OLDER CHILDREN – SEAT BELTS

Seat belts are made for adults. Your child should stay in a booster seat until adult seat belts fit correctly (usually when the child reaches about 4′ 9″ in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age). This means:

• The shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat.
• The lap belt is low and snug across the upper thighs, not the belly.
• Your child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with her knees bent without slouching and can stay in this position comfortably throughout the trip.

Other points to keep in mind when using seat belts include:

• Make sure your child does not tuck the shoulder belt under her arm or behind her back. This leaves the upper body unprotected, putting your child at risk of severe injury in a crash or with sudden braking.
• Never allow anyone to “share” seat belts. All passengers must have their own car safety seats or seat belts.

When it comes to child safety there are not enough precautions we can take, so make sure you follow all this guidelines and you will not regret it, if god forbids, an accident happens.

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SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN – BOOSTER SEATS

Booster seats are for older children who have outgrown their forward-facing car safety seats. It is best for children to ride in a harnessed seat as long as possible, at least to 4 years of age. If your child outgrows his seat before reaching 4 years of age, consider using a seat with a harness approved for higher weights and heights. A child has outgrown his forward-facing seat when any one of the following is true:

• He reaches the top weight or height allowed for his seat with a harness. (These limits are listed on the seat and also included in the instruction booklet.)
• His shoulders are above the top harness slots.
• His ears have reached the top of the seat.

Booster seats are designed to raise the child up so that the lap and shoulder seat belts fit properly. High-back and backless booster seats are available. They do not come with harness straps but are used with the lap and shoulder seat belts in your vehicle, the same way an adult rides. Booster seats should be used until your child can correctly fit in lap and shoulder seat belts. Booster seats typically include a plastic clip or guide to help ensure the correct use of the vehicle lap and shoulder belts. See the instruction booklet that came with the booster seat for directions on how to use the guide or clip.

INSTALLATION TIPS FOR BOOSTER SEATS

Booster seats must be used with a lap and shoulder belt (never a lap-only belt). When using a booster seat, make sure:

• The lap belt lies low and snug across your child’s upper thighs.
• The shoulder belt crosses the middle of your child’s chest and shoulder.

Technorati Tags: Child Safety, Child Safety Seat

Continuing on these series of articles about Car Seat Safety based on your child’s age and weight today we will be featuring forward-facing seats for toddlers and preschoolers:

TODDLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS – FORWARD-FACING

Once your child has reached the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer of the seat for rear-facing, she can ride forward-facing in a convertible seat. However, it is best for her to ride rear-facing to the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer of her car safety seat. She should ride in a forward-facing seat with a harness until she outgrows it (usually at around 4 years of age and about 40–65 pounds).

There are 5 types of car safety seats that can be used forward-facing.

• Convertible seats—seats that “convert” from rear-facing to forward-facing seats.
• Forward-facing toddler seats—these seats can be used forward-facing with a harness for children who weigh up to 40 to 80 pounds (depending on the model).
• Combination forward-facing/booster seats—these seats can be used forward-facing with a harness for children who weigh up to 40 to 65 pounds (depending on the model) or without the harness as a booster (up to 80 to 120 pounds).
• Built-in seats—some vehicles come with forward-facing seats built in. Weight and height limits vary. Read your vehicle owner’s manual or contact the manufacturer for details about how to use these seats.
• Travel vests—these can be worn by children between 20 and 168 pounds and can be an alternative To traditional forward-facing seats. They are also useful for when a vehicle has lap-only seat belts in the rear.

INSTALLATION TIPS FOR FORWARD-FACING SEATS

Make sure the car safety seat is installed tightly in the vehicle and that the harness fits the child snugly.

To switch a convertible seat from rear-facing to forward-facing,

• Move the shoulder straps to the slots that are at or above your child’s shoulders. On some convertible seats, the top harness slots must be used when facing forward. Check the instructions that came with the seat to be sure.
• You may have to adjust the recline angle of the seat. Check the instructions to be sure.
• Make sure the seat belt runs through the forward-facing belt path. When making these changes, always follow the car safety seat instructions.
• If your vehicle was made after 2002, it should come with the LATCH system, which is used to secure car safety seats. See below for information on using LATCH.

A tether is a strap that attaches to the top of a car safety seat and to an anchor point in your vehicle (see your vehicle owner’s manual to find where the tether anchors are in your vehicle). Tethers give important extra protection by keeping the car safety seat and the child’s head from moving too far forward in a crash or sudden stop. All new cars, minivans, and light trucks have been required to have tether anchors since September 2000. New forward-facing car safety seats come with tethers. For older seats, or if your tether is missing, tether kits are available. Check with the car safety seat manufacturer to find out how you can get a tether if your seat does not have one.

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If we take into consideration that each year thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes we have to immediately acknowledge that as parents we have the greatest responsibility of all which is to make sure that our children are safe at all ages.

Proper use of a car safety seat helps keep children safe and one of the most important ways to keep them safe when riding on a car is by placing them in a car safety seat according to their age but with so many different options on the market it doesn’t come as a surprise that we can be easily overwhelmed by the dozens of possibilities we have at our disposal.

In this first part of a series we are going to explore the different things we have to consider when deciding on what type of seat our child needs, including our child’s size and even the type of vehicle we have all this with the clear intention of being sure that our child is using the most appropriate seat.

Let’s start with Infants:

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all infants should ride rear-facing starting with their first ride home form the hospital. They should remain rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height 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.

There are 2 types of rear-facing car safety seats: infant-only seats and convertible seats.

INFANT-ONLY SEATS

• Are small and have carrying handles (and sometimes come as part of a stroller system).
• Are used only for travel (not for positioning outside the vehicle).
• Are used for infants up to 22 to 32 pounds, depending on the model.
• Many come with a base that can be left in the car. The seat clicks into and out of the base so you don’t have to install the base each time you use it. Parents can buy more than one base for additional vehicles.

CONVERTIBLE SEATS (USED REAR FACING)

• Can be used rear-facing, then “converted” to forward-facing for older children. This means that seat can be used longer by your child. They are bulkier than infant seats, however, and do not come with carrying handles or a separate base.
• Have higher rear-facing weight and height limits than infant-only seats, which makes them ideal for bigger babies.
• have 2 types of harnesses:

INSTALLATION TIPS FOR REAR-FACING SEATS

When using a rear-facing seat, keep the following in mind:

• Make sure the car safety seat is installed tightly in the vehicle and that the harness fits the child snugly.
• 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 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.
• 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 manual that came with your vehicle. Locking clips are not needed in most newer vehicles.
• If you are using a convertible seat in the rear-facing position, make sure the seat belt is routed through the correct belt path. Check the instructions that came with the car safety seat to be sure.
• If your vehicle was made after 2002, it may come with the LATCH system, which is used to secure car safety seats. See below for information on using LATCH.
• 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 prevent this. If your seat does not have an angle adjuster, tilt the car safety seat back 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.
• Be sure the car safety seat is installed tightly. If you can move the seat more than an inch side to side or front to back, it’s not tight enough.
• Still having trouble? There may be a certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Technician in your area who can help. If you need installation help,see below for information on how to locate a CPS Technician.

Tomorrow we will continue on with seats for Toddlers/Preschoolers.

Technorati Tags: Car Seat, Car Seat Safety

Attention Colorado residents!! Although it sounds weird it is true, Colorado State Patrol will be giving residents the chance to dump their old and defective car seats Friday at 11 a.m.

In an effort to get rid of old, defective and no compliant car seats the agency is encouraging parents to “Get Dumped” so that this chairs can never be used again.

Many times parents are not aware of the dangers of car seats that have been purchased secondhand, are too old or have been given to them by a friend,” said CSP Captain Rob Marone in a press release.

Seats can be brought to the CSP office at 3832 S. Interstate 25 in Fort Collins beginning at 11 a.m. Friday.

Pleasew see below for the rest of the Colorado State Patrol press release:

FORT COLLINS, CO – Protect your littlest ’sweethearts’ this Valentine’s Day by joining the Safe Kids Larimer County Coalition for ‘getting dumped’ to ensure our children are riding safely motor vehicles.
Safe Kids Larimer County, Gallegos Sanitation Company and local law enforcement are hosting a special “Get Dumped” event on Friday, February 13th beginning at 11:00 a.m. Parents and caregivers with unsafe or defective child safety car seats are invited to bring them to the Colorado State Patrol Office, 3832 S. I-25 Fort Collins, and “dump” them.
More than 40 unsafe seats will be dumped into a Gallego’s Sanitation Company trash truck to illustrate that some seats pose a serious safety hazard for small children and infants. Many of the seats have been recalled, have missing parts, have been in a crash, or are too old (usually, older than six years old). These particular seats have been collected at car seat check-ups and other child passenger safety activities throughout last year.
Captain Rob Marone of the Colorado State Patrol says, “We are destroying these seats to make sure that they will never be used again. Many times parents are not aware of the dangers of car seats that have been purchased secondhand, are too old or have been given to them by a friend.”
Riding unrestrained is the greatest risk for death and injury among child occupants of motor vehicles. According to trauma data collected from Poudre Valley Health System and McKee Medical Center, over 140 children were treated due to motor vehicle crashes in Larimer County between 2004 and 2008. Since 2004, six children younger than 14 years old, have died in motor vehicle crashes on Larimer County roads.
When used correctly, child safety seats and safety belts are extremely effective and can reduce the risk of death by up to 71%. For more information, please call Injury Prevention Coordinator, Janet Werst at (970) 495-7504.
Safe Kids Larimer County led by Poudre Valley Health System, is part of Safe Kids Worldwide, the first and only global organization dedicated solely to the prevention of accidental childhood injury – the number one killer of children ages 14 and younger. There are more than 450 Coalitions in 16 member countries that comprise the Campaign.

And remember your child’s life is in your hands make sure that you protect it adequately by following this ten basic rules for car seat safety when buying and/or keeping a car seat.

Technorati Tags: car seat dump, Car Seat Safety

There is a lot been said about safety harnesses for kids, some are against it while some others agree that it is a reliable way of keeping your children safe while letting them explore their surroundings. Wether you are against it or in favor chances are you will fall in love with Kinderkord.

Kinderkord is a wrist to wrist connection for you and your child which leaves your hands free while keeping your child physically connected to you.

As you can read on their website, this device is unique because:

1. Allows 3 full feet of freedom for both you and your child
2. Does not tangle, even when used for multiple children
3. Does not tangle, even when used for multiple children
4. Is a nearly invisible link between you and your child
5. Stores easily in a pocket, purse or diaper bag
6. Can be attached to a stroller or belt loop
7. A hip and cool unisex band that can be worn by a man or a  woman
8. Comfortable to wear for hours and hours
9. Regardless of the time of year, kinderkord is easy to wear and adjust whether it’s hot or cold outside
10. Also great for grandparents and care-givers to use
11. Leaves hands completely free without the stigma of a harness

Therefore for all the previous reasons and more if you’d like to keep your child close in busy and crowded places Kinderkord is for you!

Technorati Tags: Child Safety, Child Safety Harness

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the #1 killer of kids in age groups 1-14.  Safe Kids USA says motor vehicle crashes are the #1 cause of unintentional injury-related death for all children 14 and under.

While some crashes are unsurvivable, over 57% of deaths for children 0-15 were because the child was unrestrained.  Many more were improperly restrained.  Nationally, the misuse rate for child safety seats is over 80% and as high as 95% in some areas. The good news is that correct use of car seats and boosters does save lives.  Infant seats have been shown to reduce fatal injury by 71%, and toddler seats by 54%.

The following list can help you with one of the easiest and most important ways you can protect your children.

Ten Basic Rules

1. Kids 12 and under should ALWAYS ride in the back seat. This cuts their risk of death by 36%.
2. Kids should be in a carseat or booster until they can be seated properly in a seatbelt.  For most kids, this is around 8 years old or 4′ 9″ tall, but proper seatbelt fit is the most important factor.
3. Never place a rear-facing carseat in the front seat when there is an active frontal airbag.
4. Keep your baby rear-facing as long as possible.  That can mean up to 30, 33 or 35 pounds in most current convertible seats unless they outgrow it by height first.
5. All current car seats pass government safety standards. Select the one that best fits your child, your vehicle and your budget. Some models do have different features; select one that has the features that will allow you to use it correctly EVERY trip.
6. Always read the owners manuals for your vehicle and carseat thoroughly.  They often contain specific information about carseat installation that may not be obvious.  Some models may vary from what you would expect.
7. Make sure that the harness fits snugly on your child, the carseat fits snugly in your vehicle, and that your vehicle seatbelts are locked properly.
8. When you buy a carseat, make sure you have a good return policy in case it doesn’t fit or in case you find you don’t like it.  Have your seat inspected by a certified technician for free at a checkup event or fitting station.
9. Please be wary of used carseats, especially those over 6 years old, those with an unknown history that may have been in a crash, those that show any form of cracks or damage, and those with missing labels, model number, manufacturing date, instructions or parts.
10. Please give driving your complete, unimpaired attention and wear your own seatbelt all the time.  These two simple steps are among these easiest ways you can protect yourself and your passengers from injury or death.

If you would like to have your safety car seat professionally inspected, check the seat check website where you can search the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) listing of child passenger safety seat inspection locations.

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Today I want to talk about clothing and the importance of dressing your child properly when putting him/her in a car seat.

We all know that no parent in their right mind would ever do anything to knowingly endanger their child’s life let alone when traveling in a car. Now, the thing is that in winter many parents would do just that by dressing their children for cold weather.

In an article I recently read I found out that children fastened into car seats over bulky garments could be at risk in a crash as the force of a collision could cause the coat to compress and eject the child form the seat.

The non-profit organization Car-Safety.org generally does not recommend a child wear a winter coat while in the car seat, since the car seat harness straps must remain tight on the child’s shoulders regardless of any clothing.

Now there is a better, safer way to travel with your children in those winter months, Babycapes.

Babycapes are simple to put on or take off, even while holding a squirming child. From your arms to the car, there is no need to remove babycapes. In the car, babies can move freely. When the car warms up, Babycapes can be removed or replaced without unstrapping the child.

With limited sewing skills, Hostler (Babycapes’ creator) immediately began constructing a garment out of a fleece blanket. The goal was to provide protection from the cold, while keeping her daughter comfortable and safe while strapped into her car seat or stroller.

The garment she created was much easier to put on and take off. Putting her daughter in her car seat also became much easier, as Hostler could flip the garment to the side, adjust the straps and then drape the garment over the car seat. If Andy (Hostler’s daughter) became too hot, Hostler could easily lift the garment off. Hostler also realized that Andy was more secure in her car seat since there was no bulky barrier between her and the harness straps.

Babycapes are simple to put on or take off, even while holding a squirming child. From your arms to the car, there is no need to remove Babycapes. In the car, babies can move freely. When the car warms up, Babycapes can be removed or replaced without unstrapping the child.

When you arrive at your destination, easily remove the child from her seat and place in stroller. The front cozy feature works as a bunting to cover up and protect wiggly toes. And Babycapes innovative design is great for babies in front carriers as well.

Technorati Tags: Car Seat, Car Seat Safety, clothing

Correct use of car seats for small children is essential to prevent serious injuries and death from automotive accidents.

Nine out of ten of the car seats inspected at checkups have something wrong and failure to use a seat properly can contribute to serious injury or death of a child.

In order to avoid  mistakes when setting up your child’s safety seat we recommend that you read the manufacturer’s instruction booklet carefully to make sure you are using your seat correctly.

Also survey results suggest that parents are more likely to misuse car seats for infants than toddlers.

With that in mind it is important to have the following checklist on hand to make sure you are not misusing your safety car seat and that your child is safe when traveling with you on the car:

QUICK CHECKLIST FOR SAFETY SEAT MISUSE:

Common and Dangerous Mistakes:

• Child not using the safety seat or sitting in the seat without using the harness.
• Baby facing the front of the car. Children should face the rear until at least age 1, preferably 2.
• Rear-facing child riding in front seat of car with passenger air bag. Air bags are fatal for infants!
• Toddler or older child riding in front. If car has passenger air bag and back seat is full, slide front
  seat back as far as possible, adjust shoulder straps snugly, make sure child does not lean forward.
• Too many people in the car. There must be one safety belt per person.

Car Seat Problems:

• Unsafe used seat (rusty, cracked, broken, bent, over 5-10 years old, involved in crash or not known).
• Child too big for seat (weight above maximum per instructions or head not supported).
• Child too small or too young for seat (shield in front of infant’s face or neck; 2-year-old in booster).
• Harness straps threaded incorrectly (check instructions) or too loose (should not be able to pinch a fold
  in the strap between the thumb and finger).
• Harness straps on the arms or under the arms (straps must go over the shoulders).
• Buckle, crotch strap or overhead shield (if there is one) not attached. Listen for the “click.”

Installations Problems:

• Safety seat attached to car incorrectly. Check manuals for car seat and vehicle.
• Loose installation (should not move more than 1” when pushed toward front of car or sideways).
• Older child using safety belt incorrectly. Use a booster for safe belt fit and child’s comfort.
• Booster used with only a lap belt (lap-shoulder belt must be used).

Important: This is a partial list designed to help parents, drivers, and law enforcement officers recognize obvious misuse. It is not to be used as the basis of a detailed inspection.

Technorati Tags: Car Seat, car seat misuse, safety seat