PSA: September is National Baby Safety Month

Thank you to Evenflo for providing product samples!

The final “Featured Pick” in our Back-To-School Tech Gift Guide is the Evenflo Gold SensorSafe Pivot Xpand™ Smart Modular Travel System. With its innovative SensorSafe Technology, this system is a must-have for making those morning school runs easier and safer. In addition to marking the start of school, September is also National Baby Safety Month, so to help keep “Safety first” during this busy time of year, one of Evenflo’s safety experts is guest posting today to share her expertise. Take it away, Sarah:

September is National Baby Safety Month: By Sarah Haverstick, Safety Advocate and Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor, Evenflo

Attention all parents, September is National Baby Safety Month! That’s right, an entire month dedicated to educating parents and caregivers about the importance of keeping infants safe and healthy through their early years. Summer is quickly coming to an end and whether you’re out running errands, shuffling to and from school or going on a road trip, this month is filled with on-the-go moments. With temperatures still at a high, it’s important to understand best practices for keeping children safe when they’re on the road. With this top of mind, we have provided the following car seat safety tips for National Baby Safety Month this September to help keep your little ones safe!

Choose the Right Car Seat and Install Properly:

Approximately 70% of car seats are not installed properly, which can impact their ability to protect children in the event of a crash. Parents should seek out one of the many certified car seat technicians located across the country to assist with any questions or concerns, including car seat selection and installation details for their specific vehicle.

Position the Harness Properly.

When your car seat is installed in a rear-facing position, the harness should be positioned at or below your child’s shoulders. When installed in a forward-facing position, the harness should be positioned at or above your child’s shoulders. Position the car seat’s chest clip at armpit level when clipping your child into their car seat and make sure the harness straps are lying flat and snug on the child’s shoulders before starting your trip.

Proper Clothing.

Don’t dress your child in blanket sleepers or other clothing that would prevent the crotch strap from fitting snugly up against the child.

Utilize Available Technology:

According to NoHeatStroke.org, there have been 38 child hot car deaths so far this year, with a record-breaking 53 hot car fatalities last year. Newly designed car seat technology can help ease the minds of parents when on the road with little ones. For example, embedded into the SensorSafe™ Smart Chest Clip of Evenflo Gold car seats and the accompanying app, SensorSafe Technology gives parents access to important safety insights by providing real-time alerts in their vehicle and on their smart devices when unsafe conditions arise—such as a child being too warm or the child being unbuckled in their car seat. If a child is left in the car and the parent doesn’t respond to the app alert, an emergency contact is notified. If multiple alerts are neglected, all of the emergency contacts set up in the app are sent the location of the vehicle using GPS tracking.

National Baby Safety Month is this September, but your child’s safety is a priority on a daily basis. We hope you check out these tips and continue to practice them not just this month but beyond and make sure to keep your baby safe every day.