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You’ve babyproofed your house and your home office. And now, as part of Baby Safety Awareness Month, we want to review exactly what babyproofing your car entails.
Of course, you’ll get the right car seat for your child, but there is so much more to take care of than just getting your car ready for a little one. You’ll want to address things like door and window locks, unlocked seatbelts, and loose objects in the car. You’ll also want to set up a system to help protect your child from accidentally being left in the car where they can quickly succumb to the elements. Here’s what you need to know about babyproofing your car.
Keep kids safe in the seat: Engage window and door locks
Accident attorney Ben Michael stresses the importance of having the car seat installed correctly, but also says to be vigilant about securing the doors near the child’s car seat. “Learn about your car’s child safety lock system and use it appropriately,” Michael told Mom.com
Your car is equipped with a couple of safety features that are important to activate. The first is the rear door child locks. These are locks that prevent the door from being opened from the inside. The locks are a little switch found in the door frame where the door meets the body of the car — this way it is out of the way of little hands that can disengage it. Be sure to lock both sides of the car to ensure child safety. Check the doors from the inside and be ready to apologize to adult passengers who might need assistance getting out of the car — you’re doing this for the baby’s safety.
While you’re in the process of locking things, go to the window control panel near the driver’s seat. Engage the window locks so that no one can lower a window on their own. This allows you, as the driver, to control the height of the windows when lowered. This prevents it from being lowered too much and risking a child coming free from their car seat and hanging out of the window.
Baby safety tips: Secure unused seat belts and clear out clutter
Seat belt safety
An unused seat belt is a strangulation hazard for your baby. When it is loose, your baby might grab it and pull it toward them. They may even mimic you and try to pull it across their body. In the process, they might get it stuck around their neck. The locking system of the seat belt could mean that the belt locks in position and won’t give enough slack for your baby to move. This is very dangerous. Check all unused seat belts in the back seat to make sure they are locked.
If you aren’t using the Lower Anchors with Tethers for Children (LATCH) restraint system — this hooks the car seat to anchors in the seat — you’ll be using a seat belt to secure the car seat. This means one seat belt will be secured but leaves others free. You want to check this belt regularly to make sure that it is still locked in place. Little fingers can play with the buckle and pop it, causing the seat to become unsecured without your knowledge. It doesn’t take much, and don’t assume that your baby can’t do it. Always double-check the seat belt buckle on the car seat.
Air bag dangers
When installing the car seat, also check for air bags. Air bags are designed for adults and should not be in a place where they may deploy on a child. This is why children under the age of 13 should not ride in the front seat of a car. If you must keep your child in the front seat, disable the air bag to the front passenger’s seat to keep them safe.
Clear out clutter
Make sure that you stow items properly in your car. We all get a bit lazy and place our purses on the back passenger seat or in the seat next to us. Often, we leave it open so we can easily access things like our phones or wallet. Realize that loose objects become projectiles in your car if you are in an accident. Put things in the glove box if they are small and secure loose things that you have in the car’s cabin. Use the trunk to stow baby bags, purses, and shopping bags. Understand that when something becomes a projectile, it can hurt your baby or hurt you, rendering you unable to drive safely.
Don’t leave baby unattended
Never leave your baby unattended in the car. An average of 38 children die each year from heatstroke from being left in a car.
While most of us wouldn’t think of doing this on purpose, being a parent can be exhausting, putting a lot of strain on your time and daily efficiency. This can mean forgetting your child in the car — for example, if you were on your way to work and forgot it was your day to drop off your baby at daycare, you could park your car at your office and leave for the day. It may sound inconceivable, but it happens.
A tip to remind yourself about baby in the back seat is to leave a stuffed animal in the front seat when you put your baby in the back. This serves as a notice to you that you have a passenger that you can’t forget about. There are also some popular safety apps on the market that are designed to prevent you from forgetting your child. Take a look at the Kars 4 Kids Safety app as an option.
Mom Veronica Thompson told Mom.com that babyproofing a car is easier than doing it in the house because it’s a smaller space. “There are fewer number of risks and hazards in the car, so it’s far easier to maintain,” Thompson said.
