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Child safety seat accessories can be tempting to buy to entertain your child when traveling in the car, but did you know they have the potential to cause severe injuries? After-market products such as clip on toys, mirrors, or padding inserts are not recommended for use with most child safety seats. Some child safety seats will come with padding that is safe to use as it has already been crash tested with the seat. If you ever have any questions about whether something is safe to use, contact the manufacturer. Can babies play with toys safely while in a car seat? Are the mirrors above the car seat safe? Every child safety seat has been crashed tested to meet federal safety guidelines and has been through several tests to ensure it is as safe as possible for your child. When you start adding toys, mats, padding, or other accessories to the seat, it can impact the performance. Best practice is to only use items that came with the original seat. Even a minor change to your child safety seat, could affect the way it is designed which could result in serious injury or death. Mirrors are especially dangerous because they can release or break during a crash and cause a significant head injury. Best practice is not use mirrors or anything else that attaches to the vehicle seat or child safety seat. Some after-market products might claim to be crash tested, but this is misleading since there is nothing in the federal safety standards for child safety seats that covers accessories and these products are not regulated. While toys may help keep a child entertained during a car ride, they can be very dangerous in a crash. During a crash, unrestrained objects can travel through the car with great force and cause injuries if they were to hit the child or driver. You should never attach a toy to the child safety seat or straps on the seat. If your child must have a toy in the vehicle, make sure it is soft and lightweight such as small stuffed animal. Best practice would be to avoid toys that are made of plastic or other heavy material as they could cause injuries when slammed against the body. Are mats under the car seat safe? Is it ok to use the “towel” method to adjust the angle? Always check your vehicle manual and child safety seat manual before adding anything underneath the car seat. When you add items such as mats, blankets, or towels underneath the car seat, the seat may no longer be positioned against the seat of the vehicle. If the mat shifts over time, it could cause the child safety seat to no longer to be installed correctly. Best practice would be to put nothing underneath the seat and remove it to clean the seat frequently. Be sure to check your vehicle manual and child safety seat manual when cleaning to see which products can be safely used. With rear-facing seats, it is important seats are reclined correctly. Rear-facing seats will have a recliner indicator on the seat such as line, or level indicator to help you see if the seat is reclined correctly. Best practice is to use these indicators first to adjust the seat. Always check your child safety seat and vehicle manual to see if an item such as a rolled-up towel or pool noodle can be placed under the seat if you cannot get it reclined correctly. If the manufacture allows you to place something under the seat to adjust the angle, make sure you place it directly under the belt path. You also want to make sure the item does not cause the car seat to be reclined incorrectly once you place it under the seat. Always use the recline indicators on the seat to ensure your child’s airway is safely protected and the seat is installed correctly. https://thecarseatlady.com/travel-friendly-toys-games/ |
