Car Seat Accessories: Good or Bad?
- 2 years ago
Keeping your kids entertained for every car ride is hard. Some parents will give their babies car seat toys to keep them entertained during the drive. But are they really safe for your kids? Today, our expert Ben Hoffman, M.D., of Oregon Health and Science University, is going to walk us through five common car seat accessories: head and neck support, Diono angle adjuster, head strap, car seat toys, and fan. And we will discuss if they are actually safe for your kids.
The bottom line is, Dr. Hoffman says, “if it did not come out of the box when you bought it, you shouldn’t use it.” A lot of the car seat attachments are very likely to interfere with the way the car safety seat is supposed to work. “Anything that was not original equipment with the car seat is unlikely to have been tested with a car seat, meaning go through crash-testing. And it’s better not to take any chances.” Dr. Hoffman added.
In fact, car seats are amazingly good at protecting kids in crashes, and that’s what their job is. The most important thing is that parents have one and use it correctly. We know car seats are difficult to use — 75 percent of all car seats are either installed or used incorrectly. A lot of parents also worry about kids not sitting comfortably, but kids can always find a way to be comfortable. Worry about car seat doing its job, and the rest will work itself out. (266 words)
The bottom line is, Dr. Hoffman says, “if it did not come out of the box when you bought it, you shouldn’t use it.” A lot of the car seat attachments are very likely to interfere with the way the car safety seat is supposed to work. “Anything that was not original equipment with the car seat is unlikely to have been tested with a car seat, meaning go through crash-testing. And it’s better not to take any chances.” Dr. Hoffman added.
In fact, car seats are amazingly good at protecting kids in crashes, and that’s what their job is. The most important thing is that parents have one and use it correctly. We know car seats are difficult to use — 75 percent of all car seats are either installed or used incorrectly. A lot of parents also worry about kids not sitting comfortably, but kids can always find a way to be comfortable. Worry about car seat doing its job, and the rest will work itself out. (266 words)