Keeping Your Baby Safe In The Car: 7 Helpful Guidelines
Most countries require children under the age of seven to wear child car seats that are the correct size, correctly installed, and stable to ensure that the child’s safety is not endangered. The safest option for children is to be seated in the back row of your vehicle. Be an example yourself by always wearing a seatbelt and by promoting positive car behaviour like not speeding up, racing with other people, and keeping children happy and entertained during the drive. Besides this, here is a whole bunch on how to keep your children safe during the drive.
- Safe Driving
Let us start with the basics. You as a driver are responsible for driving safely. This means that you are obliged to follow and respect all the driving rules, be cautious all the time, and be safety-oriented. Therefore, do not even try to drive under the influence of some substances, this will only bring panic to your vehicle and children are especially sensitive to this emotion. It is not smart at all to talk and text while driving because it decreases your focus, and on top of that, it is illegal. If you do not feel well, then skip driving for that day, fatigue can affect your ability to concentrate, and because of the increased pressure, you can even faint. Whenever you are going out with your little one, you should bear in mind that a complete focus is a must.
- Car Seats
As previously indicated, children under seven must use car seats that fit them and are properly installed. The installation of the car seat depends on the child’s age and car size. According to reviews about the best car seat for small cars, it is not an easy task to find an appropriate car seat if your vehicle is of smaller size, however, luckily, there is a whole range of different seats that can have up to four modes and fit smaller cars with no problems. Car seats should have the basic four modes that will suit children’s age. Henceforth, children under six months use rear-facing car seats with inbuilt harnesses; children aged from six months to four years must use rear or forward-facing seats with inbuilt harnesses. When it comes to seat belts, children under the age of seven can use a lap-sash only until they are big enough to use a regular seat belt.
- Car Safety Tips
Here are some more things you should be cautious of whenever you have your little one in the car. You must make sure that your child’s arms, legs, and head are always inside the car whether it is moving or is parked. With babies, this is slightly different since they are too small to be naughty, but you should double-check if the harness is comfortably placed and if the seat is well-fastened. Secondly, it is important to activate childproof, safety locks just in case your children try something funky like opening the door during the drive. Whenever you are taking your children in and out of the car, make sure that you are doing this from the kerbside, away from traffic.
- Where Children Should Sit
There are few legal demands on where children should be seated in the vehicle and these requirements mainly refer to the age of children. Therefore children under six months must not be placed in the front row of your car if your car has more than one seat row. Children aged between six months to four years must not sit in the front row if the vehicle has two or more rows of seats. On the other hand, if there is only one row of seats, then children can be seated in the front row with the mandatory use of the appropriate car seat.
- Good Atmosphere
Bored children in your car will only affect your focus and will make tension. Do not let your children be bored when you can entertain them with some simple tricks. A nice chat with your children will make a drive more entertaining and will strengthen the bond between you. Play some music and sing along with your children so that the atmosphere in the car is positive. Praise your children for good car behavior and treat them with their favorite snacks.
- Prevent Falls
Never leave your baby alone in the car, and always use a carrier. When using a carrier, make sure it is well-positioned and placed on the floor rather than a counter or table. Additionally, some baby carriers can behave like infant car seats, just make sure it is well installed and rear-positioned so that the baby cannot fall out of the seat if the accident occurs.
- Avoid Smoking
If you are driving with your baby in the car, then you should not smoke. Cigarette smoke can considerably affect your baby’s health especially because of the fact that smoke stays in clothes, hair, and skin.
It is essential to drive safely for both your own safety, passengers in your car, and other traffic participants. When it comes to driving with your children, you should be educated and know all the useful tips, and legal regulations.