Did you know? Coats should never be worn in a car seat- even in winter! Keep your most important passengers safe on the roads.
This is Public Health is brought to you in partnership with the Tuscarawas County Health Department.
Bringing your baby home from the hospital is an important car ride, but taking your little one to the park or their first day of school is equally important! Protect your little passengers with these tips and easily avoidable mistakes.
Buckle Up!
Their chest strap should be buckled and adjusted at armpit level- not higher or lower.
The harness should be snug. You should not be able to pinch the straps between your fingers.
Which Way?
Children should be rear-facing as long as possible (but at least until they are 2).
Your child’s head should be 1” or more below the top of the car seat.
The harness should thread into the back of the seat at or below your child’s shoulders.
Your child should be in a front-facing car seat until they are at least 5 years old.
The harness should thread into the back of the seat at or above your child’s shoulders.
Okay. What Else?
After your child has grown out of their car seat, they need to ride in a booster seat until they are between 9 and 12 years old and 4’ 9” tall.
Children can start to use a seatbelt when the lap belt stretches across their upper thighs (not their stomach) and the chest strap goes across their chest- not their neck.
Never put your child in a car seat with a heavy coat, jacket, or blanket. The harness should be snug against your child. Drape a blanket or coat over the safety straps if necessary.
All children 12 and under should be safely strapped into the backseat.
For more car seat information visit the CDC website, https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/child_passenger_safety/index.html. You can also visit www.tchdnow.org or find them on Facebook for more information about the Tuscarawas County Health Department and their services.
Audrey Mattevi
Reporting