Car Seat Safety Resources for South Jersey

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Before I had kids, I’ll admit that I was kind of clueless with car seat and booster seat safety. Despite working at Babies R Us through my college years and beyond, I knew that car seats were meant to keep kids safe, but didn’t realize that car seat safety was way more than just buying a car seat, installing it, and using it. In my defense, I did not work in the baby gear department at the store, so, really, there was no reason for me to know all that information. Fast forward a few years, though, and the Mister and I were expecting our first child. At that point, in addition to learning about infant care and such, I made it my mission to learn everything possible about babies and how to keep them safe. After all, when we’re pregnant, we make every effort possible to keep our unborn child(ren) safe. It only makes sense to continue to do so after they’re born, right? Needless to say, car seat safety has become a passion of mine. Maybe it’s just anxiety speaking, but there are SO MANY ways that our child(ren) can get hurt after they’re born. Skinned knees, broken bones, sport injuries, falling off a bike…we do our best to prevent those injuries with knee pads, bike helmets, reminders of “be careful!” and lessons to learn how to play sports properly, but, despite our best efforts, sometimes those kids still get hurt because that’s life, right? Well, in my eyes, one thing that I can somewhat control is how safe my kids are while in the car. Yes, I cannot control how others drive, but I can do my best make sure that my kids are in the proper car seats for their age/height/weight and that those seats are properly installed. You can do the same.

You guys, call me a sanctimommy if you must, but really…it’s not really difficult to make sure our kids are in the proper car seats. There are a number of resources that have helped me in learning about car seat safety, so I’m passing them along to you! These resources have been amazing in helping me to learn about proper car seat safety and use:

Car Seats for the Littles

When I need specific car seat recommendations, Car Seats for the Littles is my go-to. Their website reviews a number of car seats and has recommended seats for the United States, Canada, and Europe so you’ll be all set if you need to travel out of country! Did you know car seat regulations vary by county/location? True story. There is a plethora of information on that website. If you’re interested in their resources on Facebook, there is a Car Seats for the Littles Facebook Group and a Car Seats for the Littles Facebook Page. They staff a number of Child Passenger Safety Techs, so you can rest assured that they know what they’re talking about and have actually been trained on proper car seats usage.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a number of resources for parents and caregivers when it comes to car seat safety. Their website explains the differences between the various types of seats, provides videos for car seat installation, has a specific link to register your car seats (so you’ll be notified of a recall or safety notice), and much more.

The State of New Jersey

The State of New Jersey has specific car seat laws for residents to follow. Regulations do vary by state, but you’ll probably spend the most time in NJ, right?

Car Seat Inspections and Safety Checks

Let’s face it, sometimes it seems you need a degree to figure out how to install a carseat. It needs to be at a specific angle, has to be connected at specific points, etc…it can be a headache for most of us! Thankfully, South Jersey has a number of FREE car seat inspection and safety check events scheduled and we’ve made sure to include them in our South Jersey Family Calendar of Events & Activities. In addition to finding a plethora of family-friendly South Jersey events and activities, you’ll also find those scheduled car seat inspections for Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties. Some of these car seat checks and installation events require appointments, some do not. While looking at the calendar, you’ll have the ability to specify whether you want to see events by County (Burlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County) or see ALL Car Seat Checks only  and get all the information you’ll need to plan ahead to attend an event. Use that calendar to help keep your kids safe in the car and, please, share it with friends and family traveling with kids as well.

Now, if you’re as passionate about car seat safety as I am, you may consider becoming a Child Passenger Safety Technician. In that case, definitely check out the National Child Passenger Safety Board for more information.

Do you know of any other car seat safety resources that have helped you to keep your kiddos safe? Let us know! Make sure to share this post with your friends and family so that they can do their best to keep their kids safe, too!