Last weekend we received our first baby gift – our car seat.  A car seat is the one thing that you must have before your baby is born as the hospital will not let you leave with your little bundle of joy without one.  Since our little one’s arrival is relatively imminent we figured we should have it installed sooner rather than later.  So, Saturday morning Darren and I ventured over to the Greenburg Police Station for the installation of our Peg Perego car seat.  Having it installed by the safety department at our local police station was recommended by several friends as well as our lamaze instructor.  Since the safety of our “little one to be” is our number one priority, we listened to their advice.  Four out of five car seats are installed improperly and therefore leave your baby vulnerable for injury in the event of a crash.  Darren and I were totally clueless about the proper installation of the seat so we were really glad to have the officer install it and demonstrate the safety features and proper usage.  The wait was over an hour and surprisingly the installation and safety review took close to 30 minutes but it was worth the time.  The officer explained to us that mirrors are not recommended nor are bulky jackets that prevent you from tightly securing your child in the seats harness. Both of these can harm your child in the event of a crash.  He also recommended installing the car seat in the middle of the back seat rather than on the left or right side as this limits potential injury in the event of a side crash.  We had no idea about these little important tips so we were glad to have someone educate us.

If you are a first time parent, a grandparent that will be driving around your ‘precious’ cargo I really recommend contacting your local police department to see if they offer a child safety seat inspection program.  If you live in the unincorporated town of Greenburg, we were extremely satisfied with our experience at the Greenburg Town Hall.  As part of their child seat safety program, the town of Greenburg offers installation typically on the first and third Saturday of every month but call ahead to be confirm as some months they only offer it once.  We highly recommend doing this.  You can never be too careful, especially when it comes to your children.