Experts said it’s so important to put little ones in car seats and buy a proper car seat. You have to find the correct one for your kids age, height, and weight.
The convertible car seat is for kids 0-2 years old, next the combination car seat for kids 2-5 years old, and finally the booster seat for kids 5 and up.
Over at the Parenting Cottage, they have classes to teach parents how to use them.
“Our goal is that parents can walk away with a car seat that’s completely free to them and also get the education of how to install a car seat correctly every single time,” said Katie Knake, a parent educator for The Parenting Cottage.
Seatbelts are only built for adults who weigh enough for it, but car seats are made for kids who are impacted by crashes differently.
“Because as a child grows they need a seat that is specific to their development so when a child is younger they’ll need a seat that takes into consideration that they can’t hold their head up. That their neck isn’t strong enough to support them,” said Knake.
“The cars were designed for you and I as an adult. They were not designed for a child,” said Sergeant John Gonzalez with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
He said if there is an accident and your little one isn’t in a car seat, they can get seriously hurt or worse.
“When they go down they can hit their head against the seat and cause severe neck injury,” said Gonzalez.
“Making sure that it is secured into the vehicle where you can’t move it more than an inch side to side and front to back,” said Knake.
You can get a car seat checked for free with DPS and you can make an appointment with them by calling 806-740-8968.
If you’re interested in the Parenting Cottage classes you can contact them here.
