Tips for finding the right car seat for your child

Do you have the right car seat for your child?

Have you checked your child’s car seat lately? If not, you may want to take a look.

Sgt. Jena Eubanks, with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, says it is important for parents to make sure their child has the proper car seat.

“Do their research. Make sure they are getting the right car seat for your child. You should be looking for a car seat that fits four categories,” Eubanks said.

And those categories are: age, height, weight and developmental level.

Eubanks says it’s not only the car seat that needs to be inspected, but where the car seat is placed in the car.

“Get familiar with your vehicle. Not every seat in the vehicle can have a car seat in it, and there is usually a good reason for it. It usually involves safety reasons. Take the vehicle manual out and go to the section that talks about car seats. It will show you where you can and cannot put a car seat,” Eubanks said.

According to the Tennessee Highway Safety Office, car crashes are the leading cause of death for children in the U.S.

And in 2019, an average of two children under the age of 13 died in a car crash every day. Eubanks says not having the right car seat played a big role.

“In 2019 alone, almost 40% of children that died in traffic crashes were not in a booster seat, car seat, or even a seat belt system,” Eubanks said.

And she says that is why it is crucial for parents or caregivers to take that second look.

“Obviously we want to keep our children as safe as we can, so we just encourage parents and caregivers to really pay attention to what seat their child is in and what seat they need to be in. Also, what seat they need to go to when they progress out of that seat,” Eubanks said.

Eubanks says if you are not sure what car seat is right for your child, there are several resources to help with that.

“To find a local technician, you can go to safekids.org and type in your zip code. That can get you in contact with a local technician. You can also go to tntrafficsafety.org website and find a fitting station in your area,” Eubanks said.

You can find more news from across the area with the WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News app.