The most dangerous thing we do every day is drive a car. Over 1,200 children die and over 200,000 are injured every year in the U.S. in motor vehicle crashes. Many of these tragedies can be prevented. Simple steps can go a long way. Selection: Choose a seat that fits your child correctly. Most car seats start at 5 lbs or birth. Some state 4 lbs. If you are experiencing a high risk pregnancy and there is a chance of early labor, be sure to select a seat for lower birth weight. Size of Vehicle Matters: Vehicle Manufacturers design cars with the buyer in mind, not a child. Be sure to try the seat out in your vehicle before purchasing the product. Will there be enough room for the front seat passengers to sit back away from the air bags with a rear facing seat? Will it install properly? Money Matters:...

Car seats can be green - not just the color of the fabric, and not because your child ate peas for lunch! These days environmentally savvy parents want to do more than just throw their old car seats into the garbage dump. Many of the parts can be recycled, especially the plastic. Here are a few options for disposing of your child restraint: 1. Donate First thing to consider is donating the seat to your local Child Passenger Safety Instructor or Safekids Coalition. Your used seat could be used as a demo seat during certification classes, or by an instructor when teaching a prenatal class or Mommy And Me class. Another option is to give it to friend or family member. Note: you can do this only if it has never been in a crash, has not expired, and has been stored properly when not in regular use. 2. Recycle...

I think I speak for my fellow Child Passenger Safety (CPS) instructors and technicians when I say that we are passionate about what we do. Among the most dedicated are the folks who organized the first Kidz In Motion (KIM) Conference in Orlando, Florida in 2004. With the continual improvements in products and changes in standards, this group of CPS professionals saw the need for a venue where the CPS community could share information, address common issues and improve our skills. This year’s conference was held in Orlando from August 16-18, and it has become a preeminent national event. Diono was proud to be an official sponsor of this year’s KIM conference. We participated in the Manufacturer’s Panel, and met with many CPS professionals at our exhibit. It’s always a pleasure to demonstrate Diono car seats to technicians who haven’t seen them before, and to get their positive and enthusiastic...

It’s back-to-school season, a time when parents, children and school personnel have many things on their To-Do lists. In the rush of activity, it’s easy to overlook important considerations about child passenger safety. Here are a few things to keep in mind for your child’s safety, and for more harmonious relations with your school and carpool members. The most obvious one is to make sure that every child in the vehicle is properly secured. This is too often overlooked, especially when the school is nearby (“It’s just a few blocks — what could possibly go wrong?”), or there are multiple children in the car, or the driver is running late. Do not expect the teachers or staff in the carpool line to buckle or unbuckle your child, especially if they are in a 5-point harness. School employees are rightfully reluctant to be seen reaching between a child’s legs for any...

As if learning what car seat to buy isn't hard enough, consider what it must be like to determine the best seat for a child with special needs. Children come in all shapes and sizes and there are hundreds of different car seats on the market. To further complicate the issue a child with special needs come with many other factors, such as low muscle tone, breathing equipment, wheel chairs, must lay flat, be monitored regularly, etc. Many birth defects come with a long list of daily considerations but transporting them can be one of the most challenging. Behavioral issues also fall into the category of special needs. Autistic children fall into this spectrum, as well. Children who need to be casted for hip dysplasia or for a broken leg require extra attention for deciding how to transport them in a vehicle. Another rising issue these days is childhood obesity....