As a parent, a basic and vital responsibility in the care and protection of your children is keeping your child safe in the car and in insuring proper car seat selection.
Thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes each year. Proper use of car seats helps keep children safe. With so many different car seats out there, parents are overwhelmed by selecting the appropriate seat.
Before the birth of your baby, give yourself enough time to learn how to properly install the car seat in your vehicle to ensure a safe ride home from the hospital. The selection depends on several factors, including your child’s age and size and the type of vehicle you have. Make sure you review the instructions and vehicle owner’s manual about whether the car seat can make contact with the back of the vehicle seat in front of it. Read the vehicle owner’s manual and the car seat manual before installing the seat. It is important that the car seat is installed tightly and that the harness fits your child snugly.
Below is more information from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) about choosing the most appropriate car seat for your child.
Types of Car Seats at a Glance:
1. Rear-Facing Car Seats
The rear-facing car seat is the best seat for your young child to use. It has a harness and, in a crash, cradles and moves with your child to reduce the stress to the child’s fragile neck and spinal cord.
Types of Rear-Facing Car Seats:
- Infant Car Seat (Rear-Facing only): Designed for newborns and smaller babies, the infant-only car seat is a small, portable seat that can only be used rear-facing. Babies usually outgrow their infant car seats by eight or nine months. When that happens, we recommend that parents purchase a convertible or all-in-one car seat and use it rear-facing.
- Convertible Seat: As a child grows, this seat can change from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat with a harness and tether. Because it can be used with children of various sizes, it allows for children to stay in the rear-facing position longer.
- All-in-One Seat: This seat can change from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat (with a harness and tether) and to a booster seat as a child grows. Because it can be used with children of various sizes, it allows for children to stay in the rear-facing position longer.
2. Forward-Facing Car Seat
This seat has a harness and tether that limits your child’s forward movement during a crash.
Types of Forward-Facing Car Seats
- Convertible Seat: As a child grows, this seat can change from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat with a harness and tether.
- Combination Seat: As a child grows, this seat transitions from a forward-facing seat with a harness and tether into a booster.
- All-in-One Seat: This seat can change from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat (with a harness and tether) and to a booster seat as a child grows.
3. Booster Seat
Positions the seat belt so that it fits properly over the stronger parts of your child’s body.
Types of Booster Seats
- Booster Seat with High Back: This type of booster seat is designed to boost the child’s height so the seat belt fits properly. It also provides neck and head support and is ideal for vehicles that don’t have head rests or high seat backs.
- Backless Booster Seat: A backless booster seat is designed to boost the child’s height so the seat belt fits properly. It does not provide head and neck support. It is ideal for vehicles that have head rests.
- Combination Seat: As a child grows, this seat transitions from a forward-facing seat with a harness into a booster.
- All-in-One Seat: This seat can change from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat (with a harness and tether) and to a booster seat as a child grows.
The safest place to ride for all children younger than 13 years is the back seat. If possible, it may be best to ride in the middle of the back seat. However, it is sometimes difficult to install a car seat tightly in the middle if the vehicle seat is narrow or uneven. Also, most vehicles do not have lower anchors for the middle seating position. It is safest to put the car seat in a position where you can install it tightly with either the lower anchor system or seat belt; in some cases, this may be on either side of the back seat rather than the middle. A child passenger safety technician (CPST) can help you decide which place is best to install your child’s car seat in your vehicle.
Seat Belts for Children Older than 13
In older children at specific heights and weights, a regular seat belt becomes the appropriate option.
An adult seat belt fits correctly when:
- The shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat.
- The lap belt is low and snug across the upper thighs, not the belly.
- Your child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with her knees bent over the edge of the seat without slouching and can comfortably stay in this position throughout the trip.
Seat belts are made for adults. Children should stay in a booster seat until adult seat belts fit correctly, typically when children reach about 4 feet 9 inches in height and are 8 through 12 years of age. Most children will not fit in a seat belt alone until 10 to 11 years of age. When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for the best protection. All children younger than 13 years should ride in the back seat. Additionally, be sure that the car seat works with your particular vehicle type. It is not “one type fits all”.
Make sure the seat belt locks to help get a tight fit. In most newer cars, you can lock the seat belt by pulling it all the way out and then allowing it to retract to keep the seat belt tight around the car seat. Additionally, many car seats have built-in lockouts to lock the belt without having to separately lock the seat belt as well. Refer to the vehicle owner’s manual for details about how your seat belt locks.
Shopping for a Car Seat
When shopping for a car seat, keep the following tips in mind. No one seat is the “best” or “safest.” The best seat is the one that fits your child’s size, is correctly installed, fits well in your vehicle, and is used properly every time you drive. Don’t decide by price alone. A higher price does not mean the seat is safer or easier to use.
Avoid used car seats if you don’t know the seat’s history.
Never use a car seat that:
- Is too old. Look on the label for the date it was made. Check with the manufacturer to find out how long it recommends using the seat.
- Has any visible cracks on it.
- Does not have a label with the date of manufacture and model number. Without these, you cannot check to see if the seat has been recalled.
- Does not come with instructions. You need them to know how to use the seat.
- Is missing parts. Used car seats often come without important parts. Check with the manufacturer to make sure you can get the right parts.
- Was it recalled. You can find out by calling the manufacturer or contacting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236. You can also visit the NHTSA Website http:www.safercar.gov/.
- Do not use seats that have been in a moderate or severe crash. Seats that were in a minor crash may still be safe to use, but some car seat manufacturers recommend replacing the seat after any crash, even a minor one.
The NHTSA considers a crash minor if all the following situations are true:
- The vehicle could be driven away from the crash.
- The vehicle door closest to the car seat was not damaged.
- No one in the vehicle was injured.
- The airbags did not go off.
- You can’t see any damage to the car seat.
If you are unsure, call the manufacturer of the seat.
Side airbags are available in most new cars. Side airbags improve safety for adults in side-impact crashes. Read your vehicle owner’s manual for more information about the airbags in your vehicle. Read your car seat instructions and the vehicle owner’s manual for guidance on placing the seat next to a side airbag.
If You Need Car Seat Installation Help:
If you have questions or need help installing your car seat, find a certified child passenger safety technician (CPST). Lists of certified CPSTs and child seat–fitting stations are available on the following Web sites:
- NHTSA Parents Central (http://www.safercar.gov/parents/index.htm)
- National Child Passenger Safety Certified Technicians (http://cert.safekids.org/) (Click on “Find a Tech” or call 877/366-8154.) – Includes a list of CPSTs fluent in Spanish and other languages or with extra training in transportation of children with special needs.
Make sure that everyone who transports your child uses the correct car seat or seat belt on every trip, every time.
Never leave your child alone in or around cars. Any of the following situations can happen when a child is left alone in or around a vehicle:
- Die of heat stroke because temperatures can reach deadly levels in minutes.
- Be strangled by power windows, retracting seat belts, sunroofs, or accessories.
- Knock the vehicle into gear, setting it into motion.
- Be backed over when the vehicle backs up.
- Become trapped in the trunk of the vehicle.
Note from 1800NewRate
Always read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your car seat. If you do not have those, write or call the company’s customer service department. The information contained in this article should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
Sources referenced for this article were American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and NHTSA Web site (http://www.safercar.gov/).
Motors Acceptance Corporation, assumes no liability for any loss or damage resulting from one’s reliance on the material provided. Please also note that such material is not updated regularly and that some of the information may not therefore be current. Consult with certified professionals of your own choosing when making decisions regarding your child’s safety.
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