Whether you’re driving to the shops or heading off for the weekend it is important to remember that, accidents can happen at any time. As a parent, you may not even realise you are making these mistakes. To help, here are the top car seat mistakes parents make:

An unbuckled seat could be a deadly projectile in an accident. Get your child into the habit of re-buckling their booster when they get out.

Whilst it is easier to tend to your baby in a forward facing seat, it is important not to move your baby to the next stage too soon. 

Did you know that it is important to research a seat that fits your child’s age, weight and height? A lot of us might be guilty of passing seats down from child to child. If you are unsure, just pop into your local car seat provider, with your child and ask them to check it for you.

There’s a lot of important stuff in your manual such as installation and usage instructions, weight limits, expiration date.

It is important to ensure that your baby’s straps are secured tightly. It is much safer and not uncomfortable for your baby. The reason for this is because in a crash, the babies movements will be minimised. Be careful putting bulky clothes on your child (like jackets) as this can restrict how tightly the straps can be fixed (a simple trick is to fit 1 finger between your childs collarbone and the harness strap.)

Parents sometimes regard car seat expiration dates with skepticism, thinking it might be a marketing ploy. However there are a number of reasons that car seats expire including, the wearing down of materials from usage and also the change in standards and improvement in technology.Check your date! Most car seats have the date of expiration stamped on the car seat base. Car seats on average are tested to last for approx 5 - 6 years (depending on manufacturer) however it is important to check yours.  If you can’t find it, contact the manufacturer, they will be happy to enusre that you are using their products correctly.