Being a parent is not for the faint of heart. From diapers to drivers licenses, there’s always something to worry about. Our joint goal at both Metro Detroit Mommy and Buckle Up Detroit is to take some of that worry off your shoulders – at least as far as vehicle safety is concerned. Buckle Up Detroit was founded by Metro Detroit Mommy blogger Dana Lange as a way to reach our community and spread the word about car seat safety to the masses and now you can find that content right here! Car crashes are one of the nation’s top killers of children, but it doesn’t have to be that way; we hope to shine a light on the importance of properly used car seats and booster seats and share helpful tips on making your trips a little more comfortable for everyone.
FREE Child Car Seat Inspections: Farminton Hills
If you have a young child still in a car seat, then chances are your car seat is not properly installed. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 60 percent of all child car seats are installed or utilized incorrectly. The Farmington Hills Fire Department is Working to…
Your Library Card: A Ticket to Michigan Adventure and Savings
Do you have a Michigan Library card? If so, then you can access hundreds of Michigan’s state parks, National Parks, historic sites, recreation areas and campgrounds for either free or discounted admission. Through the Michigan Activity Pass Program you can access over 100 State Parks, 138 Campgrounds and many more…
Winter Coats and Car Seats Don’t Mix – #CarSeatSafety
Most winter coats should not be worn in the car because of the extra build. Here are five safe ways to keep your child warm in the car during winter.
Spring Cleaning Your Car Seats
The weather is starting to break (please don’t hold me to that promise) and now is the time when lots of parents start taking a good hard look at the back seats of their cars, wondering how everything got this bad. Car seats tend to hoard things like road…
Chicco MyFit Combination Seat Review
We’ve been using the Chicco MyFit for a few months now, and since installed it quite a few in different vehicles, so I thought it’d be the perfect time to review. I want to note that this car seat was not provided to me by Chicco or Metro Detroit Mommy. …
Your Kid Should Sit in the Back Seat Because Airbags
Sitting in the front seat of the car is often viewed as a rite of passage. It feels like a very adult thing to do, and there’s so much freedom inherent in the seating position: you can see the entire road and you can reach the radio! What’s not…
Secondary Crashes: What You Need To Know
A friend of mine and fellow CPST was involved in a major crash a month ago. She was driving to the airport with two other adults in the car as well as her 9-year-old son when blizzard conditions caused a crash in front of them. What happened next was unavoidable;…
Winter Car Seat Safety Tips!
When driving in the car with small children, most parents and caregivers will naturally do everything they can to ensure the children in their care are safe. Fortunately, today’s vehicles are equipped with advanced safety technology. And with a PwC forecast showing about 107 million vehicles will be manufactured globally in 2020,…
Baby on Board: Safe Driving Tips For Drowsy Parents!
Metro Detroit Mommy has written a lot about the importance of car seat safety. But that’s hardly the only thing you can do to keep your kids safe in the car. When motor vehicles were invented, they changed the world forever. While we no longer have to walk or ride…
Car Seats, Costumes, and Coats, Oh My!
The costumes are starting to appear in stores, spooky decor is popping up everywhere, and kids are getting excited… it’s official: Halloween is almost here! Whether you go around your neighborhood or drive somewhere else for the big night, chances are you’ll be loading the kids in the car to…
AAP Changes Rearfacing Guidelines. Now What?
One of the hottest pieces of news in the Child Passenger Safety world dropped this week: the American Academy of Pediatrics has changed their recommendation guidelines for rearfacing children. They’ve also added a new guideline, aimed at keeping older kids and teens safe. So what changed and what…
Michigan Falling Short in Protecting Kids in Hot Cars
It’s no secret that there are a lot of dangers associated with vehicles. In fact, there are about 5.5 million car accidents each year in the U.S. alone. But during the hot summer weather, vehicles pose yet another danger. All too often, young children are left unattended in hot cars. Last…
Mom Warns Dad About Car Seat Positioning, Saves Baby’s Life in the Process
“Overprotective mom” is a loaded term. We’ve learned so much about parenting and safety in recent decades, and there’s nothing wrong with putting this knowledge into practice. Case in point: a Tennessee mom is being commended for her commitment to the safety of her child, after a text message she…
My How You’ve Grown: Adjusting Car Seat Straps
Children grow. They grow and they grow and they grow. Around this time of year we’re thinking about buying new school clothes, new shoes, getting eyes checked, etc. I’m here to suggest you add another thing to the list of things to think about as your child gets bigger: their…
How To Properly Harness Your Rear-facing Child
To start: I like to begin from the child’s bottom and move up, but as long as all these steps are fulfilled whichever order you choose is just fine. 1) Place the baby in the seat and buckle the crotch buckle over the hips. 2) The shoulder straps belong over…
What To Expect From a CPST
One of the most common refrains that I hear when finishing up a seat check is “I didn’t expect there to be so much information!” I choose to take it as a compliment. There’s really quite a lot to learn! You don’t know what you don’t know until someone tells…
Car Seat Safety – Outside of the Car
We all know that car seats are life savers. We’ve seen the viral photos of seemingly unscathed car seats pulled from the wreckage of a crash; grateful parents praising the seat for saving the lives of their children, vowing to never buy another brand ever again. But what’s most important…
Is Your Vehicle Under Recall? Probably
In July of 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a recall of over 34 million vehicles due to a defective airbag mechanism. This faulty mechanism can cause the front passenger airbag to literally explode when deployed in a crash; basically, all passengers will be at risk for shrapnel…
Safely Carrying Your Car Seat
So, you did the hard work: you picked out a car seat. High five! Whether it’s the lightest on the market or the heaviest, once your baby gains some precious weight it’s no longer a breeze to lug it around. In order to avoid personal injury you have to know…
Pardon Me, Your Car Seat Is ALL WRONG
In life, and in parenting, most of us try to follow the Golden Rule: treat others as you would want to be treated. This generally means kindly, with respect to the person and their situation… basically, just don’t be a jerk. Sometimes this means keeping our mouths shut when our…
Car Seat Safety: My Doctor Isn’t The Expert?
Whilst attempting to prove me wrong, my husband actually said to me the other day, “What, you don’t believe me? Google it like you do everything else!” Yep. He got me there. I like to ask questions. Most of us do! We ask our BFFs how long a fever should…
Your First Step: Car Seat Safety
Manufactured products, such as car seats can be recalled on occasion. Often, the recall is simple and only requires a basic fix – a new label or an updated manual. If this happens, you can continue to use the product while the fix is obtained. However, recalls can also be…
Are Convertible Car Seats Safe For Newborns?
When it comes to car seats, one thing you can count on is options. You have options within a budget, within a weight bracket, within a height bracket, and options for vehicle fit. There are two types of car seats that will fit infants; convertibles and rear-facing only. Convertibles can…
How To: Install a Car Seat in an Extended Cab Truck
How Do I Install a Car Seat in an Extended Cab Truck? “My truck doesn’t have tethers in the back seat, I’ve looked all over for them!” If I had a quarter for every time I heard that phrase I would play so many claw machine games, let me tell…
So You Were In A Minor Car Crash – Now What?
It is a statistical probability that one will end up in a car crash an average of 3-4 times in their lifetime. Of course, that number could be higher or lower and it only takes into consideration certain types of collisions. Most people understand that car seats should be replaced…
LATCH vs Seat Belt… Which Comes Out On Top?
You’ve done all the shopping, all the research into the safety of a seat and how to use it… and now comes the fun part: installation! Okay, so my definition of fun may vary from yours. But if it’s gotta be done, it might as well be fun, right? One of…
Mifold Booster Product Review
I was the meanest mom ever today. My family had just spent a lovely evening at a friend’s house about 1.5 hours away from home. We ate s’mores, we played with lambs and goats, we ate too much guacamole. All it all it was a pretty successful trip, and unsurprisingly…
How To Keep Baby Cool in the Car
Ah, summer in Michigan. I, for one, welcome the sounds and sensations of summer… kids screeching as they run through sprinklers, bare legs peeling off of leather seats, the instant regret you feel after stepping outside on a 97 degree day. But! Step outside we must. In order to get…
Buyer Beware: Should You Buy Car Seats Online?
How many of us are in Buy Sell Trade groups on Facebook or Instagram? I can think of at least four off the top of my head that I’m active in. Most of them are filled with moms who are trying to purge their homes of gently used baby clothes…
Looking to do more? Become a CPST!
Are you looking for a way to become a valuable, contributing member of your local community? Do you like the idea of helping to keep kids safe? Do you like to read the newest research on vehicle safety? Are you in awe of the latest car seat technology? Have you…
Why Use A Tether?
I had a seat check appointment a few days ago that left me wondering what I can do as a child safety advocate to get through to more parents. Then I realized: “Yo, you have an audience of parents through Metro Detroit Mommy. Maybe you could use that?” So here…
Five Dangerous Car Seat Mistakes
It’s a statistic I’ve read so many times it has lost its shock value: 9 out of 10 car seats are installed and/or used incorrectly. Let’s put that into perspective. Imagine your child waiting in a line at an elementary school with 9 of their classmates. Your child is of…
How To Choose A Booster Seat
Booster seats. They are an important step in child passenger safety and yet they are very often underestimated or worse, completely skipped over. Last week a story went viral about a 6 year old girl who was nearly cut in half because of the seat belt she was using in…
Road Coat – A Car Seat Safe Down Coat
Disclosure: If you have any questions about your child and their car seat please consult with a Licensed Car Seat Technician, you can find one here: http://cert.safekids.org/ I was given a Road Coat from OneKid free of charge so that I could try it out and share my experience with you….
What To Look For When Choosing A Car Seat #carseatsafety
So you’re in the market for a new car seat; lucky you! A friend recently shared this little gem (before you ask, no it’s not available in the US) and my response was, “What a time to be alive.” I truly feel that way, you know. The field of child…
Back to School – Give Your Big Kids A Boost!
Can you hear that? …Cash registers ringing with the sales of new lunch boxes, folders, and endless boxes of pencils? …Parents desperately trying (and mostly failing) to get their children back into a bedtime routine? …Children begging for just one more trip to the beach in a frantic attempt at…
Extended Rear Facing: Nine Car Seats that RF up to 50 Pounds
In a recent article, Dana Lange (our CPST) shared and the benefits of Rear Facing as long as you can and these nine seats that accommodate children up to 50 pounds. Here are the seats, all available on Amazon.com (affiliate links). Many of the seats are available through Prime…
Car Seat Safety: Rear Facing – the hows & whys
As a Child Passenger Safety Technician I am a huge advocate for keeping kids rear-facing as long as possible. Not only is it safer (500% safer!) and often more comfortable for kids, it also prevents the dreaded tantrum-induced seatback kickboxing sessions to which toddlers are so prone. I’ve been doing…
Meet Dana Lange – Our Newest Metro Detroit Mommy Blogger & CPST
Hello, Metro Detroit Mommy readers! My name is Dana Lange, I’m a CPST and mom of two. I’ve been passionate about car seat safety since shortly after my first child was born in 2008 and officially became certified as a tech in 2014 when my youngest was 2. Since then…
The Current Car Seat Laws in Michigan
Disclosure: If you have any questions about your child and their car seat please consult with a Licensed Car Seat Technician, you can find one here: http://cert.safekids.org/ Know what the leading cause of death is for children? Unintentional injury – in a car accident. (8081 deaths in 2012 ages birth to…
Garage Sales and Used Car Seats – What you need to know! #carseatsafety
Summer is finally here and garage sale season is in full swing. Hunting through garage sales can lead to hidden treasures, but a few things you shouldn’t pick up at a garage sale are car seats or booster seats. Car seats and booster seats sold at garage sales might seem…
Convertible Car Seats That Rear Face up to 50 Pounds
Disclosure: If you have any questions about your child and their car seat please consult with a Licensed Car Seat Technician, you can find one here: http://cert.safekids.org/ After the post about the new proposed new car seat regulations in Michigan, We have had quite a few people ask about car seats…