Car seat safety is very important for keeping children safe on the road. Choosing the right car seat and installing it properly can significantly reduce the risk of injury or death in an accident. But with many options to choose from and installation methods to learn, the experience may feel overwhelming. The recommendations in this blog will help guide you through the process.
One of the important things to keep in mind about car seat safety is that children should never wear a jacket or coat in the seat. Bulky items like jackets and coats create space between the child and the belt, endangering them of slipping out of the seat in case of an accident. During the cold months, you can put a blanket over your child's seat and turn on the car's heater to keep them warm.
Before choosing a car seat for your child, consider your child's age, weight, height, and developmental needs. Car seat manufacturers provide guidelines on which seat is best for your child’s size, so we recommend reading through these carefully. For newborns, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using a rear-facing seat until your child reaches the highest weight OR height permitted by the manufacturer. Children should then continue to ride rear-facing in a convertible or all-in-one seat until they outgrow it, which should be, at a minimum, after their 2nd birthday. They can then transition to forward-facing seats with a harness and tether. Once they outgrow these, which is typically after the age of 7, they can begin to use booster seats. Older children should remain in the booster seat until they're big enough to fit in a seat belt properly, which is usually by the age of 12. Ideally, they are in a booster seat until they are 4 ft 9 inches tall.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also advises installing the car seat in the back of the vehicle and in the middle section if there are lower anchors. When installing, you can use either the car's seat belt or the LATCH system (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children). For rear-facing seats, the harness straps should be positioned at or below the child's shoulder. For forward-facing seats, the harness straps should be positioned at or above the shoulders. The top tether should always be attached to the tether anchor in the car. Regardless of which method you choose, always make sure the car seat is tightly secured and that the seat belt at the belt path cannot be moved one inch in any direction. Additionally, the lap belt should lie low and snug across children's upper legs, while the shoulder belt should cross over the middle of children's chests and shoulders. If you have any trouble or feel uncertain about the installation, consider hiring a Child Passenger Safety Technician who can install the seat for you. Some fire stations will also make sure your car seat is attached properly.
Newer car seats have safety features like load legs and anti-rebound bars that help absorb the energy of a crash and keep your child secured in a collision. For children with disabilities that prevent them from being able to keep their head and neck straight, it's best to use a car seat that has a reclining feature to stop the head from drooping forward.
Lastly, if your child is being driven by someone else or uses a different car, always make sure that the car seat fits in the vehicle and that the person driving your child knows how to use the seat correctly. For a list of car seat products, click here. For a list of certified child passenger safety technicians, use this resource.
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