Airbags May Not Help Save Your Baby

Moorestown, NJ- You, an adult, are protected in a car equipped with airbags, but your smallest passenger, your baby, could be in danger.

"Infants must ride semi-reclined and rear-facing, but never put a rear-facing car seat in a seat location with an airbag," warns William MacMillan, Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) President. During the first week of Baby Safety Month, JMPA stresses the importance of proper car seat use and selection.

Every state in the United States requires the use of a car seat, beginning with your baby's first ride home from the hospital. JPMA encourages parents to set a good example by making the entire family buckles up at all times

"The safest place for the baby's car seat is the back seat," said MacMillan. "Anchor the car seat using the adult seat belt exactly as directed by the car seat manufacturer."

JPMA advises all parents and child care providers to beware of the use of car seats. Do not use a car seat made before 1981, one that has been involved in a crash or one that is missing the manufacturer's label.

For More Information

For free information on safe use and selection of juvenile products, send a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope to: JPMA Safety Brochure, 236 Route 38 West, Suite 100, Moorestown, NJ 08057

JPMA sponsors Baby Safety Month each September to help educate parents and other child care givers on the safe selection and use of all baby products.

The JPMA is a national trade organization of more than 250 companies in the United States and Canada. These companies manufacture and/or import infant products such as cribs, care seats, bedding and a wide ranges of accessories and decorative items.