We've been hearing now for weeks about how difficult it is to install an infant car seat. The fearmongering baby industry has convinced neurotic parents that their babies will die if they don't hire professional car seat installers and/or spend hours researching proper installation techniques. Some organizations claim that 8 in 10 car seats are incorrectly installed - 80 percent!
So I was a little suspect when Leigh installed the car seat yesterday and proclaimed it was one of the easiest things he's ever done. Sure, he read the manual and spent a few minutes getting a tight fit. But overall, he said it was pretty foolproof.
Is he setting our child up for certain death?
Uh... no.
Last year, 38 children under the age of 5 were killed in car accidents linked to an improperly installed car seat, less than 10% of the total number of children killed in car accidents (source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). When you consider the fact that there are more than 21 million children under the age of 5 in the United States, it puts that number in perspective.
Sure, you'll say, but what about injuries? There were 28 serious and non-serious injuries linked to improper child seat use. It inches the number upwards, but it's still no cause for alarm. Most fatalities and injuries occur with a perfectly good car seat, or when no car seat is used (bad idea).
I want my baby to be safe, but I won't buy into the hype. If 80% of car seats are incorrectly installed and still the risk of death is so insignificant, I'm not going to sweat it. I'd rather spend my money on driving lessons.
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