Car Seat Safety

I posted last August about car seat safety, but I think I've garnered some new readers since then. I'm linking a few sites about car seat safety for those interested. Also, I cannot urge moms of older babies enough to consider Extending Rear Facing (ERF). Although the law (in most if not all states) says that you may turn your baby forward at one year and 20 pounds (must meet both requirements), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises that you wait until 2 years old to turn the car seat around. The reason for this is that the bone structure of young toddlers is still soft and pliable and because they are still developing their skeletal systems many bones and joints have not fused together at one year. If a car accident was to occur with a one year old forward facing they are at great risk of severing the spinal cord or internal decapitation. Yes, internal decapitation!!! Yikes people!!!

The most common objection to ERF goes something like this, "where will my child's legs go? Won't they break in an accident?" In fact there have been no documented cases of broken legs, or hips in ERF children involved in a car crash. So, this argument is pointless. Your child's legs will not break, and even if they did, I'd rather have a child with two broken legs who's alive versus a child who was internally decapitated and is dead.

Also, remember that user error is also common in car seat usage. Many many parents do not tighten the straps tight enough. You should not be able to pinch the strap between two fingers at the child's shoulder. For rear facing the straps should be threaded into the seat slightly below the child's should height. For forward facing they should be threaded at or above the child's shoulder level. The chest clip should be exactly at armpit height, NEVER above or below this level. I recently discovered someone using their 5 point car seat harness as a 3 point harness. Not cool. If you don't use your car seat the way it was designed to be used it will not protect your child the way it was designed to protect him or her. Remember that if you use the LATCH system on your vehicle to anchor your car seat, don't use a seat belt as well. Again, your car seat was designed to be used EITHER with the LATCH system OR the seat belt. Using both will cause the car seat to malfunction in the event of an accident. If your child is old enough to be turned forward facing (at least 2 years old) make sure you tether the car seat. Also keep in mind that most LATCH systems were only designed to be used with children up to 40 pounds. If your child is over 40 pounds switch from using the LATCH to a seat belt.

Ok, anything else I'm sure you can get from these links!!


prayerofhannah.blogspot.com/2009/06/rewind-to-car-seat-safety.html


www.cpssafety.com
www.nhtsa.gov
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm (To find a safety seat installation inspector near you!)
www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm