Car seat can help families’ holiday flights, too

This look at a children’s health or safety issue comes from Dayton Children’s Hospital. Email: newsroom@childrensdayton.org.

With the busy holiday season right around the corner it is important to plan not only for the holiday celebrations, but the journeys ahead. Dayton Children’s reminds parents to keep kids safe and buckled up in their appropriate car or booster seat.

In the air or on the ground, a car seat is an essential safety device. Not all car seats can fit on standard airplane seats, which are typically about 16 inches wide, but Dayton Children’s, Safe Kids Greater Dayton, and the Federal Aviation Administration strongly recommend using a car seat in an aircraft whenever possible.

“Air turbulence can be dangerous and can appear suddenly without warning,” said Jessica Saunders, director of the Center for Child Health and Wellness at Dayton Children’s. “Infants and toddlers on airplanes are safest in a car seat with a harness. A child who rides in a car seat on the ground should ride in that car seat on a plane.”

“You need your child’s car seat to travel to and from the airport anyway,” said Saunders. “Car rental companies might not have reliable car seats available and checking your child’s seat as baggage could result in damage. Your kids are better off in their own car seats.”

Children who have outgrown car seats should sit directly on the airplane seat and, like all passengers, keep the lap belt buckled across their thighs or hips.

Space for safe traveling on airplanes: Reserve your seat

The FAA advises travelers with small children to reserve a pair of seats by a window. Car seats are not allowed in aisle seats or exit rows, where they could block emergency escape routes; they must be installed at a window seat.

Make sure everyone buckles up

Inappropriately restrained children are nearly three and a half times more likely to be seriously injured in a crash than their appropriately restrained counterparts. Children should always wear a safety belt, in a car or in the air.

Adult travelers should buckle up, too. “You’re a role model,” says Saunders. “Children learn safety behavior by watching parents and caregivers. Also, children who ride in car seats on the ground appear to be more comfortable and better behaved when using one on a plane.”

8 tips for safe driving:

1. Obey the speed limit.

2. Don’t rush! Plan ahead and allow for extra traveling and preparation time.

3. Drive with caution during the rainy and snowy season.

4. Don’t let anyone get behind the wheel who has been drinking.

5. Make sure every child has a safety belt. Sharing seat belts is not safe.

6. If children are restless and acting disruptively, let them know that you can’t drive safely when you are distracted. Pull the car over until they calm down.

7. Make sure that you and the passengers get an adequate amount of sleep before the trip.

8. When leaving/arriving at your destination walk completely around the car looking for kids, toys and pets before entering the car and starting the engine.

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