Car Seat Safety 101: Navigating Car Seats, Kids Safety and Best Practices

Welcome back to Mindfull! September is Child Passenger Safety month and in order to promote child passenger safety, I talked to Mandi Summers, the Director of the Massachusetts Child Passenger Safety Program, who shared tips and insights about all those burning questions every parent has about keeping their babies safe in vehicles.

From understanding different car seats on the market to when to transition from rear-facing to forward-facing, we talk about it all! I ask Mandi some of the frequently asked questions you all submitted to us via IG and whether you're a new parent or just looking to refresh your car seat knowledge, this episode is packed with insights that will help you keep your little ones safe no matter their car-seat age and stage. So listen in and let's keep our little ones riding safely!

Episode Highlights:
00:00 Intro
01:00 What is the best/ safest car seat
02:40 Crash testing: what are the tests car seats must pass in the US
04:50 Which car seat type should you start with
06:25 How to know if child is uncomfortable in a car seat
10:02 Proper 5pt harness buckling
12:18 Most common installation mistakes
13:29 Should you install with seatbelt or LATCH
16:50 Achieving proper installation
18:43 Installing in different types of cars
20:20 Is middle the safest position for the car seat
22:52 Car seat laws
24:40 Transitioning tips: infant to convertible seat & rear to forward facing
27:05 Forward-facing to a booster
29:58 Travelling with car seats
32:20 Replacing car seats after accidents
34:02 Reporting an issue about your car seat
35:30 Check car seat recalls on NHTSA.gov
38:00 What happens if there's a car seat recall
40:45 What happens in a hospital
43:15 Instagram Q&A
48:24 Car seats & technology

You can find us on IG @shoptadpole or here in Boston, at 58 Clarendon Street. You can find Mandi Summers on Mass.gov website (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/chi...) or reach out to her directly at [email protected].

And remember, the conversation about car seats doesn't stop here -- if you're passionate about child passenger safety, consider becoming a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST). Mandi is one of the experienced instructors for this certification in Massachusetts, and this course is for anyone with an interest in car seats and keeping children safe on the road.
I personally found this certification increased my knowledge of how car seats work and how to install them properly as well as made me more confident in educating others about this important topic. Here at Tadpole, we offer free car seat installation help with a purchase of any of the car seats we carry. Feel free to reach out or comment with any questions, we're always willing to help!

You can check out the CPST program and courses via the below link:
https://cert.safekids.org/become-tech

Until more stuff,
~Ana