as many of us are preparing {or in the middle of} traveling for the holidays, i hope you will take a second to read these few car seat safety reminders. my children are my most prized possession, as i'm sure yours are too. so when Jennifer P., a certified install tech and mother of three under 5, sent me an email asking me to post about the proper use of child seats, i was more than happy to do so! i thought it was a great idea and i knew i could use a refresher course myself.
Why is it so important?
**The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that close to 3 out of 4 parents do not properly use child restraint.
**Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for children and adolescents ages 1 to 21.
Safety Reminders at a Glance
- Car safety seats should be used on every trip on every child. And use it correctly on every trip!
- NEVER transport more children than you have car seats for!
- Snug as a Hug. Make sure the straps are snug and do not have any slack..... as snug as a hug from a friend!
- Pinch test: if you can pinch the strap above the chest clip, it is too loose.
- Straps should not pinch or press on a child's skin.
- Children must be in rear facing car seats until age 1 AND weigh at least 20 pounds.
- Children over age 1 and 20 pounds or more should ride in a forward facing car seat until age 4 AND weigh 40 pounds.
- Booster seats are for children ages 4 and 40 pounds to age 8 or when they reach 4'9".
- Children should not wear bulky coats in a car seat.
- If you do adjust the straps to allow for thicker clothing, don't forget to readjust it later.
- Safety guidelines are continually changing, so it is important to keep up to date on them.
- Don't forget to wear your seat belt every trip!
- To find a Child Seat Inspection Station near you, click here.
Carseatsite.com
National Highway Traffic Safety Admin
American Academy of Pediatricians
HeathyChildren.org
NOTE: i was going to post a tutorial on how i made my car seat strap covers {pictured above} that many of you requested, but there are mixed reviews on whether or not strap covers are safe. there is a school of thought that the strap covers prevent the car seat straps from being properly snug. but then there are car seats that actually come with strap covers. and the general thought is to not use anything with a car seat other than what it came with.... so i am not sure who is right and who is wrong. but i am going to error on the safe side and will refrain from posting a tutorial on car seat strap covers, because i would hate to encourage something that may be deemed unsafe by some.... especially when it comes to children!
i wish you all safe travels and hope you enjoy this wonderful time with close friends and family!
I got a recent e-mail from my pediatrician saying that the new recommendation for turning a child forward facing is 2 years.
ReplyDeletehttp://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/30/4/12-a
Thanks for the reminder!
I posted something once about car seat covers and got a slew of emails about what a terrible person I was :) glad to see something nice and informative posted! I was looking forward to the strap tute! I bought some but they make baby O's eyes super water, I think he may be allergic so I was going to make some new ones! O'well, I am sure I can figure it out and I definitely don't blame you for being cautious!
ReplyDeleteI was also going to say the new recommendation to wait until 2 - we only have three more months! I have a friend that is a car seat safety technician and I am so nit picky about everything. I would just like to add that everyone read their manuals because it says exactly how the car seats should be used and interestingly enough they are different. :) Your little guy is so adorable! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday Linda!
ReplyDeleteI'm well past this baby stage but just wanted to say thank you for posting this, for other moms and dads out there. Very informative and helpful!
ReplyDeleteRear facing until 2 now. It's changed just between my 4 year old and 1 year old.
ReplyDeleteHello, I am Jen, and I am a craftaholic. :)
ReplyDeleteNew follower from the Blog Guide.
Cheers!
Jen
http://cariboobutterflycrafts.blogspot.com
Thanks for the reminder. I agree rear facing as long as your car seat permits, we bought one that had a higher backwards level.
ReplyDeletethank you so much for posting this -- I'm going to be a first time mom in a couple months and this is GREAT information!! :)
ReplyDeleteLauren
poppielane.blogspot.com
Hi, I'm a Canadian "child restraint system" tech (I guess that would include regular seat belts). Anyway, with regards to the strap covers, the caution is in addition to the snugging up bit, if there is a malfunction of the seat the manufacturers could deny responsibility because they can claim that the car seat had been altered. IF the seat comes with the head thingy and/or strap covers then it was manufactured taking those items into consideration. Also check your seat's instruction booklet to see what that manufacture says about them. That also goes for bunting bags/covers that the straps are threaded through.
ReplyDeleteAnother tidbit of safety, those nifty mirrors that are attached to the seat back? Don't use them. The infant seats are designed to flip/tip towards the seat back and the infant's head would hit it with nasty results.
I've read that in Sweden the kids are rear facing until 6 or 7. My legs cramp just thinking of sitting cross-legged for even 2 hours! Canada is still one/20lbs but really encourage longer. Some of our forward facing seats are good for the bigger kiddos.
For Canadians (and any curious persons): http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safedrivers-childsafety-car-time-stages-1083.htm
Have a safe and definitely a happy Christmas!
Libby
It's definitely better to keep them rear facing until at least age two as the vertebrae in the neck area are not developed enough to handle a crash. It is 80% safer to keep them rear facing for longer. Children naturally sit with their legs in a curled position to length of a child is rarely an issue. We have kids taller then 100% on the charts and were able to keep them rear facing until 21 months when we could no longer buckle them in because of their leg length.
ReplyDeleteThe American Academy of Pediatrics does recommend rear facing until age 2.
Oh, and thanks for putting your post out there! Not enough people stand up for safety and many people do not properly buckle their kids in especially that chest strap {or waist strap for those not doing it right :-)}!
ReplyDeleteAge 2 and 30 lbs actualy! We turned my daughter around in July when she was 2 months away from age 3, she just hit 30 lbs then. Really it was easier to just leave the seat rearfacing anyhow.
ReplyDelete2 and 30 lbs WAS the AAP recommendation. It is now to the limits of the seat, which is usually past 2 and 30 lbs. Just FYI. And I agree that they SHOULD rearface longer than 1 and 20 lbs. That is an absolute minimum...and my child is not a minimum!
ReplyDeleteThanks for caring about our kiddos!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to also point out that no car seat should be installed in the front seat of a vehicle that has airbags. I saw a lady at my post office once that had three older kids and an infant and she let the three older kids sit in the back of her car and strapped the infant carrier into the front seat. It made me sick! If the airbag would have gone off, even in a small fender bender, that baby would have died.
oh mmm gee! you had me at hello! I am your newest follower from crafterminds chat and am so happy to have found you:) Sorry you couldn't make the chat today but hopefully next week? I will most likely be at work but am going to try to make this chat as often as I can because it was wonderful and a great way to share new ideas and meet new awesome people.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day and I look forward to being a member of your community! :)gina
In California, you have to keep you kids in a car seat or booster until 8 or 4'9". This may be for every state, but I am not sure.
ReplyDeleteChildren are defenseless, they only depend on us to survive. We should keep them safe especially when we’re on a trip. Thanks for posting this information and for showing your care to the children.
ReplyDeleteOur daughter, 2.5yrs old (3 in June) is still rear facing, even in grammy's truck!
ReplyDeleteWe plan to keep her REAR facing until she absolutely cannot stand it any longer.
My 6yr old is still in a booster, high back booster that use to have the 5p harness (thinking of getting new straps for it).
I have a gf who has her 10MONTH OLD BABY forward facing!!! :O Drives me nuts (no pun intended!) I have had many convos w her about this, but it just DOES NOT work. She has a 5 yr old that has been ridding in the seat (no booster) since the age of 3...whaaaat??! Her 7yr old only weighs 30lbs & has not been in a booster since she was 4!!! So very unsafe! The baby is NEVER snug as a hug. when she was a newborn, the straps were loose enough that you could slide the chest piece down & pick her out of the bucket w/o un-clicking anything. Oh it hurts my heart so badly.. but what can I do? I have expressed my concern, even bought her a carseat.. but crap.. ugh! It is very discerning & sad!