Parents on TikTok are “pre-folding” their toddlers before loading them into the car.
It can be difficult for parents to get their children into car seats, and nothing sums up the struggle better than a recently viral video of a young mother trying to put her child in her car seat. In the video, Lauren (@laurarbs1) struggles to place her 17-month-old son, Emmett, in her car seat.
Many took to the comments section of the video to give Lauren advice, and many noted that the “pre-folding” method often works wonders for them.
“You need to 'pre-fold' them!” one person wrote. “It always works for me.”
“I have to fold them. You pre-bend and they go in easier lol,” another added, while someone else noted, “I heard someone say they pre-bent the kid.”
Lauren decided to try the “pre-folding” trick with great results. In another video, she wrote in the caption: “Snack and pre-fold always works.” She simply folded her son in half and slid him into the car seat, making it harder for him to fight her about it. As a mother of three, Lauren explained to buzzfeed who has discovered several tricks over the years. However, he didn't know the “pre-dubbed” method existed despite using it for years.
Lauren said she prefers to mix things up by distracting her son with a fun toy, a delicious snack or a special song. Their trick is in line with what experts recommend, with some suggesting that parents should place car seats inside their homes and sit their children in them with a snack or book to get them used to the feeling before go for a car ride.
“If parents are looking for new ways to get their kids excited about car trips, there are safer tricks to consider, like reading books about car trips, listening to a special song while everyone buckles up, or offering an exclusive ride for automobiles. toy or stuffed animal to hold during the trip,” explained Genevieve Rivera, executive director of the American Society for Positive Care of Children, a nonprofit organization.
It's important to have your child properly restrained in their safety seat, especially since car accidents are the leading cause of death in children under 12 years of age in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Using car seats can reportedly reduce the risk of critical injuries sustained in an accident by 71 to 82 percent.
