The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children face rear in their car seats until they're 2 years old, or until they exceed the height/weight limit of the car seat. However, not doing so is a mistake made by many unknowing parents — and the results can be deadly.
One mother named Holly had no idea she'd been placing her child, the most important thing in the world to her, in the car seat wrong. "I was that mom that would share pictures like the one above on social media sites and never was corrected," she writes on her blog. "I was that mom that would allow friends and family to take my children places and assumed they were safe in the car. I was that mom that would put hundreds of miles on the car without a care in the world assuming everything was perfect…"
In 2014, Holly's life took a devastating turn. Her son Cameron was just under 1 year old when her now ex-boyfriend ran a stop sign. Cameron was ejected through the windshield; he was facing the wrong way in his car seat and was improperly buckled. Cameron passed away the day after Mother's Day. She's now using her story to help other parents avoid making the same mistake.
Read on to learn what you should do if you see a parent improperly buckle their child…
In 2014, Holly's ex-boyfriend ran a stop sign. Her son, Cameron, was ejected through the windshield; he was facing the wrong way in his car seat and was improperly buckled. Cameron passed away just a few days before his first birthday.
Holly posted this photo of Cameron in his car seat before the accident, and says no one on Facebook corrected her. Cameron is buckled in the WRONG way! He was only buckled at the chest, not the bottom. He was also facing the wrong way, and the straps should not be twisted.
Holly is now sharing her story as a warning to other families, so they never have to deal with such heartache. "So when I comment on your post of your children not buckled in properly, or stop you in the Walmart parking lot and try to give u advice, don't take it as me calling you a bad guardian," she says. "Take it as a bereaved mother trying to help keep your children safe to save you and your child the pain and suffering. All children deserve to live a long, happy, and SAFE life!"
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children face rear in their car seats until they're 2 years old, or until they exceed the height/weight limit of the car seat.
Holly's story is so tragic, but she hopes that by sharing it, other families will be spared the heartache she lives with every day. Please SHARE this with your friends on Facebook!
