Sunday, February 17, 2013

Proper Car Seat Safety

Today we talk about.... car seat safety! Woo! I know I may seem to talk about subjects that are talked into the ground, but everyday is a day someone can learn something new.

Two articles have been running through my mommy Facebook world lately that are very informative on carseat safety. 11 Deadly Mistakes You Didn't Know You Were Making and its sequel 8 More Deadly Car Seat Mistakes is a must read and will surely get us parents thinking.

Some of the important facts of car seats are as follows:

1) The chest clip must be ON the chest, level with the arm pits. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen moms post photos of their children in car seats with the chest clip right above the buckle, sitting on their tummy. That will do nothing in the event of a car accident. Accidents don't always happen, but the point of a car seat is to protect your child should one occur.
2) The straps should be at or behind the baby's shoulders, not coming from above like an adult's seat belt.

3) The straps should be snug, and not able to be pinched. The baby's shoulders shouldn't be able to slide out of them.


4) You should not use any snow suits or heavy coats in a car seat. The safety belts are stationary and do not tighten back like adults do. The amount of strap you would have to loosen to accommodate a snow suit or heavy coat will loosen the straps too much. They may seem snug because of the large coat, but in an accident the compression of force will thrust the child against the straps, the coat will flatten, and the child can be ejected from the seat. Most car seat manuals warn against this. To keep our baby warm, my husband and I use a car seat cover that wraps OVER the already buckled in baby, and we bundle her with blankets, again, after she is strapped in and secured. She is happy and perfectly toasty! Plus, once the car is warm we can take off how ever many layers to ensure her comfort.


5) Do NOT put the car seat on top of a shopping cart. Again, most manuals warn against this, and there are usually warning printed on the seats the cart. Car seats are not manufactured to be perched on top of a cart. While there is an indent in the bottom, it is for a car seat base not a shopping cart. It is extremely dangerous, and many kids have been injured and even killed because of a car seat toppling off a cart. Place the carseat IN the cart, or use a stroller. In the even the shopping cart is not wide enough, I suggest carrying the baby or using a baby wrap/carrier.

6) It is not safe to use "after market" products in the car seat, such as strap cushions, or fluffy covers that go UNDER the child (same reason as a fluffy coat or snowsuit, compression in a collision). Most aftermarket products actually void your warranty as well, another disadvantage. Use only the head rest that came with your seat. If your baby is a newborn or small and you are worried about a floppy head, receiving blankets can be rolled and placed on either side of the baby's head between them and the seat for extra sturdiness. This is safe because it does not compromise the safety or tightness of the straps.

7) Rear face as long as you can. Most parents start to forward face the carseat around a year of age, but there are more benefits to rear facing than forward facing should you be involved in an accident. As this article from NBC news states, "When a child is placed in a rear-facing seat there is less chance of trauma to the highly vulnerable neck and head areas during the most common crashes. Arbogast notes, too, that even older children — up to age 12 — still haven’t fully developed. They — along with adult passengers — would also probably be safer sitting rear-facing. Of course, this isn’t feasible. Adults and older children won’t do it or they can’t because the car seats won’t allow it. So the question safety experts are trying to answer now is how long we can get our very youngest children to do it." And... "When I talk to parents some feel that the bigger children are more at risk for leg injuries because their legs are bunched up. But that concern has never been borne out in the data,” says Arbogast. “Besides, remember, the risks you’re trying to prevent by keeping a child rear-facing are head and spinal injuries.” Broken legs are easy fixes compared to the other injuries, she notes."

8) You should not buy used car seats. Unbeknownst to many, car seats have expiration dates, and should not be used again after involvement in an accident. You can never be sure if you buy used. A great resource on car seat safety is The Car Lady is a great resource, and in this link on reusing car seats offers some good perspective.

These are just some of the topics to hit on this subject, and as always, I encourage you to read more! I am including more links at the bottom of this post. Happy researching!



Saturday, February 2, 2013

The Realm of Facebook & Adulthood

People on Facebook are amusing. I am in the midst of a debate on the evils of pacifiers! PACIFIERS?! Oh noooo! I use a soothie-style binkie, and have no issues. I think you need to be careful to establish a good breastfeeding relationship before you use them (in case of nipple confusion or preference), but they can be a lifesaver for car rides and washing dishes.
Facebook is great for networking, keeping in contact, and sharing information. And like anyone else, I also use it in times when I need support or encouragement. I think that's totally okay. People contact each other more on Facebook than they do in person sometimes! And if you need someone, by all means, reach out.

But it's sad when I see adults using it to constantly complain and whine about life. I see 13, 14 year old girls doing that. Its totally normal for their age, everything in life is super dramatic. A grown women, however, posting a status about every single thing or person that bothers her or ticks her off is a bit ridiculous.

I feel at the age most wives and mothers are, you should be able to process your emotions enough on your own without having to need a social network to validate how you're feeling. If someone or something is bothering you THAT much, go to the source and deal with the situation, or if you need to talk, go to a friend or spouse.  

Where is our maturity, our dignity, our strength, that we constantly feel the need to tell Facebook (or Twitter, Tumblr, etc) our problems. Dwelling on them is negative and won't help. Many people have children on Facebook as well, what kind of example does that set? Its perfectly okay to constantly complain. In real life, if all a friend does is complain when they talk to us, we generally don't like talking to them or being around them do we? So why do we tolerate it on Facebook?

I recently took a month long challenge not to post any negative or complaining statuses. It was surprisingly hard to resist the want to post. "Ugh, have the most wretched headache today!" "Baby was up alll night, can't take this exhaustion anymore!" Or, the passive aggressive statuses pointed towards someone who, in all probability, will not see your post about them. "Some people need to learn how to drive!" "If you want to say something, say it to their face next time!"

Just yesterday I was in a debate with some people, and a friend who disagreed posted a status very obviously pointed at me. As a teenager I would have absolutely retaliated via status, but instead, this time I felt pity for her, and honestly, amusement.

I use the social networks to share pictures of my gorgeous daughter, spread awareness about my passions, share thoughts and musings, and to keep in contact with those far away. Let's rise above and be the adults we are, and keep everything civil and grown up. Its normal to need support and encouragement, as I said before, but lets not be Debbie Downers!