***Car Seat Safety***

Last Saturday I took another class at the Baylor of Irving Hospital. It covered car seat safety in detail, and it was wonderful. I strongly believe anyone interacting with a child under the age of 13 should have a working knowledge of child passenger safety. Because I know that a lot of people do not have the time, I want to offer a quick review. I will provide helpful links at the end.

Car Seat Top 10 AAP Guidelines:

Infants: rear-facing

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reccomends that all infants ride rear-facing starting with their first ride home from the hospial. They should remain rear-facing until they reach the highest weight and hight allowed by their car safety seat's manufacturer. At a minimum, children should ride rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. [Last year, the reccomendation was actualy changed. Now it is recommended that children remain rear-facing until they are two years old.]

1. Make sure the car safety seat is installed tightly in the vehicle and that the harness fits the child snugly.
2. Never place a rear-facing car safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle that has an active front passenger air bag. If the air bag inflates, it will hit the back of the car safety seat, right where your baby's head is and could cause serious injury or death. [If, heaven forbid, you are in a car accident many companies will pay for you to ship them the damaged carseat. By doing so the company can study the carseat and make improvements.]
3. If your rear-facing seat has more than one set of harness slots, make sure the harnesses are in the slots at or below your baby's shoulders. [And, the chest clip needs to be about even with the infant's armpits. When the child is forward-facing, the harness straps need to begin at or above the child's shoulders, and the chest clip remains at arm pit level. Do not forget to always tighten the harness. You should not be able to pinch your fingers with slack on the shoulder straps.]
4. Be sure you know what kind of seat belts your vehicle has. Some seat belts need locking clips. Locking clips come with all new car safety seats. If you're not sure, check the owner's manuel that came with your vehicle. Locking clips are not needed in most newer vehicles. [If your car's seat belts lock, do not use the locking clip. Only one lock is necessary, or they may both fail. Another way to check if your seat belts lock is to pull the seat belt all the way out. If you hear it begin to click, then it is a locking belt.]
5. If you are using a convertible seat in the rear-facing position, make sure the seat bely is routed through the correct belt path. Check the instructions that came with the car safety seat to be sure.
6. If your vehicle was made after 2002, it may come with the LATCH system, which is used to secure car safety seats. [Although both LATCH and the regular seat belt are good system for installment, there are more instances of the seat belt failing. DO NOT over compensate by using both systems. The two together will fail together.]
7. Make sure the seat is at the correct angle so your infant's head does not flop forward. Many seats have angle indicators or adjusters that can help precent this. If your seat does not have an angle adjuster, tile the car safety seat beck by putting a rolled towel or other firm padding (such as a pool noodle) under the base near the point where the back and bottom of the vehicle seat meet. [Newborns are recommended to be seated at a 45 degree angle. Once the child is old enough to support their own head, 30 degrees is the recommended angle for seating. If your car seat does have an angle indicator (like mine) fold the corner of a piece of printer paper to create a 45 degree angle for measurement.]
8. Be sure the car safety seat in installed tightly. If you can move the seat more than an inch from side to side or front to back, it's not tight enough. [To get a secure fit, use your body weight to sink the base while you tighten the straps. Then let go and readjust. Repeat this process till you cannot tighten it any more.]
9. Do not add any additional padding underneath or behind. Rolled up blackets or cloth diapers are ok to add padding around your infant. Do not add any inserts unless it came with the car seat. [As cute as covers and such are if there is ever a problem with the carseat while the accessories are attached, the warrenty may be voided.]
10. Still having trouble? There may be a certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Technician in your area who can help. NHTSA.GOV

Car Seat Progression:

• Newborn/Infant:
• Rear-facing until age two (back seat)
• Infant seat or convertible seat
• When the baby meets the limits of an infant seat (or when the baby's head is one inch from the of the seat), it is time for a new seat.
• Toddler:
• Forward-facing (back seat)
• Convertible seat
• When the child's ears reach the top of the car seat, it is time for a new seat.
• Child:
• Forward-facing (back seat)
• Belt-positioning booster seat
• When the child is 8 years old of 4' 9", the child can seat in the regular seat. It is recommended that seat belt fit be used to determine seat change as well. If the seat belt comes across the child's chest and sits snugly across the hips, it is a proper fit. If the seat belt does not fit properly, the booster seat should still be used.
• 13 year old:
• When a child is thirteen years old they may move to the front seat, but the back seat will always be safer. (Something to consider: Air bags eject at 100 mph. This speed could wound anyone and prove fatal for a growing child.)

Useful Websites:

American Academy of Pediatrics

National SAFE KIDS

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

If you have any more questions or concerns, call your local fire house. They have trained experts who can assist you in installing your car seat and answer any other questions you may have.

:) Just Stay Connected