Car Seat Safety with Britax: Pavilion 70-G3 car seat giveaway

Car Seat Safety. This is one of those huge pet peeves of mine…. I mean, everyone and their brother knows you need to get a car seat when you have a baby, but I feel like that’s almost the end of the education. Maybe you take it to a car seat safety check to make sure it’s installed properly, and that’s GREAT, but there’s so much more to know.

I’ll admit there were things I didn’t know and things I did wrong, too. Yes, parents can do some research, but this is one of those things I didn’t realize I had to google. How to breastfeed? Yea. What to do when kids get sick? Definitely. What green poop means? Sure. But you think you buy a car seat, install it correctly, and you’re good to go.

No. And I see photos all the time of kids improperly buckled in their car seats. Let’s fix this, people!!! HOW?! AWARENESS. Education. Spread the word! That’s how I learned. Someone told me… I read about it on another blog… I started reading safety articles…

Britax has a new campaign with their car seats… Safety You Can See. Love that! It includes:

  1. HUGS with SafeCell Technology
  2. Side impact protection
  3. Base with SafeCell Technology
  4. Energy absorbing versa-tether
  5. Integrated steel bars
car seat safety

To show you the safety examples, I’m using the Pavilion 70-G3 from Britax in the Blueprint fabric. We’ve used it forward-facing for Ryan and rear-facing for Rebecca. It’s easy to install either way and fits both children. The following safety points are things I chose to point out because they were things I possibly didn’t realize or know about in the beginning.

SAFETY POINT #1: use your car seat properly with the specified height and weight limits. Different car seats have different rear- and forward-facing capabilities–make sure you’re not using beyond the recommended height or weight. If you’re using the latch system in your car, you also need to check your car’s specific limits.

This Britax Pavilion seat rear-faces from 5 to 40 lb or up to 49 inches tall. That’s incredible, especially because rear-facing is now recommended until at least 2 years of age.

car seat safety

SAFETY POINT #2: The chest clip goes AT THE CHEST. Specifically, it needs to be in line with the armpits. Why? To make sure those straps stay on your child’s shoulders (so they don’t come loose, fall down, and eject your child from the seat during a crash!) AND because a chest clip that’s too low can cause injury to internal organs in the abdominal region.

The HUGS on the Britax Pavilion help remind me to make sure my chest clip is always in the right position. It likely has to be adjusted every time you buckle your child in.

car seat safety

SAFETY POINT #3: The upper straps of the harness need to be at or below your child’s shoulders if rear-facing and at or above your child’s shoulders if forward facing.

Previously,this was a huge hassle to me and I hated moving the straps in my kid’s car seats. But the Pavilion… is simply awesome. It has a a quick-adjust with no rethreading of the straps. In the image below, see the black handle at the top that says “Pavilion 70-G3?” It’s like a lever and you simply slide it up and down to adjust the height. LOVE IT. Especially when I switch this seat between my two kids.

car seat safety

SAFETY POINT #4: Especially with winter coming this one is really important… your child should not wear their heavy coats in the car seat. If you want a great visual as to why, buckle your kid in their seat with their coat ON. Tighten and adjust the harness as normal. Now, take your child out (without changing the harness), remove their coat, and put them back in. Buckle the harness and just look at how much excess space there is in that harness! If you were in a car accident and your child had their coat ON, the harness is too loose for proper protection…. not safe. Harness straps need to be snug with no slack. Instead, dress your child in layers and once you get to the car, take the coat OFF, buckle them in and have them put their coat on backwards  (on their arms, like a snuggie blanket).

car seat safety

SAFETY POINT #5: Some miscellaneous tips–car seats expire, don’t buy used unless you know the history (any car accidents?) and expiration date, don’t submerge the harness (wipe clean). Read the manual! And register your purchase so you can be notified of any recalls.

GIVEAWAY: one lucky reader will win their own Britax Pavilion 70-G3 convertible car seat! MSRP $339.99. Please use the form below to enter–good luck! And be safe! 😉

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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