Nanny Sunday gives NZ Road Safety Week the massive thumbs up!

Road Safety Week is an annual initiative started and organized by Brake - a renowned road safety charity, back in 2012. The week serves to raise awareness about road safety and advocate for safer roads for everyone, including our precious little passengers. Their goals are to prevent the likeliness of death and injury on roads, make streets and communities safer, and to support the victims of road crashes. In this blog I will be sharing how important it is to be Road Safe, and if you have a child, ensuring you have the right car seat and right fit for your child ❤

Being an adult amongst children, I knew that leading by example is one of the most effective ways to teach the little ones about road safety - I made sure to model safe road behaviors myself! Whether we were walking, biking or riding in a car, I always emphasized the importance of following road rules and being safe. I also made sure to practice what I preached - following road safety rules like using seat belts correctly and making sure the kids were securely fastened in their car seats. By doing this and making it a fun thing to do as a part of getting into the car, I was educating that these habits are important and non-negotiable! Education and repetition is key to instilling good road safety habits in little ones - and for us adults too!

Another HUGE and obvious way we can improve road safety for our children, is to ensure you have a safety certified car seat when in the vehicle.

Mountain Buggy® car seats are a great example of how innovation can lead to safer travel for children. I highly rate these seats as they all hold the newest EU car seat safety standard, R129 (i-Size). It is the toughest and most stringent global standard to date and includes more rigorous testing (including side impact) on the seats to make sure there is lots of head and neck protection. On top of that, this standard advocate's rear facing for longer and includes ISOFIX fixtures that allow for safe installation in your vehicle. Too many car seats are installed incorrectly, which is one of the major causes in children getting hurt in the event of an accident; ISOFIX allows you to have the car seats installed perfectly all the time.

Another great benefit of having a R129 seat is that it doesn't rely on age and weight of your child to determine when to change to the next seat – this can be quite obscure and confusing to parents when the age and weight don't marry up to the stage of car seat! R129 solely relies on the height of your child, making it easier for parents to figure out the right fit and when it's time to change to the next stage car seat. All these great features make R129 car seats safer, and they also take a lot of the guesswork out of parenting on the go! And guessing is not something you want to do when it comes to road and car safety.

So let me introduce you to the Mountain Buggy® R129 car seat collection ❤

protect™ - is an infant car seat that allows you to rear face for longer and will fit a little one from 40cm to 87cm. It has gone through extremely stringent side impact and rotational testing to ensure MAXIMUM protection in the event of a side collision. (It can also be used attached to your stroller as well, with the right adaptor to connect them of course!)

safe rotate™ - is one of the safest convertible car seats in the market! It serves as a newborn to infant car seat, as it can rear face for longer from 40cm to 87cm, and then your child can front face until they are 150cm tall! safe rotate™ also has a 360° swivel seat, which makes it easier to access your child in and out of the car. Not to mention, it also provides comfort to those mums whose bodies require time to heal, especially in the first few weeks, so no need to awkwardly bend down and around to get your baby out of the car seat! This car seat stays in the car, fixed by the ISOFIX points.

haven™ - this ISOFIX booster seat can take your growing child from 100-150cm. It has adjustable sides and height, to make it even more comfortable for them. Looks good, feels great - important especially for those tween years! This car seat also stays in the car, fixed by the ISOFIX points.

(To find out more in depth about R129, side protection or the car seats, click the link here! - Baby Car Seats, Booster Seats | Mountain Buggy®)

In conclusion, Brake Road Safety Week is a fantastic reminder of why we need to stay vigilant about road safety. With tools like a safety certified car seat that is correctly fitted and installed for your child will mean saving more lives on the road. And to be honest, I have found that even us adults can get a little bit complacent and even cocky in our approach to daily safety practices, such as understanding the importance of keeping within the speed limits, safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, and the need for basic driver awareness and responsibility.

By building awareness with a community that cares, we can all do our part in making our roads safer for everyone, especially for our little ones. And as a Nanny, I’m more committed than ever to making sure children in my care are safe, whether we’re out for a drive or just crossing the street. Let’s keep pushing for safer roads and better awareness, one step at a time!

Nanny Sunday x

To learn more, visit: Home - Brake New Zealand