Why it’s important to keep your toddler buckled up

Car travel with toddlers in the cities of South Africa can be a harrowing experience.

With pot holes, road rage, taxis alighting at whim from the curb, un-licensed drivers and un-roadworthy vehicles, it is little wonder that Mom’s attention needs to remain focused on the road ahead and she may be forgiven for not noticing that her toddler has freed him or herself from the shoulder straps or opened the buckle of the car seat in the rear.

20 children per month are treated for motor vehicle injuries

According to research done by the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Southern Africa (CAPFSA), passenger deaths in children are the fourth leading cause of unnatural deaths in our country (Medical Research Council). Not to mention all the injured children that suffer injury or disabilities on a daily basis.

At the Red Cross Children’s Hospital alone, approximately 20 children per month are treated for injuries sustained in motor vehicle collisions. Eighty percent of these injured children were not buckled up or restrained in any way at all. Most of these injuries could have been prevented through appropriate restraining. Car safety seats (child restraints) reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by 71 percent for infants, and 54 percent for toddlers.

What to consider when you buy a car seat for your baby or toddler

It is also of vital importance to choose the RIGHT car seat and in doing so remember to always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when installing a restraint and placing your child in it. Car seats are designed to match a child’s height and weight. When you buy a car seat you need to consider:

1. The size and weight of your child
2. If the restraint will fit in your vehicle
3. Your child should be kept in the most appropriate restraint suitable for his or her size and age and only be moved to the next category of restraint when he or she no longer physically fits into it

Using a buckle cover to ensure that your toddler doesn’t unbuckle himself

Toddlers unbuckling themselves from their car seats is a common problem and one which was experienced on several occasions by mom, Theresa Hamman, who fortunately took up the challenge and has come up with a solution which is affordable, attractive and most importantly, effective.

It is an original patented design she has named ‘Safe2go’ which consists of an ‘H’ shaped harness & a’ Y’ shaped baby car seat buckle cover.

The ‘H’ shaped harness is there to secure that the toddler’s arms stay inside the shoulder straps. It can be used on any five or three point baby car seat system. Soft, pretty and designed with safety in mind, it covers the original straps that comes attached with the baby car seat.

The ‘Y’ shaped baby car seat buckle cover goes around the buckle to cover it so that the child can’t unclip the buckle and escape from the seat. It has a special fastener inside to secure that it won’t open too easily.

Says, Theresa Hamman, “my own toddler started opening his car seat buckle and was running free in the car while I tried to focus on the road. The Y-shaped cover has solved this problem and it can be used on standard car seat belts buckles when your child is older”

Made from soft material, it’s easy to use and easy to open by any adult, but child proof. It’s also worth mentioning that the studs used on the harnesses are SABS approved. Comfortable, easy to use and washable you only have to put it on once, not take it off and put it back on every time you use it.

About the Author: For more information, visit www.safe2go.co.za

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