5 Common Toddler Car Safety Tips to Avoid

Whether you are running a few errands or going on a long road trip, keeping your toddler safe and sound in the car is of the utmost importance. Children between the ages of 1 and 3 are particularly vulnerable. Also, you want to keep your child safe while traveling, not only because of the risk of a possible car accident, but also sudden breaking, hydroplaning in the rain or even sliding in the ice. A good parent wants to be prepared for all circumstances. There are plenty of safety precautions you can take that are considered common knowledge, but what people don’t know is that they can actually do more harm than good. Here are 5 common toddler car safety tips to avoid.

1. One of the biggest tips to avoid is placing your child’s car seat in the front seat – no matter if it’s faced the other way or not. You always want the toddler’s car seat to be in in the middle back seat of the vehicle and always facing backwards. The reason why you don’t want to put your child in the front seat, in any position, is because the air bag could possible deflate upon impact of a collision, which could cause irreparable harm.

2. You also never want to purchase a used car seat, especially if you don’t know its history. Many used car seats don’t have the right safety precautions and it might even be missing an important or crucial part. The biggest reason why you don’t want to purchase a used car seat is because it might have been recalled or has already been in an accident.

3. Always read the instructions before buckling your child into his or her car seat. One of the biggest mistakes parents can make is buckling their child the wrong way in their toddler’s car seat. You also want to make sure that there is no more than 1 inch of movement available. Your child should be safely secured in case of a sudden shift of velocity in the vehicle.

4. There are many car safety tips for you and your family floating around the Internet and even as common myth, but most of them are wrong. For instance, you should avoid moving your child to a booster seat too soon. Most booster seats are reserved for when your child reaches the very end of the toddler stage, but you want to try and keep your child in a traditional car seat, with straps, for as long as possible.

5. Also, you don’t want to move your child to a forward facing seat until your toddler is ready. No matter what, facing the car seat forward could potentially put your toddler in danger. Even though you might miss seeing their faces in the rear view mirror, you generally want to keep them facing the other way until they leave the toddler stage, which is at about 3 years old. Keeping your child safe is about keeping them out of danger, which could be coming from all directions – preparedness can save your toddler’s life.