Free car seat check-ups and free car seats offered by Clear Creek County

Free car seat check-ups and free car seats (with a suggested donation of $25)? Yeah, that's happening in Clear Creek County. The program through Clear Creek Public Health Department is eligible for anyone but is intended to help out the people specifically living in Clear Creek County. 

Public Health Nurse Sara Blais said there's no reason to turn someone away, the entire effort is in good faith to try and help protect more kids in Colorado. 

"We don't discriminate in any way shape or form, it is just come here to get valuable information on traveling safely with your children."

While you might expect you know how to put in a car seat, or have done so many times, that doesn't mean you're doing it the safe way, which could lead to unintentional injury for your kiddo. 

"There are tons of makes and models of car seats and boosters," Blais said. "Half of all car seats are installed incorrectly resulting in unintentional child injury."

And considering the car is usually the most dangerous place your kid is on any given day, it's one of those things the Health Department saw they could try to help make a safer experience, regardless of cost. 

"Car accidents are a leading cause of death for children so we just want to make sure that children are riding in cars safely especially if they do happen to get in an accident that they walk away from that accident," Blais said. 

Katy Levens, Christen Henson, and their brand-new baby Christen Jr. stopped by the department for a car seat and a safety check. 

"Shoulder length on the belt itself," Henson said, motioning along with an imaginary belt. "You want it behind his shoulders overlapping his shoulders, so he doesn't have that extra wiggle room. "

They called the training "very helpful" as first-time parents, as they get their footing with a newborn. Blais said there are parts of this equation that simply go unnoticed, like you may know how your current car seat buckles in, but what about the next one?

"Not only do you have to take the car seats out multiple times but your children are growing constantly," Blais said. "When you do switch out car seats it is probably a different model, brand, different components to it, and not everyone takes the time to read over that 100-page manual."