On the market there are endless varieties of child car seats. In Europe, current legislation obliges children who do not exceed 1.35m in height to be secured in a child restraint chair. When we have a child, we have doubts about which chair to buy. There are 5 different groups of chairs, the 0, 0+, I, II and III, each adapted to support different weights. Although another important factor to take into account is the height of the child who is going to use it.
In our country, the use of rear-facing seats is not yet mandatory (the General Directorate of Traffic is evaluating it). These chairs have the advantage of being safer, although today their only disadvantage is the high price they usually have. We can consider it as an investment in the safety of our children. Note that "approved" is not synonymous with "insurance". The approved car seats have passed a simple test at 50km / h; accidents usually happen at more than twice the speed. Do not consider a chair of 50 euros as safe as a 500, because it is not. However, whichever chair you use, there are a number of common rules and guidelines to keep in mind when placing it in the car. Here are the most important ones:
Better against the march
If your chair has the option of being used in reverse (there are those that even group II can be used like this) always put it in that sense. Many people say that their baby cries more if he is against the march. Others say he can't hold out like this for a minute. The ideal is to gradually accustom the baby. Even if we take you looking forward, the only thing you can see is the back seat of the car.
If you want to make a good investment, buy a reverse chair. On the Internet you can see which stores in your city have advice on these chairs. In addition to personalized advice, you will leave with the chair installed in the car. If you have to install it, you must make sure that the chair is completely fixed and immobile in the seat that you have decided to put it.
Preferably in the rear seats
The safest place in the car in the event of an accident is in the back seats. Specifically the child should be installed in the center seat of the car. With this we would avoid side blows. If it is not possible to put the child in the center seat because our car does not have adequate belts in that place, the seat that is right behind the driver will be taken as a second option. It has been shown that in the event of an accident the driver, by the basic instinct of survival, tends to protect the side on which his seat is more.
Coats can bring out the "underwater effect" in the event of an accident. Not even adults should wear thick jackets with the belt.
Don't forget the headboard
It seems like a piece of comfort rather than safety, but the headrest of the chairs is just as important as the airbags. In the event of sudden braking, the headrest of the child seat it will absorb part of the impact. In this way, spinal cord injuries and the famous whiplash, which can be fatal for the little ones due to their weak muscles in the neck, are avoided (especially in reverse).
Beware of toys
Although it does not have much to do with the installation of the car seat, it does it is an important point to take into account once it is installed. Many parents sin to fill the back seat with toys so that our son does not cry during the trip.
A hard toy, such as a car, can be thrown with dangerous force in the event of an accident. If we have to leave toys for our little one, they better be soft and fluffy. It is important that they do not contain dangerous parts for the child because our attention must be on the road at that time.
Disconnect the airbag
And this only if the child is traveling in reverse in the front seat of the vehicle. Children can only ride in this seat if the rear seats are occupied by more children. If you take your child in the front seat with a chair in favor of the march, you must leave the airbag active since it will be the only defense that you have in addition to the belts that hold the chair.
And depending on your car, you can choose a seat with or without isofix. Those without isofix are secured to the car with their own seat belts. It is important that, in addition to all this, you make sure that your car is in good condition; that the belts have passed quality control or that the isofix parts are in good condition. On the road we are all one, so be careful, my friend, driver!