Grey Lynn Plunket     
c/- Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn. Phone 378-4565

Caring for Young Families - Whanau Awhina

Is Your Babe Buckled in Safely?

Many New Zealand parents are failing to buckle their kids into correctly-installed child restraints. This is a widespread problem. A national 1998 survey (by Land & Transport Safety) found nearly a quarter of all children up to the age of four are not correctly restrained in cars. Many of the seats are not properly secured, with wrongly routed seatbelts and loose harnesses. Many children are in restraints unsuitable for the make of the car.

The safest position for a child seat is in the centre of the back of the car, where there is nothing immediately to the front or side that the child could collide with in an accident.

A locking clip is crucial! Without one the seatbelt could loosen and the restraint could tip forward in a sudden stop. Locking clips are available from Plunket and other retail outlets for about five dollars.

Be aware of when your child has outgrown the restraint. Once the top of the child restraint is below the level of the child's eyes, the head will not be well protected.

Be wary of a second-hand restraint, as it may have sustained hidden structural damage in an accident.

If a child restraint has a tether strap, you should use it! Otherwise the restraint will not protect your child as designed. If your car does not have the necessary anchor holes then get your garage to drill them. It can cost from $25 to $75 depending on the make of your car and the complexities involved.

For details of our Clinic hours, click here. For safety precautions, click here. And taking care of yourself is important too: click here for suggestions. Toilet training: click here. To view a chart of infectious diseases, click here for page one and here for page two.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed on this website do not necessarily represent those of The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society.