Safe Parenting

New research shows that a certain number of child safety booster seats aren’t as effective as first thought. Booster seats are required in most states to ensure that a child’s safety belt fits properly in the event of an accident.

Booster seats are recommended for children who have outgrown car seats, which is generally when they are around 4 years old and 40 pounds. They need the booster until they are 4-feet 9-inches tall, around 8 or 9, when a car’s seat belts are likely to do the trick.

And the numbers back boosters. They reduce the risk of being injured in a crash by 59 percent and of dying in one by 28 percent, according to two studies by the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Yet a new study that evaluates 41 of these belt-positioning seats rates 13 of them as not recommended because they did not do much to improve the fit of a vehicle’s lap and shoulder belts.

The

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

conducted the test with the University of Michigan.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has opened a new child safety center to help provide parents with proper safety equipment for their children and advice on how to properly use them. With so many different safety products on the market these days, it can be overwhelming for parents to know exactly the right thing to buy to keep their child as safe as possible. Now, there is help for Philadelphia parents.

Now with help from Kohl’s, C.H.O.P. is trying to help all parents keep their kids as safe as possible. The ‘Kohl’s Safety Center’ not only has affordable safety products but also health educators to help parents get the right fit and the right tools.

If you live in the area, the center is open at the hospital from 11am to 5pm on weekdays and many products are sold at cost.