This Mum’s Viral Story About Car Seat Straps Is a Must Read for All Parents and Grandparents

Child safety is paramount for parents. Everything we do is to ensure we keep these gorgeous little people alive, even if we have to nag those closest to us to be certain they are on the same page as us. We might seem overprotective, but you can’t be too careful, especially when it comes to car seats.

One mum has shared a harrowing story of the car accident that her husband and baby were involved in, and the important reason her son remained safe and uninjured — because of her instinct to insist her husband correctly fasten their son’s seat straps.

Rebecca Tafaro Boyer felt she was being annoyingly overprotective by correcting her husband after he shared a cute photo with her before setting off, but it was lucky that she followed her instincts.

Her husband David and son William were involved in a collision shortly afterwards that injured David but didn’t even disturb their infant son who was still snoozing peacefully.

Rebecca writes:

Friends, let’s have a quick chat about something that some of my family members think makes me a super annoying overprotective mum – car seat safety.

So today, my first day back from maternity leave, I demanded that my husband send me hourly updates and recaps on how baby William was handling his first day away from mummy. This afternoon around 2:15, I got a text from my hubby during their trip to Walgreens. My nagging wife reply was to correct William’s position in the car seat – the straps were too loose and the chest clip was way too low. And because I know my husband, I’m sure that he laughed at me and rolled his eyes before tightening the car seat and fixing the chest clip.

At 2:30 my phone rang, my husband’s panicked voice came through the line, “Honey, we had a car wreck. We are fine, but the car is going to be totalled.”

The boys were less than three miles from our house when a woman pulled into oncoming traffic to try and make a quick left turn. David just didn’t have enough time to stop – it could have happened to anyone. He slammed on the brakes at nearly 50 miles an hour before colliding with the front passenger side door of her SUV. My precious little bundle of joy was so well restrained in his car seat, THAT HE DIDN’T EVEN WAKE UP. Even with the impact of the two cars, William only received a minor jolt – so insignificant that he was able to continue on with his nap, and then spend the next two hours flirting with nurses in the Le Bonheur ED. My husband didn’t fare quite as well – his foot is broken in three places, has three dislocated toes, and we go back to the doctor Monday to make sure that he doesn’t need surgery. The car is a loss, but cars can be replaced – my boys can’t.

I am so thankful that my husband took the extra one minute that was necessary to put William in his car seat safely. I can’t even begin to imagine how different the outcome could have been. I truly believe that the reason my family is at home sitting on the couch with a pair of crutches instead of down at the hospital is because of my annoying nagging mum voice.

There are a couple of big lessons here for all of us. The first, of course, is to always ensure your child is buckled into their car seats safely. You can read up on all the latest recommendations about car seat safety right here on Raising Children’s Child Restraints and Booster Seats information page.

The second lesson is to always listen to that “annoying nagging mum voice” that we all have! Our mama instincts are there for a reason — to keep our little ones safe. Never feel bad for listening to that voice and making sure your family listen to it too. You never know when it could save your child’s life.

Source: Facebook/Rebecca Tafaro Boyer