Safe Kids Program to Present Safety Gifts to New Year’s Baby

December 29, 2014

Cheyenne, WY—Safe Kids Laramie County and Cheyenne Regional Medical Center will present a new child safety seat and a basket of safety items to the parents of the first baby born at Cheyenne Regional on New Year’s Day.

The gifts will be presented through the “First Baby” program, which is sponsored by Safe Kids Laramie County, the Wyoming Department of Health and Cheyenne Regional.

“The goal of Safe Kids is to promote child safety in all areas and with as many Laramie County residents as possible,” said Stephanie Heitsch, Laramie County Safe Kids coordinator. “The First Baby program is one way we are able to share this message in a very tangible way.”

In 2015 one of the primary goals of Safe Kids Laramie County will be to remind Wyoming residents that any child younger than 9 years old need to be in a child safety seat or booster seat. The only exception is if the lap and shoulder belt fit properly across the collarbone, chest and hips of the child and does not pose danger to the neck, face or abdominal area in the event of a car crash or sudden stop.

“It’s also important for parents and caregivers to know that as children grow, how they sit safely in a car, truck, van or SUV changes,” Heitsch said. She offered the following “4 Steps for Kids” as reminders:
Use rear-facing infant seats in the back seat from birth to at least one year of age and at least 20 pounds.
Use forward-facing toddler seats in the back seat from age one and 20 pounds to about age four and 40 pounds.
Use booster seats in the back seat from about age four to at least age nine.
Use safety belts in the back seat at age nine and older.

“And all children younger than 13 should ride in the back seat,” Heitsch said.

“Protecting the ones you love means getting past the temporary complaints and perceived hassles that might come up,” Heitsch said, adding that parents should “use a child safety seat because you love them.”

For more information about Child Passenger Safety, you can call Heitsch at 307-633-7525 or visit safekidswyoming.org. Laramie County Safe Kids works to prevent accidental childhood injury, the leading killer of children 18 and under. Laramie County Safe Kids was founded in 1995 and is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing accidental injury.