Even the most safety-conscious parents can misstep now and then when it comes to their children’s wellbeing. One can baby-proof a house from top to bottom and then forget to cut up a small child’s grapes. One can invest in swimming lessons and life jackets only to turn away for an instant as a child starts running along a slippery pool deck. And one can buy the most expensive car seat on the market only to install it incorrectly.

If you have a child under the age of 13 years, it is important to review car seat safety from time to time. As the auto manufacturing industry and other concerned organizations learn more and more about keeping children safe in motor vehicles, the steps that parents must take in order to ensure their children’s safety increase in number.

It was not so long ago that children were strapped into any seat available in a vehicle and that infants were held on their parents’ laps during car rides. Now, car seat safety has become a complex and nuanced matter of public health.

Parenting can be an extraordinarily expensive endeavor. However, you should not begin the purchase of a car seat with pinching pennies in mind. Avoid used car seats. They may be cheaper than new seats, but if their structural integrity has been compromised in an accident or if their construction does not meet current standards, you could ultimately do your child unintentional harm by purchasing them.

Please check back later this week as we will be continuing our discussion of this important topic during in our next post.

Source: Baby Center, “7 deadly car seat mistakes even experienced parents make,” Joyce Slaton, March 5, 2015