Doula","category_nicename":"doula","category_parent":0},{"term_id":14,"name":"infant care","slug":"infant-care","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":14,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":19,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":14,"category_count":19,"category_description":"","cat_name":"infant care","category_nicename":"infant-care","category_parent":0},{"term_id":133,"name":"parenting","slug":"parenting","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":133,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":12,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":133,"category_count":12,"category_description":"","cat_name":"parenting","category_nicename":"parenting","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":169,"name":"car seat safety","slug":"car-seat-safety","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":169,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenurturingrootsa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenurturingrootsa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenurturingrootsa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenurturingrootsa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenurturingrootsa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thenurturingrootsa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenurturingrootsa.com\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenurturingrootsa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenurturingrootsa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenurturingrootsa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\ncommon practice but it\u2019s not a safe one for baby nor is it a good move for the integrity of the car
\nseat itself. The major safety issue at play here is the potential for the shopping cart to tip over
\ndue to becoming top-heavy from the weight of your baby and baby\u2019s car seat. This could then
\ncause the car seat to topple over which could harm the baby. Additionally, car seats are not
\ndesigned to clip on to shopping carts even though you may be able to clip your seat onto the
\ncart. This is actually warned against in car seat manuals and can damage the mechanism in the
\ncar seat that holds it securely to the base. Either scenario, a fall from the top of the cart or
\nunknowingly continuing to use a seat that has been damaged, could end tragically so it\u2019s best to
\navoid this practice altogether.<\/p>\nDon\u2019t use Aftermarket Products<\/h2>\n
\nfor the infant seat\u2019s handle to fancy headrests and infant inserts. Since they\u2019re sold at leading
\nretailers and because they often have a stamp of \u201capproval\u201d listed on the packaging, parents
\noften figure they\u2019re totally safe for use. The truth of the matter is that the car seat you own has
\nonly been tested and proven safe to use with the items that are originally included with the seat
\n(or those sold by the manufacturer that are listed as safe in the instruction manual). So, while
\nthose little teddy bear strap huggers are adorable, it\u2019s better to leave them on the shelf and stick
\nwith the products from the manufacturer of your seat designed for your specific seat.<\/p>\nDon\u2019t put Baby in a Bulky Winter Coat<\/h2>\n
\nespecially when heading outside. It seems the sensible thing to do would be to bundle baby up
\nin a sweet, fuzzy bunting or a warm, puffy coat before strapping them into the car seat. The
\nthing is, car seat harness safety depends upon the snugness of the harness against baby\u2019s
\nbody. This means that in a collision, particularly at high speeds, the \u201cfluff\u201d of a winter coat
\ncompresses, leaving baby loosely strapped in, and vulnerable to being ejected from the seat<\/a>,
\neven if the harness had been pulled tautly over the coat at the onset of the ride. With small
\nbabies, a blanket tucked around them or a \u201cshower cap\u201d style seat cover are the best options for
\nkeeping baby warm in the car seat. With older children, simply having them put the coat on
\nbackwards once strapped in their seats or using the coat as a blanket are the easy alternatives.<\/p>\nDon\u2019t Leave Baby in Car Seat when not in Transit<\/h2>\n
\nparents avoid having to remove your sleeping newborn from the seat once you\u2019ve exited your
\nvehicle. However, the most recent recommendations warn against this practice<\/a>, citing examples
\nof cases where infants have died when left to sleep in a car seat when not in-transit. They
\nbelieve this is a result of the angle of the seat and the position of the baby when the seat isn\u2019t in
\nthe vehicle versus its safe and proper angle when it is properly secured in the vehicle. So, while
\nit may seem counter-intuitive to disrupt a sleeping baby by removing him\/her from the car seat
\nupon arrival to your destination, this is exactly the recommendation given for optimal safety.<\/p>\nDon\u2019t Skip Reading the Manual<\/h2>\n
\ntime and the seemingly easy installation of car seats, it would be faster to skip reading the
\nmanual and still feel confident that you have installed your car seat correctly. However, there
\nare so many nuances to the seats themselves as well as the vehicle in which the seat is being
\ninstalled, that failing to both read the manual and follow the instructions accordingly, could truly
\nbe an endangerment to your child.<\/p>\n
\ncar seat safety is something that just cannot be glossed over. Car travel is so commonplace in
\nour society that we tend to overlook the inherent risks; but the proper safety measures must be
\ntaken to keep your baby secure and out of harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n