Car Seat 101

I skipped a week, (or two) oh well who's counting. Back in my first post a friend asked a very good question. So, I thought I would just answer that for this post.

"This might sound dumb but why can't you use the latch system and the seat belt?? We thought that would be extra safe. I would love to know if I should only use one."

Not a dumb question at all. You should absolutely only use one. There is no need for both. In general, you use whichever system results in a more secure installation for the seat in your car. That is the one that is safer.

Car seats are designed to handle crash forces in specific ways. While we know, thanks to crash testing, that baby's car seat will withstand crash forces when installed with the seat belt, or with LATCH , we don't know if the same car seat will withstand crash forces when both systems are used at the same time. Putting two installation belts through the same belt path could put stress on the car seat shell from two different angles during a crash, causing breakage. Almost like they are fighting against eachother. Using two installation belts could also concentrate more crash force on a small area of the car seat. So, in a nutshell, it hasn't been tested that way, but each one has been tested individually. The main rule is to follow the guidelines from the manufacturer. When you install the car seat using methods not outlined in the instruction manual, you are, in a way, using your child as the crash test dummy, because we cannot be sure of what will happen when car seats are used in ways that have not been crash tested and approved.

Car Seat Safety 101

Ready for your next lesson?

Week 2- Proper Harnessing

Which harness slots? Use the ones at or below shoulder level when rear-facing. And, at or above shoulder level when forward-facing.

The chest clip, should go exactly where the name of it tells you, at the chest, armpit level. It's not a belly clip, but a chest clip. It keeps the harness in the proper location on the shoulders for maximum protection. If it is slid down on the belly it can cause major internal damage in an accident, as well as prevent the child from staying restrained in the seat.

The harnesses should fit snugly. There are two tests to determine if it is snug enough. The pinch test, if you can pinch it easily(up by the shoulders), it's not tight enough. And the finger test, you should be able to only fit one finger under the straps up by the shoulder. If you can fit more, not tight enough. In an accident the webbing on the harness is designed to stretch up to 14%. If your straps are loose to begin with, well they will only become more loose. It will defeat the purpose of having them restrained if they don't stay in the harness, right?

Once again, any questions? Throw 'em at me! Oh, and isn't my little subject just cute?

My weekly contribution...

To help my funk of posting I have decided to do a weekly post. Many of us have hobbies, passions, or things that interest us that we want to share. Well, over the last couple of years I have become very interested in car seat safety. So I am going to hop on my soapbox and try to share a tip, statistic, fact, etc., each week and hope that I can give some of you new information that you may not have known, which will help keep your little ones safe. I was amazed at all the things I have learned that get overlooked, causing about 1/3 of children in the wrong restraint for their age and size, and an estimated 73% to 90% of car seats are not installed or used correctly. It’s more than just putting your kids in a car seat; it’s using it correctly that keeps them safe in an accident. My intention is not to tell you what to do, no one likes that. But, I do want to share with you what I know and you can make a decision after that.

So, for Week 1, we’ll talk about installation, seems like a good place to start. The first thing you want to do before anything, is read your car seat manual and your car manual. There are certain places in some cars where child restraints are not allowed, there are many vehicles that you cannot use LATCH in the center position, but only outboard, some infant seat handles are to be left up, others must be put down, etc. So become familiar with your vehicle and seat. When installing your seat, use the seat belt or LATCH, not both. To properly secure the seat you will most likely need to get your knee into the seat to push down as you tighten the belt. Using a rocking motion from side to side will also help. A little movement is okay as long as it is less than an inch at the belt path. If you can’t get it tight enough try a different spot in your vehicle. And don’t forget to hook your top tether. And also it never hurts to get help. Here is a link to where you can find out where to get your seat checked by a tech. http://www.safekidsweb.org/events/events.asp

So that’s it, sweet and simple. If you have questions please ask and I can address them in another post.