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Car Seat No-nos
Simple Rules to Keep Your Children Safe While Restrained
By Renee Roberson
Alison Rhodes, a child safety expert from Wilton, Conn., also known as "The Safety Mom," and Dr. Hallas both recommend not feeding children in the car because of the dangers it can pose. "If they are taking a long trip, parents need to plan ahead and stop to let the kids get out and eat, and then get back in the car," Dr. Hallas says.
"Toddlers should never be allowed to eat as you're driving as this poses a tremendous choking hazard," Rhodes says.
If you do allow toddlers to eat in the car, the best defense is having another adult in the car that can monitor the children while they are eating, says Selena Silva, a prevention and education coordinator with The Children's Hospital-Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute in Aurora, Colo. "The foods we are most concerned about are hot dogs, nuts, seeds, chunks of meat or cheese," she says. "Popcorn, peanut butter, raw vegetables and fruit chunks are also dangerous. While driving, it can be very difficult to note any distress your child may be in. Every parent should learn CPR to help address any of these concerns."
Household objects often found in our vehicles can also get the best of a toddler's curiosity. "It's good to look over your car as you put your child in the seat to make sure there aren't any dangerous items lying around," Silva says. "Pens, markers, marker caps, balloons, or fragments of balloons, can be dangerous," she says.
Parents should be extra carefu when both infants and toddlers in car seats occupy their backseats. Toddlers often enjoy being helpful and could accidentally do an infant harm while trying to keep a sibling happy.
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