When my daughter was two months old, it was pointed out to me that I was putting her into her carseat incorrectly. Like, ALL wrong. Nobody had ever shown me how to correctly put her in so, honestly, I was just winging it. Ya know, as moms do.
As soon as I got home, I went down the deep deep rabbit hole that is car-seat safety.
It was so overwhelming but I was determined to make sure I was doing this right from now on. Fast forward a couple of years and now I’m official. My title is “Child Passenger Safety Technician” or “CPST” for short. The course was one week and it was surprisingly intense. I physically wrestled more car seats than I’d like to admit.
I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned, and hopefully, present it in a way that is easy to understand. Here are some things to understand about car seat safety:
Choosing the right seat.
Though it may seem a bit lazy, I attached the links because it would be entirely too long and wordy for me to write for you. And these are credible sites that I feel comfortable sending to you. Please use the links below, or do your own research. But, nothing else that I say here is going to matter much if you don’t have the appropriate seat for your child’s size and age.
For babies 0-12 months, click here.
For kids 1-4 years, click here.
Big Kids 5-9 years/Booster Seats, click here.
The Skinny on Rear Facing:
Your infant MUST remain rear facing until AT LEAST 1 year AND 20lbs.
However, new AAP guidelines say that children should be left rear facing until they reach the height/weight restrictions on the car seat. Most convertible seats will support your child until they are 35-50lbs, depending on the manufacturer. This means potentially leaving our kiddos rear facing until age 4. Height requirements are almost always that there must be at least 1 inch of room between the top of the child’s head and the top of the car seat. Always refer to your car seat instruction manual.
“But his/her legs are too long to rear face any longer”:
I know it looks like it. But most children will just cross their legs or prop them up on the backseat. It is true that they could sustain leg injuries during an accident. However, sustaining a leg injury is FAR less critical than sustaining a head or neck injury, which is more likely if they’re forward facing too soon.
Leave. Them. Rear. Facing. As. Long. As. Possible.
If you click on one link in this entire post, please let it be this one.
The Chest Clip:
Chest clip needs to be at armpit level every time your child is buckled in. The chest clip keeps the harness straps where they need to be to provide maximum protection for your child. That little piece of plastic plays a BIG role in keeping your child safe.
The Scoop on winter coats: {insert the eye rolls}
It’s a topic that is controversial, mostly among the older generation that think our babies will freeze to death if not bundled in a 5 inch thick down jacket while being transported. Here is the deal: it is not safe for your child to be in a puffy winter jacket in their car seat. It puts inches between their bodies and the harness, thus providing less head and neck support if an accident occurs. Some thin jackets or fleece are safe. The test: put the jacket on, buckle them in. Take them out without loosening the harness. Remove jacket. Buckle them back in. If it still passes the “pinch test” than the jacket is ok to wear in the car seat.
Here are some alternatives to coats in the carseat.
Car Seat Extras:
I’m going to keep this simple. If your car seat didn’t come with it, it’s not safe to use. All the cute little things are tempting. The extra head padding, little strap covers, etc. are not safe to use because the car seat is not crash tested with them.
Myth: Latch system is safer than the seat belt. The truth is that whatever method is easiest for you to get a proper install with, is the safest one for your child.
Get it right, get it right, get it tight. <—see, I’m still cool. Regardless of what method you use to install your seat, make sure that it passes this test: “You want less than one inch of movement when you give it a firm handshake at the belt path with your non-dominant hand.”
Yes, car seats expire. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “But it’s never been in an accident, it’s fine.” But no, it’s not. Car seats expire for a reason. Most car seats on the market today are good for 7-10 years. A car seat is not deemed safe to use after its expiration date. And the reason is simple: they’re old. After 7-10 years there are newer and safer car seat options for your child. There is literally NO excuse to use an expired car seat. If you cannot afford a new car seat, here is a link with some information on how to receive help with that. You can also message me personally.
The Safest Seat:
It does not matter if you buy a $50 car seat, or a $350 car seat, they are equally as safe. If the car seat is on the market (in the U.S.) and available to consumers, it has passed the necessary inspections and meets all required criteria. All you get by spending more money are bells and whistles. Cupholders, zip off covers (easier to wash), no-rethread harness, etc.
Car Seat Checks:
Locally, there are several fire departments that have a CPST. Just call ahead of time to see when they will be there if they have one. Dayton Children’s does car seat checks on the fourth Thursday of the month. Call to schedule an appointment @ 937-641-3700. An additional local resource is here.
