“KEEPING LITTLE ONES SAFE AND WARM” – Members of Oswego AmeriCorps and the Fulton Family YMCA’s School Age Child Care (SACC) Program recently made infant blankets and donated them to the Oswego County Traffic Safety Board for distribution. Pictured from left in the front row are AmeriCorps Program Assistant Amanda Quaile with members Marilyn Huntington, Michele Endres and Angela Livingston. From left in the back row are OCTSB Program Coordinator Kyle Boeckmann, with AmeriCorps members Rachel Hendricks and Jonathan Kobelia, AmeriCorps Program Coordinator Christopher Metz, and Integrated Community Planning of Oswego County, Inc. Executive Director Brandy Koproski.

Jan. 28, 2022

OSWEGO COUNTY – The Oswego County Traffic Safety Board (OCTSB) recently received a donation of infant blankets from the Oswego AmeriCorps Program. The 20 blankets will be distributed to help parents keep their children warm in their car seats.

AmeriCorps Program Coordinator Christopher Metz said, “Members and staff of Oswego AmeriCorps joined with youth from the Fulton Family YMCA’s School Age Child Care (SACC) Program to make no-sew fleece blankets as part of the AmeriCorps Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. The Oswego AmeriCorps Program has partnered with the Fulton Family YMCA’s SACC Program for several years to do this project.”

OCTSB Coordinator Kyle Boeckmann said, “Typically these blankets are given to the County Health Department; however, they are extremely busy due to COVID-19, so we are excited to be able to receive and distribute the blankets this year.

“It’s wonderful to have organizations like AmeriCorps and the YMCA that so effortlessly work together to help ensure the safety of others in our communities,” he added. “We check a lot of car seats and plan on giving a blanket to those who get seats checked while supplies last.”

Boeckmann said that blankets are important because parents should never place their child in a car seat with the child wearing winter clothes, puffy jackets, snow pants or jackets or other heavy and bulky materials. “The best thing you can really do is to properly place your child in the seat and buckle their harness,” he said. “Then, once they are properly secured, cover them up with a light blanket or place their coat on top of them to help keep them warm.”

Here are just a few tips from the OCTSB to help keep children safe in their car seats:

• Enlist the help of a nationally-certified car seat safety technician to help install your child’s car seat.
• Ensure once the car seat is installed, it does not move forward or backward or side-to-side any more than one inch.
• Check your child’s harness straps to ensure they cannot be pinched and are snug enough.
• Read the owner’s manuals for your car seat and your car.
• Know the height and weight limits for your specific car seat as they vary greatly.
• Never use bulky, heavy or thick clothing or coats during the winter. Always use thin layers and cover your child with blanket or place their coat on backwards after they are secured in their car seat.

Recent studies have shown that over 90% of car seats are installed incorrectly. If you need a car seat safety check, please contact Kyle Boeckmann at the Oswego County Traffic Safety Board at 315-343-2344 ext. 22 or email oswgtsb@icpoc.org.