Secrets to choosing & installing a car seat. From infant car seats to boosters.

Installing a Car Seat Properly: Cool Baby…No Boundaries

As part of our special 4 part holiday edition of Griegers’ Cool Cars…No Boundaries, we’re looking at tips for safe holiday travel. Today, you’ll learn the secrets to choosing a car seat for your car, SUV or truck. From infant car seats to boosters. This blog will help young families learn how to choose an infant car seat and install a car seat properly.

Back in the day… holiday travel was simple. Mom and Dad threw junior in the back seat and off they went. When going over the river and through the woods involved a long trip, kids would often sleep in the back window. It seemed innocent enough. Parents just didn’t know better.

When everything changed…a new generation.

My dad had a cool Corvair convertible as a family vehicle. The poor man’s Porsche. My mother would tell me stories of how my dad would never back down from a drag race…even when my infant siblings and I were in the backseat.  It was an era of fast cars.

Yes, America fell in love with the automobile, and the automakers raced to make cars faster, bolder and cooler…without boundaries.

Speed and performance sold cars. Safety took a back seat to horsepower, styling, and the allure of the open road.

Yet, like a reckless love affair, America’s mid-century passion with the automobile proved to be destructive. In 1965, the same year that Chevrolet released its new Corvair (the car that my dad drove) over 49,000 Americans would die in automobile accidents. That’s as many as the number of American soldiers who would die throughout the Vietnam War.

That all changed when a man named Ralph Nader would bring this harsh reality to Congress with the publication of his book, Unsafe at Any Speed: the Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile. Cars like the Corvair disappeared.  Safety became the focus of American cars and trucks.

Secrets to choosing & installing a car seat.

Putting your family first is cool!

In today’s competitive car, SUV, and truck market, safety features are a big selling point. Manufacturers like Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram are racing to lead the industry in safety technology. Griegers Motors sells Chrysler Pacifica’s as fast as a Corvair on Woodward Avenue. Why? Because the Chrysler Pacifica is one of the safest cars for families and a perennial IIHS Top Safety Pick.

Not even the safest cars can protect an infant without this!

When it comes to knowing how to choose a car seat for newborn or installing a car seat properly, even the smartest consumer becomes confused. There are latches to anchor, belts and buckles to secure, and weight limits to uphold.

But even Griegers’ ultra safe Chrysler Pacifica is not safe enough to save the life of an infant when the car seat or booster seat is not properly selected or installed.

If your baby is securely strapped in a car seat, his or her risk of dying in a car accident goes down by 71%, according to the CDC.

Yet buying and installing a car seat can still seem overwhelming. Don’t get intimidated.

Choosing the Right Car Seat- 3 simple things to consider

When selecting the right child seat, just look at:

• Your baby’s age
• Your baby’s weight and height
• Does the seat meet safety standards

Select the Right Car Seat

Installing a car seat properly

More secrets to choosing & installing a car seat

Birth to age 2. Use a rear-facing seat. Your child’s weight should be no higher than allowed on the seat’s weight limit.

Age 2 to 4 – no more than 40 pounds. Use a forward-facing child safety seat.

Age 4 to 8 OR up to 4 feet 9 inches tall. Use a belt-positioning booster seat.  Back seat only.

After age 8 AND/OR 4 feet 9 inches tall. Seat belts (without a booster seat) are OK. But your child should keep using a booster seat until adult seat belts fit properly.  Check the position of the lap belt and the shoulder belt on your child. The lap belt should be on the upper thighs — not the stomach. The shoulder belt should be on the chest — not the neck.

Remember that all children under age 13 should always ride properly buckled in the back seat.

Make sure car seats and booster seats are properly installed and that any children riding with you are in the right car seat, booster seat, or seat belt for their age and size. See NHTSA’s child passenger safety recommendations to find out how to select the right seat for your child’s age and size.

Though thick outerwear will keep your children warm, it can interfere with the proper harness fit on your child in a car seat. Choose thin, warm layers for your child instead, and place blankets or coats around your child after the harness is snug and secure for extra warmth.

Have Fun! Be safe!

Cold Car…No Boundaries: Holiday Series

• 11 Simple Tips for Winter Car Care
• Car maintenance tips for winters in Valpo & Northwest Indiana
• Winter-driving tips: How to keep your family safe in Northwest Indiana
• Secrets to choosing & installing a car seat; from infant car seats to boosters.

Griegers Motors’ perennial IIHS Top Safety Pick…. The Chrysler Pacifica

Thanks for spending time with us as we discover the secrets to choosing & installing a car seat. From infant car seats to boosters. On behalf of my sponsor, Griegers Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram….we wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday!

Written & Produced by Jim Jano Janesheski

JANO, LLC

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 Cool Car….No Boundaries. Your Blog for Fun things to do in Northwest Indiana.

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