cravings

Today I spent the afternoon at MD AMBULANCE on Melville St. (near Stonebridge) at a carseat clinic. These monthly clinics, which are now by appointment only, are a great way to have your carseat checked by a certified carseat technician. The purpose of these free clinics is not simply an easy way to have your carseat installed by someone else, but intended to teach parents and caregivers how to properly use and install their restraint systems and safely secure their children in their vehicles.

I am happy to report that the majority of carseats I checked were being used for infants and children of the appropriate age and weight, and within the recommended time period (carseats do expire - most between 6 & 8 years from the manufacture date). Most of the parents and caregivers that I met with today had done a fairly good job of installing their carseats themselves and were very receptive to the suggestions we made.

It is amazing how every combination of carseat and vehicle is different. Because of this, the very best thing you can do when installing a child's restraint system is to refer to both your vehicle's instruction manual and the carseat's instruction manual.

TRANSPORT CANADA
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/childsafety/menu.htm

SASKATCHEWAN PREVENTION INSTITUTE
http://www.preventioninstitute.sk.ca/home/Program_Areas/Childhood_Injury_Prevention/Child_Passenger_Safety/

SGI (including list of upcoming carseat clinics)
http://www.sgi.sk.ca/sgi_pub/road_safety/child_restraints.htm

SAFE KIDS CANADA
http://www.sickkids.ca/SKCForParents/section.asp?s=Safety+Information+by+Topic&sID=10774&ss=Child+Passenger+Safety&ssID=11330