Car seat safety check for all, and free cloth diapers for WIC families Sept. 18 at The Little Seedling
Some studies show eight out of 10 car seats are used incorrectly. Is your child safe in his or her seat? Find out Saturday, Sept. 18, at a free car seat safety event at The Little Seedling in Ann Arbor.
Tammy Mayrend | contributor
My kids grow so quickly that I sometimes don't notice the position of their heads in their booster seats. It was just before vacation I realized my son was riding around with his head above most of the back of his booster and had been for a little while! Then, too, the changes in car seat safety laws in Michigan last year can be a bit confusing.
I was lucky enough to have a safety seat check when my son attended Safety Town camp. They checked his height, weight and age and sent home a flier with the appropriate seats that were available for him. That was two years ago though, and a lot has changed. Questions that pop into my mind are, "Is my daughter big enough to ride without a five-point-harness?" and "When will my son be able to ride without a car seat?"Â
The bottom line is, am I protecting my children well enough in their car seats? Studies show that eight out of 10 booster seats are used incorrectly, so are mine being used incorrectly? What about yours? Are your children belted correctly into their car seats or booster seats? Are you using the right product for the size, age and weight of your child?
Luckily there is an easy solution for families living in the Ann Arbor area. This Saturday, Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., families can attend a free car seat safety check given by the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department and SafeKids Huron Valley at The Little Seedling (355 S. Zeeb Road) to make sure your little ones are riding safely while in the car. For families in need of replacement car seats, there will also be some low-cost seats available.
Also Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., WIC eligible families can attend a short cloth diapering workshop and receive a starter set of cloth diapers for free. Proof of current WIC enrollment will be required, and the offer is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tammy Mayrend is a search marketing professional and mother of two who blogs on low-cost local activities, events, and Ann Arbor area freebies for families at annarbormom.com.
Comments
Tammy Mayrend
Thu, Sep 16, 2010 : 3:45 p.m.
Thanks for the great comments ladies!
Kim Kachadoorian
Thu, Sep 16, 2010 : 2:29 p.m.
Will be tweeting this out as well as posting on my facebook. This is an awesome resource. I used to help run BoostAmerica! with Ford and have found that there are only a few resources left that offer child seat checks. Thanks to The Little Seedling more children will ride safer in the proper restraints and installed correctly. As the article mentioned most child seats are either improperly installed or the wrong seat for that child. Children rely on parents and caregivers to make sure they move through their lives as safe as possible. Child passenger safety is not a negotiable point in vehicles. All children should be in the proper child restraint for their age, weight and height!
Torey Madura
Thu, Sep 16, 2010 : 2:12 p.m.
As one of the organizers of this event I want to encourage everyone to join us on Saturday!! If you want to have your child's car seat checked, we recommend you bring your car, you car seat, and your child. It's especially helpful if you have the manuals for your vehicle and child restraint. Please be prepared that there may be a wait, but be assured that when it's your turn we will spend the time you need to make sure your child is as safe as possible in the car. Auto related fatalities are the leading cause of death for people ages 1-32. Let's help bring those numbers down and protect children here in our community!