Nothing is more exciting (or frightening) as the birth of a new baby. After 9 months of anticipation and many hours spent preparing the nursery, the delivery is over and a brand new baby has arrived. This tiny bundle of joy is full of hope and promise, but at the same time the incredible job of taking care of this new life has become a reality. For first time parents, this is a daunting prospect, and leads to many questions about health and safety. For the next several months, life will revolve around the baby, adjusting to the temperament and needs of the baby. Though life will never be the same for the parents, these months are the most intense and bring the most change. Everything has to be considered from furnishings to schedules to pets and a million other things. Family and friends lend lots of help and advice, but the learning curve can sometimes be daunting.
The first experience with the outside world a new baby has is usually being bundled up into a car seat to be taken home. In fact, with our mobile society, the baby will spend a lot of time in that car seat. For that reason, a lot of care should be taken in making the decision as to which car seat to buy. New regulations and recommendations are always coming out, and each state has it’s own laws regarding the age of children using car seats and the type required. For newborn babies, rear facing car seats are recommended, and in some cases required. Car accidents are the leading cause of infant death and brain injury, and rear facing car seat protect the baby much better. And baby seats should never be placed in the front seat of any car. Today’s cars are equipped with airbags. The force of airbags deploying will critically or fatally harm the baby. If a car seat is in a car involved in an accident, it should never be reused, as the structural integrity can be compromised.
The installation of a car seat is also very important. Below is a video demonstrating how to install a rear facing baby seat.
Thankfully, the first frantic months soon turn into normal, everyday routines. And as more babies are born into the family, things get easier and for the most part the fear is gone. The hope and expectations with each child remains, though, as we celebrate the addition of each new life. All too soon those hectic days will be looked back on with nostalgia and fond memories. Then the grandkids come, and everything is good with the world!
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