Entertainment

The Busbys Have A Very Important PSA About Car Seat Safety

by Josie Rhodes Cook

The Busby family of Texas can proudly proclaim that their family includes the only all-girl quintuplets in the United States. TLC chronicles the lives of Adam and Danielle Busby and their quintuplet daughters — Ava Lane, Olivia Marie, Hazel Grace, Riley Paige, and Parker Kate — as well as their older daughter, Blayke Louise, on the reality TV show OutDaughtered. As you might imagine, families with that many small children have to do things a little differently than others, and that difference extends to safety concerns. Now, the Busbys are spreading the word about car seat safety in an important new video, and it's one that every parent should consider watching whether they have one kid, or six children themselves, or are dealing with even more little ones in the car.

In the video, posted on YouTube on Sept. 26, the Busby family visited their local car seat inspection station at the Friendswood Fire Station to meet with a child passenger safety technician. Parents all over the country can look up where to find such a technician in their area on the National Child Safety Certification website, and the Busbys demonstrated just how easy it is to go to one and make sure that car seats are set up and installed correctly for any kids who need them.

Most of the video features Adam and his daughter, Riley, as they get her car seat checked out and installed at their local fire station, but Danielle and the other girls make appearances, too. The family got a new van, Adam explained in the video, and the quints' parents just wanted to make sure all their kids, including the quintuplets who are now three years old, were safe and secure in the vehicle.

With a little help from Kristen Beckworth, a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, Adam and Riley go through all the steps to make sure she'll be safe in her car seat over the course of the video. First, she measures and weighs Riley, because that's incredibly important to determining whether she is within the limits on the seat that they have for Riley, and, really, for making sure any car seat is safe.

The seat is good to go as far as weight and height limits are concerned, so the next step is to make sure the harness on the seat is appropriate for Riley. As the video continues, tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration appear at the bottom of the screen. Adam and Riley watch intently as Kristen demonstrates how to use the harness, then Riley complies politely when Kristen asks her to get in the seat so she can make adjustments. Kristen shows Adam how to change the seat as Riley gets taller, and how to make other adjustments to the seat with and without Riley in it.

Throughout the video, Riley is the perfect team player as Kristen demonstrates how to make a child's car seat as safe as possible.

Kristen then shows Adam and the viewers how to safely install the seat inside the vehicle, explaining every step along the way. At one point, she shows Adam how to make sure the top tether of the seat is being used correctly; this is arguably the most important part of a child's car seat, but a lot of parents don't know how to use it, according to information from Safe Kids Worldwide, a global nonprofit advocating for child safety.

The whole demonstration in the It's A Buzz World video is explained step-by-step, and really shows how easy it is to make sure your child's car seat is safely utilized and installed. And Adam, for what it's worth, seemed to appreciate the experience.

"There were actually a few things that were pretty eye-opening," Adam explained at the end of the video. "We're glad that our kids are going to be safe in this vehicle, they're safe in their car seats, and it was a good day."

Visit the NHTSA's page, Car Seats and Booster Seats, to learn more about car seat safety or to find a seat check location near you, just like the Busby family.