Car Seat Safety Awareness: How to Choose the Right Car Seat

Choosing a car seat is a very important decision you have to make. When they’re born and when they grow out of a particular seat. But choosing the right one at the right time is very tricky. If you’re having trouble, I suggest you take a closer look at a few things. This just might make your decision even easier.

Keep your vehicle in mind
When you’re out shopping, it’s important to keep in mind what vehicle you have. Different seats work for different kinds of cars, so don’t forget that! If you have a small car, you don’t want to get a bulky seat or it may not fit. You don’t want to choose a seat that works best with the LATCH system if you don’t have that in your car.
Just make sure the dimensions fit along with your car nicely so there’s nobody needing to ride in the car with their knees in their chest!

Know what kind of seat you need
Different children need different sized seats throughout their little car seat lifetime. While we all know what each one is, we may not know when they change or how long they stay in the current seat.
• Rear facing: As discussed previously, keeping a child in a rear facing seat is very important. You don’t want to turn them around too soon. They should always meat one of the three requirements before turning it around: age, height, and weight. Check the car seat for more specific instructions. Also keep in mind how big you think the child will be. If they’ll be small, get one with a lower start weight. But if they’ll be bigger, get one that has a higher end weight. Be sure that when you switch seats, your child is ready. If not, they could be killed on impact during an accident.
• Forward facing: There are many out there that switch it once a child is 12 months and 20 pounds, but it’s very outdated so be sure you follow the correct instructions. Don’t turn them around too early or there will be serious consequences. They stay in forward facing car seats until they outgrow it. If the middle of his ears is above the top of the seat or shoulders are above the top harness level, they’re ready to move on.
• Booster: A child will move to the booster and stay in it for quite some time. They’re ready to graduate to an adult seat belt once they've outgrown the booster. If they weigh over 40 pounds, they’re probably ready. This is around age 8, but could happen sooner or later depending on the child.

Check the comfort level
Before choosing a seat, test it out. Check how the handle feels and how heavy it is. You’ll be using this seat a lot and spending a great deal of time lugging it around. You want something light and comfortable for you. But you also want something that is comfy for the child, so don’t choose any fabrics that they won’t be able to breathe through.
Make sure it’s comfy for you both!

See if it works with your stroller
There’s lots of travel systems out there that work quite well together but not everyone will purchase a system. Sometimes it’s necessary to purchase them separately.
But if you already have the stroller, make sure your seat works well with it. It should be secure and your child should be at a reclined angle when locked onto the stroller. This will create good air flow for the child.

Research the history
This is very important to do! Not everyone will purchase it brand new so be sure you check this out. Make sure the seat was never in an accident, isn’t outdated or recalled, and is completely 100% safe.
Find out exactly how safe the seat is. Make sure to do your research before you decide to buy a particular seat. Be smart.

Make sure it’s easy to use
Sometimes, we’re in a hurry so it being difficult to use is going to be a huge problem. Mothers are busy and need something simple. So check it out and make sure installation is simple, it’s easy to lock into the base, the buckles, harnesses and snaps are all very easy to manage. But also make sure it’s not too simple to where your child can also manage using it.


Don’t get something that will cause a damper or you’ll end up spending more money on another seat. None of us want to do that.


What other tips do you have for choosing a car seat?

*This post was written by Amber Kristine. She is a mother of a 2 year old. She blogs at www.amberkristine.com covering topics about raising your kids, running your home, taking care of yourself, loving others, and helping others around you. She hopes to help others and inspire them.*

Car Seat Safety Awareness: What you need to know about car accidents and car seats

Let me be honest here, it really sincerely worries me how many parents don’t take the safety of their child in a car seriously. It almost seems like everyone thinks it’s a big joke!

Now, let’s say you were recently in a car accident. Do you know what to do afterwards to make sure your baby remains safe in the car? Well, lucky we’re about to cover it. Hopefully by the end of this, you’ll have a more clear idea.

Replace the Car Seat

Once your car seat has been in a serious accident, it needs to be replaced. You’ve seen what force does to the frame of your car and it can do the same to the car seat. Even if it looks fine, it may not be safe. For all you know, the plastic has been weakened by the impact and won’t be able to protect your baby in future instances. That’s a risk you should not be willing to take! You need to replace that bad boy immediately.

Car Insurance Companies Will Help

If you provide the receipt to your car insurance provider, they may reimburse you for the seat. Many may try to say that they have trouble remembering if they’re supposed to replace them or not, but they are! If at all possible, locate the manual and show them the snippet that says they need to replace them. They must replace them! Must! They don’t even have to be the same model. Replacing the car seat is very important so don’t overlook a single thing!

Recycle Your Seat

When you are getting rid of the seat that was in the crash, you need to be careful how you go about this. Some places, you can just leave it on the curb and it can be picked up, others it’s not as simple. Many Farmer’s Markets have a program where they will take the fabric from the seat and reuse it for many purposes.

There’s also programs that will take them for training purposes only for important car seat courses. If none of these are an option, you need to be extra careful as to how you recycle your seat.

First, take off every piece of foam or fabric and throw it away separate from the carseat itself. Then, you need to take a sharpie and write (in big bold letters) “SEAT NOT SAFE. DO NOT USE!!”. You don’t want someone to find it and attempt to use it under any circumstance.

What have you done after a car accident?

*This post was written by our blogger Amber Kristine. She's a mother of a 2 year old and is also blogs at www.amberkristine.com*

Vaccine Exemption Laws

From National Vaccine Information Center

There are three types of exemptions:

Religious

Medical

Philosophical

You also have the option in most states to be exempted from vaccination or re-vaccination if you can show proof of existing immunity. You can go to a private laboratory for a blood test to determine if there are enough antibodies to prove existing immunity to a disease such as measles or whooping cough. A blood test that measures antibody levels can cost $55 or more, depending on the disease.

State vaccine requirements provides a map that shows what kind of exemption(s) each state accepts. You can also click on each state and it will provide additional information about filing your exemption.

Breastfeeding Laws

Nursing In Public Laws
From National Conference of State Legislatures

Forty-five states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands have laws that specifically allow women to breastfeed in any public or private location.  (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.)

Twenty-eight states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws. (Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.)

Twenty-four states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have laws related to breastfeeding in the workplace. (Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.)

Twelve states and Puerto Rico exempt breastfeeding mothers from jury duty. (California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon and Virginia.)

Five states and Puerto Rico have implemented or encouraged the development of a breastfeeding awareness education campaign. (California, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Vermont.)

Several states have unique laws related to breastfeeding.

Here are two pages that list all the Federal and State laws pertaining to breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding State Laws

Breastfeeding Law: Know Your Legal Rights

Pumping At Work Laws

From United States Department of Labor

Fact Sheet #73: Break Time for Nursing Mothers under the 
FLSA 

This fact sheet provides general information on the break time requirement for nursing mothers in the 
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”), which took effect when the PPACA was signed 
into law on March 23, 2010 (P.L. 111-148). This law amended Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards 
Act (FLSA). 

General Requirements 

Employers are required to provide “reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for 1 year after the child’s birth each time such employee has need to express the milk.” Employers are also required to provide “a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.” 

The FLSA requirement of break time for nursing mothers to express breast milk does not preempt State 
laws that provide greater protections to employees (for example, providing compensated break time, 
providing break time for exempt employees, or providing break time beyond 1 year after the child’s 
birth). 

Time and Location of Breaks 

Employers are required to provide a reasonable amount of break time to express milk as frequently as 
needed by the nursing mother. The frequency of breaks needed to express milk as well as the duration of each break will likely vary. 

A bathroom, even if private, is not a permissible location under the Act. The location provided must be functional as a space for expressing breast milk. If the space is not dedicated to the nursing mother’s use, it must be available when needed in order to meet the statutory requirement. A space temporarily created or converted into a space for expressing milk or made available when needed by the nursing mother is sufficient provided that the space is shielded from view, and free from any intrusion from co-workers and the public. 

Coverage and Compensation 

Only employees who are not exempt from section 7, which includes the FLSA’s overtime pay 
requirements, are entitled to breaks to express milk. While employers are not required under the FLSA 
to provide breaks to nursing mothers who are exempt from the requirements of Section 7, they may be 
obligated to provide such breaks under State laws. 

Employers with fewer than 50 employees are not subject to the FLSA break time requirement if 
compliance with the provision would impose an undue hardship. Whether compliance would be an 
undue hardship is determined by looking at the difficulty or expense of compliance for a specific 
employer in comparison to the size, financial resources, nature, and structure of the employer’s business. 
All employees who work for the covered employer, regardless of work site, are counted when 
determining whether this exemption may apply. 

Employers are not required under the FLSA to compensate nursing mothers for breaks taken for the 
purpose of expressing milk. However, where employers already provide compensated breaks, an 
employee who uses that break time to express milk must be compensated in the same way that other 
employees are compensated for break time. In addition, the FLSA’s general requirement that the 
employee must be completely relieved from duty or else the time must be compensated as work time 
applies. See WHD Fact Sheet #22, Hours Worked under the FLSA. 

FLSA Prohibitions on Retaliation 

Section 15(a)(3) of the FLSA states that it is a violation for any person to “discharge or in any other 
manner discriminate against any employee because such employee has filed any complaint or instituted 
or caused to be instituted any proceeding under or related to this Act, or has testified or is about to 
testify in any such proceeding, or has served or is about to serve on an industry committee.” 

Employees are protected regardless of whether the complaint is made orally or in writing. Complaints 
made to the Wage and Hour Division are protected, and most courts have ruled that internal complaints 
to an employer are also protected. 

Any employee who is “discharged or in any other manner discriminated against” because, for instance, 
he or she has filed a complaint or cooperated in an investigation, may file a retaliation complaint with 
the Wage and Hour Division or may file a private cause of action seeking appropriate remedies 
including, but not limited to, employment, reinstatement, lost wages and an additional equal amount as 
liquidated damages.