This is so important for both you and your baby/child.  Hands down, the best way to be safe in a car is to have everyone using a seat belt and proper car seat.  During pregnancy, while baby is protected to a certain extent in your body, a lap and shoulder belt must be worn at all times to optimize this protection.  This increases likelihood of you and your baby surviving a car crash.  The shoulder portion of the belt should go between your breasts and over the middle portion of your collar bone.  The lap portion of the seatbelt should go below your belly so it fits across the hips and pelvic bone. 

All 50 states require infants and children of different ages to be secured in the proper safety seat.  There are different types of seats including rear facing seats for infants up to 12 months of age, forward facing seats for toddlers to around 2 years old (usually 40-80 lbs), and booster seats for older kids who have outgrown the forward facing seat until age 8-12 years old depending on height and weight. 

To best prepare yourself for what car seat to buy and how to install it, please refer to www.dps.mn.gov.  This website is both detailed and very helpful.  ALSO, please check with your insurance as oftentimes some coverage is given when purchasing a car seat.

Lastly, distracted driving remains a HUGE danger today.  Please avoid texting, calling, changing cd’s/dvd’s, and grooming while driving. This serves to be a good example to watchful children as well!