Stephen Kuntz says that installing
his toddler daughter’s car seat is so
complicated, it makes assembling Ikea
furniture look like child’s play.
“There’s 16 straps, and you finish
and the seat moves around like a
ferris wheel,” he says. “You need an
engineering degree to get it right.”
Kuntz is being funny, but when it
PARENTS AND KIDS
Rear-facing car seats are safest because they support the child’s head, neck and spine in a crash.
Keeping your child
safe and secure
in their car seat
Simple tests can build parents’ confidence
WRITTEN BY DEBBY WALDMAN
comes to car seats, safety is no joke.
Properly installed and used child car
seats protect your child if the vehicle
they’re in suddenly stops or crashes.
Rear-facing car seats are safest because
they support the child’s head, neck and
spine in a crash.
“When done correctly, a car seat
will move less than one inch in any
direction,” says Nora Ansah, a health
promotion facilitator with Alberta Health
Services.
It sounds easy enough, but many
parents are not sure they’ve done the
job right. Some rely on outside experts.
Ansah encourages parents to learn to put
in their car seat and continue to check it
regularly.
