Every parent should be concerned about minimizing the risk of a serious accident with their children inside the vehicle. The more steps that you can do to ensure that you purchase the right car seat and to install it appropriately, can decrease the risk of your child being significantly injured or even killed in a vehicle accident. Fitting your car seat properly begins with purchasing the right size seat. Most car seats on the market today are designed for children of a particular age, but you’re better off ensuring that the size of the seat matches your child’s height and weight. Going by age alone could decrease your chances of fitting your car seat properly.

Before getting behind the wheel, ensure you have considered all of these safety tips to make things safer for you and your child. For fitting your car seat properly, you need to review the instructions carefully as soon as you buy to make sure it’s the right fit. Other tips include:

  •       Keeping all toddlers and infants in a rear-facing seat in the back until they are at least 2 years of age.
  •       Leaving no more than 1 inch of slack when a child is harnessed into the car seat.
  •       Keeping children in the back seat until they are at least 13 years old.
  •       Checking your car seats every 6 years by checking the expiration date in the owner’s manual or on the seat.
  •       Avoid garage sales because you don’t know if those car seats have been involved in an accident before.
  •       Review the owner’s manual carefully to ensure that the seat is properly positioned at the right angle to limit how much the child’s head could move around in an accident.

Following these tips could help save your child’s life and it’s well worth investing in the right car seat to get the peace of mind and protection they provide.