Good morning! How are you guys today!? I hope your Tuesday is off to a good start! We’re talking about car seat safety on the blog today, so buckle up and enjoy the riiiide! (<— Oh the puns! I just can’t help myself.)
A couple of weeks ago, I asked you guys to submit your car seat safety questions so I could pass them along to Chicco’s Child Passenger Safety Advocate and share a Q&A on the blog. The questions came rollin’ in and many of you guys had similar questions related to car seat safety. (Many of your questions were also questions I personally had for Chicco which was great! Thanks for covering my bases, friends!)
Last month was Baby Safety Month and I am partnering with Chicco to help spread the word about car seat safety to encourage parents and caregivers to keep their little ones as safe as possible. A car seat safety Q&A may be found below that incorporates your questions and at the bottom of this blog post you will find a pretty awesome giveaway for a Chicco KeyFit 30 car seat!
Now let’s get to it!
Car Seat Safety Q&A
- How long do we keep the newborn/infant inserts in the car seat?
The infant insert is the smaller contoured seat pad that fits inside your infant car seat. These pads are engineered to position a smaller baby at the correct seat angle, as well as ensure that the harness fits tightly. You can remove the insert when you feel it is no longer necessary, but it must be removed once your infant reaches 11 lbs.
- When do I need to get the next car seat up from the infant car seat? Is it by weight or height?
You may transition your child to a convertible car seat that allows them to remain rear-facing until at least two years old at any time, but must make the switch from an infant car seat to a convertible car seat when your child outgrows either the height or weight guidelines for their infant car seat.
- I can’t find anyone who will check my car seat! The local fire department, highway commission, police, etc. are no longer allowed to due to “liability concerns.” Any tips to help ensure I’ve done a good installation, or other resources I haven’t thought of?
If you’re having trouble finding a certified child passenger safety technician in your area, check out Safe Kids Worldwide’s navigator here or visit SeatCheck.org.
- Is there a difference in an infant car seat and a convertible one as far as safety is concerned?
As long as your convertible car seat is being used in rear-facing mode as instructed and it’s installed correctly, your infant is protected in a convertible car seat. As a reminder, it’s recommended that child passengers be kept rear-facing until two years of age, whether that is in an infant car seat or convertible car seat.
- Why on earth do car seats expire? And will I get in trouble if I use an expired car seat?
Car seats expire for a few different, equally important reasons. First, over time, car seat technology improves and safety standards change. Additionally, materials used in car seats wear down with extended use, which could compromise safety features down the road. It’s also important to note that car seat manufacturers stop safety testing seats after a certain period of time, meaning that past expiration, manufacturers cannot guarantee how a car seat will perform in an accident.
- I heard that we shouldn’t put babies in their car seats wearing winter coats? We get some pretty COLD winters in New Jersey so I’m curious to see if there is any truth in this?
Don’t buckle your child into a car seat with bulky clothing, blankets or add-on products like a car seat bunting. The harness should be as snug as possible, and the added padding can interfere with the harness fit and crash performance of the seat. If you are using an infant carrier, put your child in the carrier and tighten the harness before you head to the car, then put blankets on your child to keep them warm. If you are using a car seat that is installed in your car, have your child take off their coat, get them in the car seat and tighten the harness, then put their coat on backwards until you arrive at your destination.
- What age/weight/height is safe to switch your little one to a forward facing car seat position?
Keep your child rear-facing in their car seat until at least two years old. Are your kid’s feet touching the seat back? Do they look a little cramped? That’s okay. Kids are a lot more flexible than adults. Kids need to stay rear-facing for as long as possible to protect their head and neck in the event of a crash. Kids do not need to be turned forward-facing until they reach the maximum height or weight of the car seat. Kids are fragile, and they are best protected rear-facing, even if that means they have a little less leg room.
- Is there a way to clean a car seat safely? I’ve heard that soaking it in water can make it unsafe…
The best way to clean car seat straps and other non-removable pieces is with mild soap and water, and then let it air dry. To simplify the process, Chicco’s line of Zip car seats include easy to remove zip-off features, such as a removable seat pad, that make clean-up a breeze.
Chicco KeyFit 30 Giveaway
And now it’s giveaway time! Chicco is giving away a KeyFit 30 car seat to one lucky PBF reader!
We absolutely love our KeyFit 30 car seat and I cannot recommend it enough. It easily clicks into our travel and jogging strollers and Chase seems comfortable and secure in it.
If you would like to be entered to win the car seat, simply leave a comment on this blog post, telling me about one thing that surprised you about pregnancy or becoming a new parent. I will randomly select a winner next Friday.
Good luck!
Looking for additional car seat safety information? Check out Chicco’s Car Seat Safety Guide and the Car Seat Education page of their website!
Thank you to Chicco for sponsoring this post and to all of you for your continued support. I truly appreciate it!
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What surprised me most about becoming a new mom is how much effort it takes me to get out the door, even as my son is approaching his first birthday! I still can’t seem to remember to grab everything we need!
Newly pregnant and I am surprised by how wonderful I feel! I can’t wait until baby is here! This would be a perfect things to win!
I have a three year old and am pregnant with our second. The physicality of parenting took my by surprised. I’m not just mentally exhausted, but by the end of the day I am physically wiped out too!
I’m due in February and I am shocked and overwhelmed with all the information there is about infant safety. I’ve nannied for years and never considered all the planning it takes to decide what stroller, car seat, baby carrier, etc. to use. Not to mention deciding on mama to be’s care provider options and supplements and birth plans. Regardless, we can’t wait to meet our little peanut. Thanks for sharing this information! It was a great read!
So many surprises, but one is the amount of stuff that babies supposedly need. 🙂
I was surprised it happened so fast!
I was surprised at how protective I feel–truly like a mama bear!
I was amazed by the myriad of side effects extended periods of lack of sleep caused. Thankfully most of those issues have resolved by now!!
How I don’t have much time! But also how much I can get done in a small amount of time.
I’ve been surprised with how fast time flies once you have children.
I was surprised by the fact that my didn’t get easier, the hard just got different.
What surprised me about becoming a new mom was how hard it was at first and how much it was worth the difficulties. So much so that I’m pregnant again!
I was surprised by how much changes from each pregnancy/child, even when they aren’t too far apart in age! Another pregnancy surprise was how much I absolutely loved it, each time!
One thing that surprised me about being pregnant was the reality of morning sickness and nausea, and later how cool it is to feel the baby moving!
What surprised me the most about becoming a mother is how time flies by. Each day is a blur and I have to remind myself to slow down and focus on the sweet little moments.
I’m due in January and was surprised by how much I love feeling our baby move. We aren’t finding out the gender and feeling baby kicks has made me feel more connected to him/her than I expected!
I am expecting TWIN girls so we NEED 2 car seats! we have one Chicco key fit already, so this would be perfect!!!
I am pregnant with my second…due Jan 1! One of the main things we need is another car seat. This would be such a blessing.
One thing that surprised me about being a new parent was HOW HARD it was going to be. I “knew” beforehand what to be prepared for, but nothing could prepare me for the exhaustion and emotional ups and downs. But even more than that, what surprised me was the complete, total, life consuming love I felt for my new baby. I would do ANYTHING for my child and will always put him first. His smile makes every hard time complete worth it.
It’s totally cliche but the most surprising part of becoming a parent was figuring out all of the sleep stuff – both naps and nighttime – and how to function after months of sleep deprivation. It took 12 months for our son to consistently sleep through the night and I don’t take one sleep-filled night for granted anymore!
Well after 10 years since my boy, I had a baby girl, back in February. It’s like a new game for me, because everything is so update and much better this days; but my car seat I got from my sister-in-law, it’s ok, but is not nice like this one, and does not offer any the perks that this Chicco Keyfit offers.
I would love to have the Chicco Keyfit to grown with my baby girl.
Thank you and have a bless day.
It surprises me how much you fall in love as soon as you see your baby. The emotion is something unexplainable! Also, it surprises me how often I forget things in the diaper bag when we leave the house! I have to start double checking myself. Thank you for the info on the car seats. I printed everything out to have it for future switching from a infant to convertible. Currently pregnant again and would love to win!
To me being a new parent what was overwhelming was how much I loved my child. I loved my animals and my nephew and niece. Thought that I couldn’t love anything more than I loved them. Boy was I wrong when my son was born 8 months ago it opened my eyes to so much love. Also my maternal instincts have been surprising!
I have been surprised at how good I’ve felt during the first trimester. I’m at 14 weeks and have only really felt slightly nauseous. And I’ve also been surprised at how tired I’ve been. I want to be in bed at 8pm most nights!
I am surprised at how tired I am!!
I was surprised at all the options for each product… 25 different car seats, 15 different swings, etc. it’s hard to choose!!
First time pregnant lady here! What has surprised me most is how in love I am with my little man and I haven’t even met him! I can’t wait for him to arrive! I’ve read so many great things about this car seat! It’d be a great first major thing to have for baby!
I have an almost 2yr old and I’m pregnant (due soon) with our second. What surprised me about being pregnant the second time was how soon I felt the baby move compared to the first time. what surprised me the most about parenting, was the depth of my love and how when my baby didn’t feel well, I felt horrible, or when my baby was happy, I was elated. This love just continues to grow.
Winning the car seat would come in VERY handy.
I have a 5 month old baby boy and just returned to work. I can’t believe how difficult it is to be away from him!
I’m pregnant with our first baby, and I’m amazed at how everyone has an opinion about anything we are doing or not doing. I expect it will get even worse when we are actually making more parenting choices when the baby is here!
I have 3 kiddos who are 5, 3 and 9 months! Other than the amount of love you can have for another person, the amount of stuff thats needed! I seriously had 10 bins of clothes from my son! 10! Thats a little much! ( They have all since been donated :))
I am 22 weeks pregnant and I am feeling good surprisingly !
Something that surprised me was the breast feeding hunger; I was hungry allllll the time!
We would love the car seat! Having three kids buying car seats is expensive! Glad to see you doing well sorry about your toe!
The leg/inner thigh pain is what surprised me! I was ready for back pain but my chiropractor has made that practically a non-issue, but this leg pain is killing me!!
Most surprising to me was how my normal workouts have felt SO much harder! I’m 12 weeks and working out is way more tiring than it was before I was pregnant!
Thank you for this post. I’m pregnant with my fist and it’s amazing how many things you worry about even though the little nugget isn’t here yet. I think the thing that’s surprised me most is that I cannot believe how strong a stomach I usually have and how sick I’ve been throughout this pregnancy so far. Thanks again for the great post.
Probably how much stuff you accumulate once you have a kid!
Being that this is my first pregnancy, everything is so new to me. I’m thankful for all the of advice I’ve been given by my sister in laws. They’ve given me advice on what to buy and what I’ll never use. There are so many choices when it comes to baby products!
I am newly pregnant (only 11 weeks) and I am wondering when I will start to feel like “me” again?!?! Love this car seat!
I was surprised that my awful pregnancy reflux went away the second my son was born! So thankful!
We are about to have our third baby in three years and I am just prepared to keep being surprised by everything! So many questions; how will I push them all in a stroller, where am I going to fit three cars seats in a car, will I ever get a full night of sleep again??!!
I am currently 33 weeks pregnant. While there are so many amazing aspects to being pregnant the thing that surprised me the most is how connected I feel to my baby each time I feel her move in my belly. It’s the best feeling ever!
What has most surprised me is how much my little one has become part of every part of my life. I still like my time away with other mamas and some date nights, but I find myself thinking about, taking about, and sharing updates about my little one. He’s just too cute!
I am now 12 weeks pregnant and was not expecting to be so exhausted during the first trimester. I feel fortunate that I am feeling more like myself again and looking forward to enjoying the second trimester.
I am pregnant for the first time, and I am amazed at how it changes everything!! My sense of balance, my skin, my taste… all different! Feeling her moving is the best. 🙂
Hey Julie- LOVE your blog! I am in my first trimester with my with my first baby! My husband and I couldn’t be happier! I was surprised to find out how quickly I became attached to the baby and how easy it was for us to decide to make all the necessary lifestyle changes to keep our little tater tot safe(yes, that’s how we’ve decided to refer to the baby until we find out the gender 🙂 ) I thought it would be tough to give up drinks with the girls, some of my favorite foods, etc, but knowing I’m doing it for my baby makes the decision a lot simpler! (And having your blog as a place to go when I’m feeling anxious has certainly helped!) Thanks for what you do!
What surprised me is the health complications I have with this pregnancy. Hopefully it goes away after I give birth.
I’m 13 weeks and several things have surprised me. Food aversions are real! My beloved vegetables make me want to be sick. I’m hoping it will subside soon. Oh, and the random crying spells. Those are fun too!
My due date is my birthday! After a few miscarriages my husband and I are so excited for this little miracle baby!