Tips and information about selecting and using a car seat including infant only seats, convertible seats, and belt positioning booster seats.
A properly installed child safety seat can mean the difference between life and death for your child during an auto accident. Despite that, many parents end up installing and using car seats wrong, and taking their child out of a car safety seat far too soon. The National Safe Kids Campaign estimates that 4 out of 5 car seats are installed incorrectly! Is your child's car seat installed correctly? Are you using the seat correctly? Is it in the correct position? Do you know when your child should no longer be in a safety seat? If you're not sure about the answers to these questions, hopefully this article will provide you with the answers you need to keep your child safe!
To begin, it's important to understand the purposes behind the wide variety of safety seats available. For a first time parent the selection can be baffling! A car seat isn't just a car seat anymore. The easiest way to break down the categories is by the age of the child, in which case there are infant only seats, infant/toddler convertible seats, and boosters for older children.
Infant only seats are designed to be installed rear facing only (the safest position for a baby under a year old). They accommodate lower weights (which is nice for a small newborn), but also have a maximum weight that is generally around 20 lbs (which a larger newborn will quickly outgrow). Infant only seats will generally need to be replaced prior to a child turning a year old. Many come with a detachable base that remains in the car, allowing the infant seat to be clicked in and out. Although this is a convenient feature, safety crash tests have found that infant seats perform better without the base. In addition, many infant seats are combined into stroller/car seat combos. When you are shopping, don't be swayed by attractive seat covers and fancy strollers. Be sure you are putting safety, not appearance, first!
Convertible car seats are so named because they can start their lives rear facing, and then be turned around and converted to forward facing as you child grows. Many allow infants to ride rear facing to 30 pounds or more before being turned forward. Their lower weight limit is sometimes higher than that of an infant only seat. Be sure to check lower and upper weight limits when shopping for a seat! Although the seat can't be easily removed like an infant only seat with a detachable base (a feature many parents really like because the seat can double as an infant carrier outside the vehicle), the seat will provide a better long term financial investment. Some convertible seats have very high forward facing weight limits (50 lbs or more), which means your child will be able to use the same seat from infancy into childhood.
Belt Positioning Boosters, generally just called booster seats, are designed to protect children who have outgrown a car seat, but are still too small to correctly use a seat belt alone. Children generally grow into a booster seat around 4 years old, and outgrow it between 8-10 years old. Boosters come with or without backs. Both styles are effective, and must be used with a lap/shoulder seat belt.
Now that you have a basic understanding of the styles of seats available, and when to use them, let's concentrate on how to correctly use the seat you've selected!
Rear facing infant only seats should only be used rear facing! Although that may seem obvious, there have been reports of parents attempting to use them forward facing. Because they are not designed to be used forward facing they will not provide protection in a crash. Rear facing seats are designed to put your child in the safest position possible during a crash. There's less stress placed on a child's weak and developing spine if they are facing the rear of the vehicle. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a recommendation that children ride rear facing until they are a year old AND 20 lbs. What this means, is that your child should remain rear facing until at least a year old, preferably longer! Weight alone (or the ability to sit or walk) is not an indicator that your child is ready to face forward. In other countries, children ride rear facing (in specially designed seats to accommodate the weight) until they are 3 years old because the position is so much safer. If your child outgrows his or her infant seat before a year old, you will need to purchase a rear facing convertible seat with a higher weight limit to allow your child to continue rear facing. Read the manufactures instructions carefully when installing your rear facing seat. One of the most important aspects of installing the seat is to make sure it's in your vehicle tightly. You should not be able to move the seat side to side, or forward and back more than an inch. If the seat moves too much, you need to tighten the seat belt (or latch anchors). A great way to get the seat in snuggly is to place your knee in the middle of the seat and use your body weight to compress the vehicle's seat cushion and allow the seat belt to retract (or allow the shortened latch anchors to connect and latch). It is also important to make sure the seat is installed at a 45 degree angle. This leaned back angle ensures that your infants head won't fall too far forward presenting the possibility of cutting off their airway leading to suffocation. Once the seat is installed securely, it's important to buckle your child in correctly every time you use it. The shoulder straps should be snug, with no slack. The restraining clip on the shoulder straps should be at armpit level. Infants grow very quickly. Keep a close eye on your child's height and weight as they grow, and replace your infant seat BEFORE your child outgrows it!
Convertible car seats present a greater risk of misuse simply because they allow for more variability. To begin, you should pay close attention to the manufactures weight and height guidelines when selecting the seat for your child. If you are using the seat rear facing for a newborn, make sure your child is large enough for the seat. Although a small infant may look lost in a big convertible seat, if they have met the height/weight limits they will be safe! For installing the seat rear facing, follow the same basic guidelines provided above for installing a rear facing only seat. Make sure you have the seat belt fed through the correct location on your convertible seat. There are generally different locations to feed the seat belt for forward and rear facing. It's critical that the seat belt is fed through correctly! If you are using the latch system, follow the manufactures directions. It is also important to make sure you are using the correct shoulder strap slots on the seat. A convertible seat will have many shoulder strap slots, allowing your child to use the seat as he gets bigger and sits forward facing. Many seats can only use the top slots forward facing, as the rear slots have not been reinforced to handle the impact of a crash forward facing and may tear through the seat. Consult your seats instruction book! When your child outgrows rear facing, turn the seat forward facing and install snuggly. Again, the seat should not move more than an inch in any direction. Make sure the shoulder straps are in the correct slot, and that the harness clip is at armpit level when the straps are tightened. DO NOT turn your child forward facing before a year!
One of the worst mistakes parents make is removing their children from a seat too soon. If your child has outgrown his or her convertible or forward facing seat, but is still too small for a regular seat belt it is critical to use a Belt Positioning Booster seat. The safety belts in your vehicle were designed for an adult. If you do not use a booster to position the belt correctly for your child, they will not protect him during a crash. Boosters are generally designed to support children from about 40 pounds and up. Select a booster than fits your child, and your vehicle. When your child is using the booster, the lap part of the seat belt should rest low across his hips, and the shoulder strap should come across the center of the chest and over the shoulder. This is the correct position, and one that can not be achieved without a booster seat! Do not use pillows, pads or cushions in an effort to position an older child.
Car seats can be expensive, but the expense is nothing compared to the cost of unnecessary injury or death to a child if an appropriate care safety device is not used. If you are still unsure about how to use your child safety seat, contact your insurance agency and request information for local car seat safety check points. A variety of organizations including police, firefighters, insurance agencies, private organizations, etc. can perform car seat safety checks to make sure your child is riding safe!
