Importance Of a 5 Point Harness Car Seat!

Never assume that just because your child is too big for a regular 5 point harness carseat a booster seat will save his/her life in a crash or a rollover.

There is a carseat called the Britax Regent Youth Car Seat that can hold a child up to 80 pounds in a 5 point harness. So, whether you use the lower anchors or the seat belt to secure your child’s 5 point harness carseat, ALWAYS use the top tether because it offers a second line of defense against ejection should the seat belt or lower anchors fail.

DO NOT rely on just a seatbelt to secure your child.

To learn more about the importance of the correct use of 5 point harness car seats, visit the Kyle David Miller Foundation and leave your donation they will greatly appreciate it!

A Car Seat Safety Guide – Part IV (Older Children)

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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A Car Seat Safety Guide – Part III (School Aged Children)

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

Child Car Seats To Get Dumped This Friday in Colorado

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

Ten Basic Rules for Car Seat Safety

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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Clothing and Car Seat Safety

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

Car Seat Misuse

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.

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