Fight Boo-Boos And Babyproof Your Life With Kimberlee Mitchell
STUDIO CITY (CBS) — Kimberlee Mitchell visited the KCAL 9 studios Thursday to give viewers tips on how to babyproof their car.
Mitchell is a celebrity baby safety guru and has babyproofed the homes of stars like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Britney Spears and Katie Holmes and is going to show you exactly how to keep your kids safe in the car!
1. The center is 43% safer than the side - so whenever possible, install your child's car seat in the center. With two kids, keep the older child in the center as they are typically less protected than the baby.
2. Snug harness straps and a snug fit of the car seat to the car gives your child a parachute landing in a car crash - as slow and gentle as possible while loose harness straps or a loose car seat can cause injury.
3. The right order of progression is rear-facing till at least age 2 => forward-facing => booster => seat belt => front seat. Don't rush your child to the next stage as every step is a decrease in your child's safety and don't worry if their legs look cramped in a rear-facing car seat—babies are flexible! Your toddler is too big for rear-facing when their head is one inch or less of the convertible car seat top or at the weight limit, which is 35-40 pounds for most seats.
4. Forward facing is ALWAYS better with a tether! Tethers keep your child's brain and spinal cord safer by decreasing how far your child's head will move forward in a crash by 6-8 inches.
5. Keep your child in a five-point harness until they are at least four years old, at least 40 pounds and mature enough to sit still in a booster. With many five-point harnesses going to 60 or more pounds, school age kids can continue to ride in a five-point harness before transitioning to a booster.
6. Don't skip the booster! They keep the lap belt properly positioned on a child's strong hip bones, not on their abdomen where it can cause internal injuries in a crash.
7. Your child is ready to ride without a booster when they pass The 5-Step Test (for most kids, this is around age 10).
The 5-Step Test ©SafetyBeltSafe USA
1.Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
2.Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3.Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
4.Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
5.Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If you can say yes to all 5 questions, the child is safe to ride without a booster.
For more tips, click here.
