It's quite disturbing to see a number of parents driving with kids leaping about in the back seat or babies and toddlers being held in the arms of other adults in the front or back seat. Another disturbing occurrence is parents leaving young children in the car whilst they dash into a nearby supermarket.

These events are nothing new but when you suddenly become a parent the reality hits you harder when you see other parents putting their child's life at risk unknowingly. Are we so reliant on God's grace and protection that we fail to take child car safety seriously?

Is it the cost of a child car seat that discourages most parents from securing their children safely in age appropriate car seats?

I recently noticed to my horror a man in an SUV driving on a potholed road whilst trying to hold a baby that looked like a six month old in his arms! Like?? What recklessness is this? How are Ghana police looking on and not fining these drivers.

I have legit seen toddlers left alone in a parked car whilst the mother or father is in a nearby shop. With even the windows rolled down its still very risky as anyone can break the window and grab the child. Are we ignorant to the recent kidnappings and ritual murders?

One time I walked out of a pharmacy to find a man and woman trying to wake up their sleeping kids in the locked air-conditioned vehicle. There were four children between the ages of 3 and 7 all fast asleep! I helped them in knocking on the windows and doors but to no avail! They shook the car violently and nothing! They looked on helplessly. There was no phone inside the car and all the windows were tightly rolled up. After 5 minutes I left. I returned to the pharmacy the next day only to be told that the older child woke up after about 10 minutes! Apparently this was a regular unsafe habit by most parents who came by the pharmacy; leaving their kids in the car. A child / children left in a car for a period of time can become unconscious due to carbon monoxide leakages in the car or suffer heat stroke.

As a new parent I got to actually understand why one would feel "pressured" to dash in quick and grab something from a shop whilst baby is sleeping in the back. You're tired from lack of sleep and diaper changing and don't want to go through the whole brouhaha of unlatching and unclipping safety locks everytime. But here's the thing which I told myself everytime I had that feeling of " I'll be quick"; "that few seconds of being quick can actually be a very costly life altering one"! Always put your child's safety first.

Many parents are placing their children's lives at extremely high risk with their insensitive actions and inactions and this has to stop. Violations must be met with strict fines.

I have heard the argument of "hmm when I put my child in the car seat he screams and cries so I take him out." My next question I usually ask is "if they cry will they die?" 😂 Eventually the child will get the message and stop fussing. The earlier you start your child in their car seat the less frustration for you trying to get them used to it in later years.

In as much as you'd invest in quality baby diapers and toys for your child you should do same for your child's car seat needs. There are many brands of child car seats on the market and as a parent it falls on you to be knowledgeable about the safety features, type of seat (baby or booster car seat), if it's fit for your vehicle and it's age & weight appropriateness.

A few weeks ago, my car had shaft issues and whilst it was at the workshop i used Uber to send Essi to school. As i held on to her in the vehicle, i couldn’t help but pray for journey mercies. This was literally how most parents would send their kids to school and it’s darn scary! If you absolutely can, please buy a child car seat.

Baby car seats are for newborns (0+) Toddlers and younger children require booster seats till about age 7/8 when they can fit properly in the car seat belt. Some child car seats can be manually readjusted from age 0 to 8 years. Those are a worthy investment as it saves you from buying a car seat twice.

source: https://www.verywellfamily.com/types-of-baby-car-seats-2758097

Here's a useful and more comprehensive guide on the types of child car seats.

Child Passenger Safety

Avoid buying second hand baby car seats on the market as its difficult to determine if it has any damages. If however another parent that you personally know and trust wants to kindly give theirs out then that's fine. Ensure you have the manual for installation and nothing is missing. It's also best to test if it will fit in your car before a purchase.

Another child safety feature in most cars is the child safety lock which can be found in the door edges of most modern vehicles. Kids will always play with the door handles and God forbid should that door open whilst you're navigating Accra traffic.

We must make every effort also as concerned citizens to warn our mom friends and dad's and any caregiver on the dangers of leaving a child in the hot sun in the car. We take alot of things for granted in this our Ghana 🙈. Buckle up your child!