CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – It’s something all parents have thought about but may not be sure where to go for help when it comes to car seat safety.
Local 10′s Nicole Perez met with professionals who showed her how to make sure her son’s car seat was secure in this week’s Mom to Mom story.
At National Car Seat Saturday, families from all over Broward County made their way to Coral Springs with concerns about their children’s car seats.
Experts said four out of five car seats are installed incorrectly. The safety technicians at the event are nationally certified and helped several families make sure they knew what to do to keep their children safe on the road.
“The way they sleep is so different than you imagine. The neck being over the chest bands, they seem uncomfortable because it’s a new space for them. All of it was a concern, really,” said Carolyn McTiernan, mother of a toddler.
“I got a new work car, so I needed to install my car seats that I had into my new car,” said Hilary Widlansky, mother to two young girls.
“I have two older kids and one on the way. I haven’t put a car seat in for like 20 years so and they’ve changed quite a bit over the years,” said Marc Thompson, a father at the event.
The free event hosted by Safe Kids Broward County is all about checking for things parents may have missed installing a car seat on their own. They even help parents stay up to date with car seat expiration dates and recalls.
For Widlansky, one of the two car seats checked had an issue.
“I did not know that one of mine was expired until today. They told me it expired in June 2023, and State Farm offered to install a brand-new car seat. I’m really happy,” said Widlansky.
Thanks to a State Farm neighbor grant, six new car seats went to families in need during the event.
For McTiernan, the professionals suggested she switch the direction of her car sear for her two-year old, Penny.
Nicole had a professional, Candace Pineda, a TCRN for Memorial Regional Hospital, explain what to look for when installing a car seat. The professionals took a look at her son Reece’s car seat and made a few changes.
Pineda said it is important to ask questions like whether the car seat has been in an accident, its expiration date and to know its model number to be able to check for pending recalls on the car seat.
If a car seat has been in an accident or has an active recall, it’s important to throw it in the trash so no one will pick it up for future use.
For information about future car seat check events, click on this link.
For more information about Safe Kids, click on this link.
If you would like to highlight a mom who makes a difference in our community, send us an email at MomToMom@wplg.com.
For more Mom to Mom stories, click on this link.