I was startled when my friends asked how I got my two kids to sit quietly in the car seats when they saw two fitted in the back of our car.

According to them, they have problems getting their child to sit in a car seat. Worse, some never think of using car seats at all!

Oh my God! I thought parents are supposed to put child safety as priority when they are on the road.

It’s better safe than sorry. As for me, since the birth of our first child, J, car seat is something that my wife and I seem to agree upon without much argument (not that we always argue).

I admit it's not easy to get your child remain seated in the car seat throughout the journey. But making it a routine to put your child in a car seat is a must for every parent.

Here are the steps we’ve taken for our children in terms of car seat safety. Very effective I must say.

1) Teach your child from young. Use car seats while they are still babies. Babies won't ask you why and they don't know how to turn you down. The best time to educate your child about car seats is when he's still a baby. Make it a habit that the first thing your child does when he gets into a car is go for the car seat.

2) Show a picture of a child sitting in a car seat. What if your child is not taught about car safety from young, don't worry. We made the same mistake for J. She only started using a car seat at a later stage. Here's what we did. Just by using a manual that came with the car (look for “how to install a car seat” section), we showed J a picture of a girl sitting in a car seat and told her she had to do the same. She accepted it well.

3) Put some toys in the car. If the kids feel bored during the journey, give your child some toys to play with. This will usually solve 90% of your traveling problems with kids.

4) Pull over when everything else fails. This is the other 10%. If your child is really in the bad mood and he has been crying (aka tantrum) for 30 minutes, pull over and talk to him. Soothe him and find out what's wrong with him. If he just gives a fuss for no reason, tell him you only continue the journey if he has calmed down.

To help you clear any doubts about choosing and installing a car seat, here’s an excellent site. The tips are divided by age group. Don’t forget to watch the videos too.

And also check out 2007 Child Safety Seat Ease of Use Ratings.

For more Works for Me tips, head on over to Shannon’s Rocks in My Dryer.

See also:
101 Child Safety and Childproofing Tips for Parents

Click to buy a child car seat from Amazon.

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