Coty Vickers, Child Passenger Safety Technician, Dekalb County TN

Booster seats help position children so the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belt fit properly. It is important that the lap belt fit snug across the hips and upper thighs while the shoulder belt runs across the chest and shoulder away from the child’s neck. Booster seats should be used until kids are tall enough for the vehicle belts to fit properly. Learn more: https://bit.ly/42K2lDN

National Safety Council National CPS Certification NHTSA Safe Kids Worldwide

Most vehicles on the road today have frontal passenger airbags, safety features designed for adult passengers in the front seat that can be dangerous for kids. Seated properly and wearing a seat belt, teenagers are generally big enough for the airbag to protect them, but most children under age 13 are not.

Learn more about passenger safety for kids: https://bit.ly/3jxLTVC

National Safety Council National CPS Certification NHTSA Safe Kids Worldwide

Here are five things you can do at home to check your car seat:

Halloween Car Seat Safety!

‼️ Car Seat Dealll ‼️

Graco Grows4Me 4 in 1 Car Seat, Infant to Toddler Car Seat with 4 Modes, Vega https://a.co/d/5X6ZKQT

“When presented like this it's really clear what happens to a child's head, brain, neck, and spine in a car crash. It's also why we want to keep kids rear-facing until they max out one of the limits of their car seat.

A young child's head, brain, neck, and spine simply are not developed enough to withstand crash forces. When you combine an underdeveloped spine with an oversized head and decide to face your child forward anyway, you are setting them up to be injured. I know that is blunt, but it's true.

It's really quite simple--the more time we give our children's bodies to strengthen and their bones to fuse together, the less risk of fatal injury in a car crash. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Of course, our kids will turn forward-facing one day. Let's just make sure that day is when we have given their bodies ample time to develop on the inside and the outside⁠ so their bodies can handle the crash forces free of injury or worse.”

When presented like this it's really clear what happens to a child's head, brain, neck, and spine in a car crash. It's also why we want to keep kids rear-facing until they max out one of the limits of their car seat.

A young child's head, brain, neck, and spine simply are not developed enough to withstand crash forces. When you combine an underdeveloped spine with an oversized head and decide to face your child forward anyway, you are setting them up to be injured. I know that is blunt, but it's true.

It's really quite simple--the more time we give our children's bodies to strengthen and their bones to fuse together, the less risk of fatal injury in a car crash. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Of course, our kids will turn forward-facing one day. Let's just make sure that day is when we have given their bodies ample time to develop on the inside and the outside⁠ so their bodies can handle the crash forces free of injury or worse.

If your child is in a forward-facing car seat with a harness, it has a top tether anchor. USE IT! ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ When a car seat is tightly installed and the top tether anchor is in proper use, it limits a forward-facing car seat from tipping forward by 4-6+ inches. By limiting that movement, you are protecting your child's head from hitting the vehicle seat in front of it, the door or console, or a fellow passenger. ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ A correct and tight installation plus a top tether truly is a life-saving combination! ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠

Let's make sure you're doing it by the book. The most common misuses that you now will be sure not to make...⁠⁠ ⁠⁠
✅ Use the tether. One study showed that 64% of forward-facing car seats are not using the top tether at all! ⁠⁠(Source: Safe Kids Worldwide)
✅ Not every vehicle seating position has a top tether. Make sure all forward-facing harnessed car seats are in approved vehicle seating positions with a designated tether anchor.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠
✅ Don't guess where to connect! Tethers are connected to cargo hooks mistakenly all the time. To limit that forward movement, it must be routed and connected to the proper location! ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠

If you are starting to sweat, don't. You've got this. Check your vehicle manual for a drawing of the designated tether anchor positions, how to route the tether anchor strap and where exactly to connect it. If you can't find your manual, look it up online and save it to your phone.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠

Protecting our kids is one of our greatest responsibilities and YOU ARE DOING IT! ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Who is running out to check their vehicle manual and/or attach that tether ASAP?!

Target’s car seat trade-in event begins TODAY!!

With warmer spring weather headed our way, you may be getting ready to give your car seat a good cleaning. Always check the car seat instruction manual to find approved cleaning products and methods. Harsh chemicals can cause damage to the seat or harness that could compromise safety performance in a crash.

National Safety Council National CPS Certification NHTSA Safe Kids Worldwide

‼️Target’s Car Seat Trade In Information‼️

Child Passenger Safety Technician Month

Safe Kids Worldwide is delighted to celebrate national Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) month this May! It is a time for us to celebrate all the technicians who serve the community every day, educating families about how to travel safely.

Learn more at:
https://cert.safekids.org/child-passenger-safety-technician-month



Safe Kids Worldwide

Spring Cleaning: With warmer spring weather headed our way, you may be getting ready to give your car seat a good cleaning. Always check the car seat instruction manual to find approved cleaning products and methods. Harsh chemicals can cause damage to the seat or harness that could compromise safety performance in a crash.

National Safety Council National CPS Certification NHTSA Safe Kids Worldwide

Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour tonight!

This is so true 😅 Let me help make car seat installations and getting those wiggly littles buckled in easier with free tips, tricks, seat checks, and recommendations!

CPS Technicians can show you how to use your car seat without the workout!



Safe Kids Worldwide

Is Your Child Ready to Move Out of the Booster? | Pediatric Trauma Injury Prevention Program More than 25% of children ages 4-7 are moved out of their booster seats too soon . Even though most children, and parents as well, are excited to hit the next milestones, rushing to move out of the booster seat will compromise the safety of the child unless they are truly ready. The American Academy...

Don't forget to register your new car seat! Providing your contact information allows the manufacturer to notify you of any recalls that apply to your seat.

Lost the card before you could drop it in the mailbox? Submit the registration on the manufacturer's website using the information from the sticker on your seat.

https://csftl.org/registering-your-car-seat/

What a fantastic and inspirational article highlighting a CPST in neighboring Wilson County! I love that TN has so many wonderful people devoted to the safety of the children

Lebanon Police child passenger safety technician Dawna Gutierrez shows parents right way to buckle up youngsters A champion for stronger laws that would keep children more secure in vehicles, Dawna Gutierrez works zealously to protect life and limb of Wilson County’s youngest passengers.

Coty Vickers, Child Passenger Safety Technician, Dekalb County TN now takes appointments on their Page.

Did you know there’s now a second car seat that fits preemies at 3lbs? With physicians approval, the Summer Affirm 335 fits children starting at 3lbs and 15in. You can even order a shorter crotch buckle for a great fit if needed for the tiniest babies.

Message me to schedule a free car seat check 😊

Thinking of upgrading to a 3rd Row vehicle ? Check out this article with lots of great information on what to consider and what to look out for based on your needs in 3rd row vehicles!

https://csftl.org/third-row-friend-or-foe/?fbclid=IwAR3ntdYp0ejOeqSAlcWxtQ4cn4l1rhJ6VOm8zFd6MZ2vlwCmZ5Q8HdOjLTg

Third Row: Friend or Foe? - Car Seats For The Littles (Last Updated On: January 16, 2022)As families grow, so do the size of their vehicles. From the zippy little two seater (we all wish!) to a more practical and professional four door sedan, to a larger SUV, the size of our vehicles often changes as our family grows. But once your family includes that...

Grandparents and Car Seat Safety!

(If any parent/guardian/grandparent has issues with buckling/unbuckling due to the inability to grasp/push the buttons/buckle closures, ask me about devices to help grasp/push the buckles/button releases!)

https://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/sites/tsm.gov/files/2021-11/15261-CPS_Grandparents_Flyer_091521_v3_tag.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0yTHGK9rinvjVWgjSMYUfzPBnclsw4jW41z5rEePvjMmk8At-N1UlxVqw

As we honor Betty White, remember to keep pets safe in the car! Keeping them properly buckled up prevents driver distraction and could save their lives—and the lives of their human family members—in a crash. To learn about crash-tested pet harnesses and crates, check out www.centerforpetsafety.org.

It’s true. According to NHTSA, car seats decrease the risk of a fatal injury by 71% among infants and 54% among toddlers. To learn more about keeping your passengers safe: https://www.cpsboard.org/car-seat-safety/

National Safety Council National CPS Certification Safe Kids Worldwide

〰️CPST Q&A: 〰️
(Ask me anything car seat related!)

❣️this is a 100% no judgement zone! My goal is to help keep all the kids safe and be a resource for parents and guardians. If there’s anything you’ve wondered or think of, please feel free to ask! I highly encourage asking publicly so others can also learn that may have the same question or just never realized it was a concern but I’m always available privately as well!

Please comment below with anything and everything you’ve ever wondered about car seats and their safety!

▪️If you don’t have a question or concern currently, drop an emoji or meme so you stay in my algorithm and don’t miss upcoming information & posts!

This moms terrifying travel story resulted in this very informative article regarding traveling for extended periods of time. It is very important to make frequent stops to get babies/children out of their seat when traveling more than 1-2 hours. Infants are more so at risk of asphyxiation due to the position they lie in their child restraints. Also, be sure to frequently check (and double check) that your baby’s carseat is level and the correct angle to help prevent oxygen and/or circulation issues.

After Baby Stops Breathing During 2 Hour Car Ride, Mom Urges Parents To Not Make Same Mistake This mom wants to make sure no parent ever has to go through this.

Since we are finally beginning to experience some real winter weather in TN, here are some tips to keep those babies warm and safe while traveling in cold weather ❄️

• Never buckle a child into their car seat while wearing a bulky coat (general rule of thumb for knowing if the coat is too thick is that if you have to loosen the harness to accommodate the coat, it’s too thick). In the event of an accident, bulky coats can compress, therefore the child may slip out of the harness and become injured or ejected

• Take a few extra seconds to remove their coat before buckling, and put the coat back on before getting out of the vehicle

• Start your vehicle early enough for it to warm up by the time you need to depart

• Keep blankets in the vehicle or by the door to grab on your way out

• There are car seat safe outerwear options on the market. As long as the item doesn’t go between to child and the seat and/or between the child and the harness, it is safe to use to keep them warm!

Happy New Year!!

Thank you everyone that is joining and liking this page. I have been working on an introduction post with some information about what I do as a CPST, unfortunately I’m having some technical issues getting it to post, but will do so ASAP!

I do have some drawings and giveaways planned, so please continue liking & sharing my page for entries. Also, if I have helped you with your car seats in anyway, please leave a review and/or share your experience.

If anyone has specific questions or concerns you’d like to ask, comment below or message me privately anytime 🙂

Hey everyone, I just wanted to make an introduction post and let you all know what I do as a CPST!

A little about me:

I live in Dekalb County (Liberty area). I have 2 little ones, Ty is nearly 7 and Calla is nearly 5! I’m the Chief Financial Officer for the Smithville-Dekalb County Rescue Squad and really enjoy getting to work alongside the incredible members of our squad as well as emergency personnel from our county’s other emergency response agencies. I became a certified CPST in 2019 and have worked on building my experience so that I can be sure to provide the best solutions to any child restraint question or concern. I spent most of my early adulthood, well into my mid-late 20s in the medical field as a medical assistant, EEG technician, and medical receptionist in multiple office setting from private specialty practices to urgent care, to hospital ERs. While all of those positions were so so rewarding, I have never felt as passionate about anything as I have Child Passenger Safety which is why I have decided to dive in and focus my time and energy into it.

Some of the most common things I’ll be able to help parents/guardians with regarding car seat safety are:

•Selecting the best seat for your child(ren) based on the factors of the child(ren)’s size, age, and developmental status as well as the vehicles they child(ren) will be in, and if there are other passengers to consider.

•the installation process (these car seat manufacturers change and improve child restraints so often, there are always new features to learn or changes in how a seat can be used)

•checking & troubleshooting current installations

•providing the most up to date State and national laws and requirements in order to keep all the kids as safe as possible

I am available both in-person or virtual for any of these items!

Most importantly every single thing I do for you will ALWAYS BE FREE. If you wish to do so, you may make a donation and that will go toward helping to purchase seats for families in need!

I will be doing drawings and giveaways. You can earn extra entries by liking/sharing/interacting with my page. Extra entries will also be given for leaving reviews and sharing your stories/experiences of utilizing my services.

Thank you so much for joining this group and feel free to ask me anything, anytime!