October 9, 2009

Car seat safety: Protect your precious cargo

Editor’s note: The following article was written and submitted by Trista Neisen at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Evansville.

Vehicle crashes remain the number one killer of children ages two to 12 in the United States. Properly installed car seats can reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers. Unfortunately, national studies have shown that as many as 90 percent of the car seats are not installed or used properly.

How can you be sure you’re using the correct restraint for your child? Follow these simple guidelines to ensure you’re taking the proper care of your precious cargo.

Infants

Use a rear-facing car seat until your child is at least one year old and weighs 20 pounds. Use your rear-facing car seat longer if the seat has higher weight and height limits.

Take the next step to a forward-facing car seat when your child is at least one year old and he or she exceeds the car seat’s rear-facing height and weight limits and/or their head is within one inch of the car seat top.

Other safety precautions include:

Use the right car seat for your baby’s weight and height.
Use the car’s safety belt or LATCH system to lock the car seat into the car. Your car seat should not move more than one inch side to side or front to back.
Use your baby’s car seat rear-facing and reclined no more than 45 degrees, so the baby’s head stays in contact with the seat and the baby’s airway stays open.
Never put a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag. Children are always safest in a back seat.

Toddlers

Use a forward-facing car seat (convertible or combo seat) until the harness no longer fits. Take the next step to a booster seat when your child exceeds the car seat’s height/weight limits or when their shoulders are above the car seat’s top harness slots.

Other safety precautions for toddlers include:

Use a forward-facing car seat correctly in a back seat every time your toddler rides in a car.
Use the right car seat with a harness for your toddler’s weight and height.
Put harnesses through the slots so they are even with or above the child’s shoulders. Some seats require the use of the top slots when the seat is forward-facing, so check the instructions.
Be sure the harness is tight, so you can’t pinch extra webbing at the shoulder.
Use a top tether if your vehicle and car seat are both so equipped. Tethers limit the forward motion of your child’s head in a crash. If you don’t have them, contact your car dealer.
Adjust the chest clip to armpit level.

Booster Seats

Children usually need a booster seat until they are about 4 feet 9 inches tall and weigh between 80 and 100 pounds to get the best protection from a safety belt.

Guidelines for using a booster seat correctly include:

Use a booster seat in a back seat every time your child rides in a car.
Older kids get weighed and measured less often than babies, so check your child’s growth a few times a year.
A booster seat uses no harness. It uses the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belts only. Be sure the safety belt is properly buckled.
Booster seats are not installed the same way car seats are. They sit on the vehicle seat and are used to properly position the adult safety belt for an older child. Always use a lap and shoulder belt with a booster seat.
Never place the shoulder belt under the child’s arm or behind the child’s back.
Move children from booster seats to safety belts in a back seat only after the child passes the Safety Belt Fit Test in every vehicle. Return your child to a booster seat if the safety belt does not fit perfectly.

Safety Belts

Once your child passes the Safety Belt Fit Test, require him or her to use safety belts in a back seat on every ride, whether or not you are there. A lap and shoulder belt provides the best protection to your child and helps to maintain the correct seating position.

Safety belt fit test: