I would like to introduce 2 new products I like by Safe Ride 4 Kids
During pregnancy a mom-to-be has a lot to think about with her ever changing body. Lots of new information about learning how to take care of herself and her growing baby. She is often given a lot of advice about what to eat, drink and how to safely exercise. I teach pregnant women not to do any exercise that puts them at risk for falling. If they do fall, they need to fall correctly to protect them from abdominal trauma. Abdominal trauma can cause the placenta to detach from the uterine wall. That is called placental abruption. Once it detaches, the babies lifeline has been destroyed and the baby must be delivered! One topic often overlooked is the how to stay safe when driving while pregnant.
Did you know that there are an estimated 3,000 pregnancies lost every year due to car crashes? Even in a mild crash a pregnant woman can experience abdominal trauma causing injuries such as the placental detachment ( as I mentioned above), uterine rupture or brain or spinal injuries to the fetus.
Injuries to the baby can occur as a result of the seat belt doing its job of restraining the mother, even worn as recommended low on the hips. Experts studying the subject of pregnant women wearing seat belts admit seat belts just are not made for pregnant women. And pregnant women often find the seat belt downright uncomfortable. Sometimes so much so they choose not to wear one.
The seat belt is designed to engage the hip bones to restrain the person in the vehicle seat. In an accident when wearing the just the seat belt (without a Tummy Shield), after the impact the seat belt cinches down and locks while the crash force pushes the person forward. This causes the seat belt to go into the belly. With a sudden braking stop this may only bruise a person’s abdomen. During a pregnancy this may cause brain injury to the fetus. This happened to the inventor’s daughter — his wife’s abdomen was bruised and his daughter was later born with brain injury. With a higher speed crash, this motion of the seat belt compresses the uterus even more in the area of the seat belt — putting a pregnant woman at risk for placental abruption, the leading cause of fetal death in crashes.
The Tummy Shield
is a seat belt positioning device for moms-to-be that keeps the vehicle seat belt off the pregnant belly, making being in a car much more comfortable. Plus it has the added safety bonus of effectively minimizing the risk that the seat belt will negatively effect the mom’s pregnant tummy in the event of a crash or sudden braking protecting both mom and her unborn child.
While other seat belt comfort devices are made of cloth and Velcro or pillows, the crash-tested Tummy Shield is a steel plate and hook inside of a soft cushion with a strap that wraps the vehicle seat to keep it in place as it is highly engineered to provide safety for mom and baby in addition to greatly desired comfort.
You can start using the Tummy Shield early on in your pregnancy. It is easy and safe to use and can very simply be moved from driver’s seat to passenger seat or from car to car.
Another safe and easy car safety product is the RideSafer® travel vest. The vest takes the place of the traditional child restraint for children ages 3 and older. The RideSafer® is a seat belt positioning device much like a booster seat except instead of raising the child up to fit the seat belt, it brings the seat belt down to fit the child. This lightweight vest is a great solution for:
- New York City parents who use taxis
- Parents who travel and don’t want to lug a traditional car seat
- Carpooling families
- When different caregivers pickup and parents don’t want to buy extra car seats or transfer seats. This one is very light and manageable.
The RideSafer® is a federally approved child restraint which meets or exceeds all federal safety standards in FMVSS213. Using the vest allows the child sit low in the vehicle seat which beneficially lowers their center of mass and keeps them further back in the seat which keeps their legs a safer distance from the seat in front of them. The vest also has foam in it to absorb and spread the crash force across the whole chest instead of just the 2″ wide area of the seat belt.
To learn more about these innovative products click here