Selecting the proper car seat is critical to keep your child safe. But more importantly is the placement of the car seat.
Tragically, one mother learned this lesson the hard way.
A well-meaning, but misinformed mom thought it was safe to put her toddler into a booster seat, and then the unthinkable happened.
In a tragedy that could have been prevented, this mom lost her precious son in a horrific car crash.
Determined to prevent this from happening to other children, this mom shared her grief-ridden story as a strong warning to all moms about the necessity to properly place children in the correct car seat.
Posting a tearful account on the death of her 3-year-old son to the Car Seat Consultant’s Facebook page, this mom admitted the error she made, that took her son’s life:
“Had I just known about the dangers of booster seats for toddlers, had somebody warned me, I would have put him in a 5-point harness car seat…and that simple difference would have changed everything. It would have saved his life.
It was have saved me from going through hell. I would have had the past 12 years of memories with my beautiful boy, instead of 12 years of grief and pain. I wouldn’t have to imagine what my son would be like now, I would be able to hug him and tell him I love him and watch him grow into a man.
But I lost all of that because of ONE mistake. So that is why it is my life’s mission to prevent this tragedy from happening to anyone else.
Car accidents are the #1 killer of children, and statistics show that 80-90% of car seats are installed or used incorrectly! Read that again and let it sink in. We are not protecting our children from the single greatest threat to their lives!
It’s madness. Think of all the awareness campaigns you see on a daily basis…none of those diseases pose as a great of a risk of death as car accidents. And deaths by car accidents can, in many cases, be prevented by proper car seat usage!
Why are we not talking about this?! Why are there no awareness campaigns? We try to protect our kids from everything from pesticides, GMOs, sharp furniture corners and cancer, but then buckle them into unsafe car seats. This needs to change.
Please, if you have young children or know someone with young children, research proper car seat usage and talk about it with everyone you know. I’ve lost friends and family members because they were offended that I pointed out their incorrect car seat usage.
But to say nothing and have another child’s death on my conscience is not something I’m willing to risk. So please, speak up if you see a child in a dangerous situation. You could save a life. Children’s lives are more important than parents egos.
If someone would have done so for me, Kyle would still be here. We have a lot of work to do but I know we can save lives if we work together to share Kyle’s story and message. Car seat safety is not a “parenting choice”, it’s a matter of physics and facts.”
This mother’s story is a sobering reminder to us all.
Making sure a child is securely buckled in the proper car seat isn’t a luxury; it’s an absolute necessity and could save a life.
If you have family and friends who are lax with the car seat process, whether opting to not place their child in a car seat, or transitioning to a booster seattoo soon, speak up and say something.
As a parent, you have the obligation to spread this message and warn other moms!
Sadly, many parents don’t know the dangerous situation they are placing their child in until it’s too late.
While many things in this world are not preventable, or out of one’s control, car seat placement is not one of them.
You have the power to properly secure your child in a rear-facing car seat.
To see for yourself, Mommy Underground wanted to share the video of this mom’s dire plea to other moms to take caution when transporting small children in the car.
This video may be hard for some moms to watch, but it’s an important video to see.
You can watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=228&v=qbdvLvscEgQ
Car seat safety is a topic that is near and dear to Mommy Underground. Recently, a story was published warning moms about the dangerous car seat mistake that is all too common. You can check out that story here.
Next time you buckle your little one into a car seat, please take note at how you position them. It really is life or death.
Were you aware of the proper placement of car seats?
If you see another mom with her car seat placed in the wrong direction, will you speak up and say something?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
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