A newborn’s first car trip is typically that first ride home from the hospital, making perinatal and newborn healthcare providers an important source of information and support for families. This webinar will explore the healthcare provider’s role in supporting safe newborn travel from the prenatal period through hospital discharge and early newborn care. Participants will review current best practices for newborn positioning and harness fit, and discuss common questions and challenges encountered in clinical practice. The session will also discuss current policies and practices, referral pathways, and supports for families facing access or other barriers can help healthcare organizations move from informal car seat advice toward a more consistent, equitable approach to infant car seat safety.
Objectives:
1. Describe what current research tells us about how infants and young children are transported in Nova Scotia, including common car seat errors and the potential consequences of incorrect use.
2. Apply current best practices for newborn car seat use, including appropriate seat selection, newborn positioning, harness adjustment, and identification of situations requiring additional assessment or support.
3. Describe the healthcare provider’s role in newborn car seat safety, including education, support, documentation, and discharge planning.
4. Identify opportunities to strengthen healthcare and community practice, including consistent policies, appropriate referral pathways, and supports for families experiencing barriers to accessing or using a safe car seat.
Speaker Bio: Katherine Hutka (she/her) is a Health Promotion Specialist in Child Passenger Safety with Child Safety Link at IWK Health and President of the Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada (CPSAC). She has worked in child passenger safety since 2008 and is a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor Trainer. Katherine provides education and consultation to healthcare providers, community organizations, and families on the safe transportation of infants and children. Her work includes developing healthcare education and policy, supporting families of children with special transportation needs, conducting and contributing to child passenger safety research, and advancing evidence-informed practice and legislation across Canada. She is also a Safe Travel for All Children Instructor Mentor, with adaptive options for infants and children with special transportation needs.
