Most Common Mistakes & Misconceptions In Using Infant Car Seats

Infant car seat safety is essential to protect your little one while traveling, but knowing how to use these things is a solid consideration in maintaining the safety standards at the highest levels. Things become even more difficult as your baby grows. Unfortunately, a lot of parents make a series of mistakes in using and maintaining these seats. While reading the best infant car seat reviews before making a purchase is a good idea, it does pay off to become familiar with the most common mistakes in using the respective model too. Knowing what to look for can help you prevent plenty of unexpected situations.

Installing the infant car seat in the wrong area

Generally speaking, you might be aware of the fact that an infant car seat is supposed to go on the rear seat. But have you considered the elements around it? Ensure that you know where the airbags in your car are and keep the infant seat away from them. For example, installing the baby’s crib on a front seat is a terrible mistake. While you can keep an eye on your baby, an inflating airbag will hit the back or front of a seat. The result is terrible, since it leads to severe injuries or even death. There are, however, situations when the baby might travel on the front seat. For example, some cars have one row of seats only (mostly sports cars). In this case, you have to deactivate the airbags on the respective side.

When on the back seat, the infant seat must be installed on the middle. Being close to a door can lead to serious injuries during a crash. Unfortunately, most parents install this seat close to a door.

Taking the infant car seat for a replacement crib

Sadly enough, a lot of people fail to understand that infant car seats are only developed to protect kids during travel. They are not supposed to be used as actual cribs inside the home. Why? There are a lot of studies to confirm that infant car seats must be used for short periods of time only. Keep your baby inside a car seat for months and the chair might compress the chest, but also lead to small levels of oxygen. The same mistake may cause and maintain the GERD – a chronic affection of the digestive tract. Such things make the difference in the long run.