SAFETY SQUAD: We're here to prepare you

I'm falling...

According to the most recent report from the Consumer Products Safety Commission,"falls related to nursery products are a leading cause of injury or death for children from birth to age 5".  In 2006 there were 66,400 emergency room admissions for nursery product fall-related accidents.  The head was the most frequently injured body part in all of the injuries.

The top offenders are:

• Infant carriers (excluding motor vehicle collisions): 14,200 ER admissions
• Cribs: 11,300 ER admissions
• Strollers: 11,100 ER admissions
• High Chairs: 9,900 ER admissions

The primary thing parents can do to protect their child is to educate themselves on the proper and safe use of nursery products. Do not use products in ways that they are not intended to be used. Additionally, never use broken or defective equipment or items that have been recalled.

Rear-facing now even hotter! "Rear-facing until 2" New advice surfaces from the AAP.

Car seat techs usually have a difficult time convincing parents to stay rear-facing longer. When children reach the traditional bare minimum of "20 lbs & 1 year" which the AAP has recommended for years, parents often rush to turn baby forward. There are many reasons why parents want baby to be forward-facing, but few trump being 5x safer.

That AAP's recommendation that starts with "1 & 20" went on "..use the seat rear-facing to the highest weight allowed..". This part was widely ignored by parents.

Furthermore, it wasn't clear that the AAP actually meant the rear-facing max of the convertible seat, not the infant carrier.   The result was that parents using carriers that maxed out at 22 lbs were more likely to move forward-facing sooner, because they had out grown the highest weight of their seat and also reached the 1 & 20 recommendation.

Lifesavers 2009: A Big Thank You from Safety Squad

Safety Squad wants to thank everyone we met at the 2009 Lifesavers Conference in Nashville.  Not only was this event an opportunity to learn and exchange ideas with techs, manufacturers and educators but it continues to validate our mission of child passenger safety. The people we meet at Lifesavers are instrumental in helping shape the message we deliver to parents every day.

Furthermore, we encourage the efforts of the increasing number of private companies that provide on-demand safety services for parents in a variety of fashions.  We are proud to call you our peers and are eager to share experiences for the common goal of protecting children.

We'll see you in Philly!