The surprising mistake 86 PER CENT of parents make when putting their baby in a car seat – and how you can easily correct it
- A study has shown 95 per cent of parents making a mistake with child car seats
- One error has shown to be more prevalent when it comes to securing a child
- This oversight could increase the chance of the baby being injured while driving
A shocking number of parents aren’t properly positioning their newborns in their car seats – and it’s a mistake that could be potentially fatal.
A study, first published in the Journal of Pediatrics, found as many as 95 per cent of parents were making at least one major error when installing car seats and securing their child.
However, one mistake was found to be most prevalent among 86 per cent of parents taking part in the 300-strong research group.
This mistake was failing to place a newborn in the correct position in their car seats.
One error was found to be most prevalent among 86 per cent of parents taking part in the 300-strong research group (stock image)
Researchers questioned a group of mothers aged between 24 – 35 after they had been observed by certified child passenger safety technicians as they used their car seats.
‘A number of studies have shown that an incorrect angle of recline can lead to injury to babies, especially if too upright, as the baby’s head can flop forward and obstruct the airway,’ said study author Dr Benjamin Hoffman, speaking to Popsugar.
‘Having a chest clip too low can allow the baby to slump, and there have been cases of strangulation as a result.’
Findings from the study also revealed 77 per cent of car seats were installed incorrectly.
‘A number of studies have shown that an incorrect angle of recline can lead to injury to babies, especially if too upright,’ said study author Dr Benjamin Hoffman
Other results also showed half of the participants made up to five errors, while just 20 per cent only made a single mistake.
The results of the study note 89 per cent of the mistakes were deemed ‘critical’.
The most common errors made by close to 70 per cent of families were not correctly placing the harness webbing snugly over the child.
This was followed by one-third placing the harness retainer clip too low, and 31 per cent using an incorrect harness slot.
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