"If, after you've tightened your child into his car seat, you can
still pinch the fabric of the harness straps between your fingers, the
harness is too loose," says Stephanie Tombrello, executive director of
SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A., in Torrance, California.
"A child who has a loose harness can easily come out of the safety
seat in a crash," Tombrello says. The child could then be severely
injured if he would hit part of the car's interior or another
passenger.
The worst case scenario, the child is ejected from the vehicle.
Tighten the harness. Keep in mind that the straps should be snug
and have no slack.
Mistake #3: Infant turned face-forward too
soon
Test your seat:
All children should remain rear-facing at least until they turn 1
year of age and weigh 20 pounds. The American Academy of Pediatrics
recommends children stay rear facing until at least one
year of age
and reach the upper weight limit for rear facing. This information is
found on the side of the convertible car seat. Most convertibles go
30-35 pounds. Thirty percent of infants are turned around too
soon.
"Many people mistake the 'and' in this guideline for an 'or,'" says
Michael Sachs MD., a Los Angeles pediatrician. "Babies need to fulfill
both requirements (weight and age)in order to be forward facing."
No
baby should be turned face forward before his first birthday. If your
baby weighs less than 20 pounds on the day he turns one year of age,
keep him rear facing until he reaches the recommended weight.
The danger:
The bones that protect an infant's spinal cord are still forming.
When a child is rear facing, his back (the strongest part of his
body)can better absorb the immense forces of a crash. Facing forward,
an infant's relatively heavy head can catapult forward. This may cause
his underdeveloped spine to expose the spinal cord, putting him at risk
of paralysis or death.
Fast fix:
Follow the rules. Keep your baby rear-facing until he's at least 1
year old and 20 pounds. Go the ?extra mile? and keep him rear facing
until he reaches the upper weight limit of the safety seat and
is at least one year of age.
Mistake #4: Rear-facing infant seat not at a 45°
angle
Test your seat:
Many infant car seats have a built-in level indicator that tells
you when your seat is at the wrong angle. Check to see if your infant?s
head maintains contact with the back of the child safety seat and that
the chin does not fall forward onto his/her chest. Both of these
indicate that the angle is too upright especially for a child under 6
months of age.
The danger:
An infant's airway is very narrow, about the diameter of a soda
straw. If your rear facing seat leans too far forward, your baby's head
could fall forward, cutting off the airway so that he can not breathe.
Fast fix:
While most rear seats are sloped toward the back of the car for
the comfort of adult passengers, safety seats are designed to be
installed on a flat surface. Many safety seats are equipped with
an
adjustable foot to overcome this. If your safety seat does not have
one, try what some technicians do at car-seat checks. "We place
sections of a swimming-pool noodle under the area where the baby's feet
rest," says Mary Anderson, a certified child-passenger-safety
instructor with the Preble County General Health District. "Tightly
rolled-up towels will also work well." Never use both
the foot and pool noodle.
Mistake #5: Using the retainer clip incorrectly
Test your seat:
The retainer clip should be at armpit level, resting across your
child's breastbone. The clip assures that the harness straps are in the
right place.
The danger:
When the retainer clip is in the wrong position, the straps can
easily slip off the child's shoulder and put the child at risk of being
ejected from the seat during an accident.
Fast fix:
Parents often move the clip as they maneuver their child out of
the seat. Check the clip's position every time you buckle up.
Mistake #6: Harness straps through the wrong slots
Test your seat:
Most convertible safety seats are designed with three sets of
harness slots. In general,
the lower two sets are used for the rear-facing position. The top set
is meant for the forward-facing position. On most seats, once the seat
faces forward, only the uppermost slots have the extra reinforcement
necessary to keep the harness secure in a collision. Parents often turn
the seat around without adjusting the straps.
The danger: When the child faces forward, a harness in the lower
slots can break through the seat during a collision.
Fast fix: Always check the instructions that came with your seat
to find out which slots are for which direction. If in doubt, call the
manufacturer of the child safety seat. (The 1-800 # should be on the
side of your child?s seat.)
Mistake #7: Not using a booster seat
Take the 5 Step Test.
Any child between 40 and 80 pounds and up to 4'9" tall
(generally, kids from 4 to 8 years old) needs to ride in a booster
seat. The booster seat lifts him up higher so that the car's seat belt
fits properly. (And no child under 13 years old should ever sit in the
front seat.)
5 Step Test:
1. Child sits upright with their buttocks against the back of the
vehicle seat.
2. Knees bend naturally at the edge of the seat.
3. Shoulder belt fits across the mid point between their neck and
shoulder.
4. Lap belt fits across the upper thighs and lower hips.
5. Child is mature enough to ride in this position the
entire car ride. (the child does not place shoulder belt behind
their
back or under their arm)
The danger:
An adult seat belt used by itself does not properly restrain a
child because it crosses the body at the wrong position (high on the
belly, high across her shoulder, and sometimes even across the neck).
Children often move the shoulder belt behind them because it's
uncomfortable. In a crash, a child who is too small for an adult seat
belt can sustain massive internal-organ damage, head and spinal
injuries, or even be ejected.
Fast fix:
Go out and buy your child a booster seat today.
Mistake #8: Using a seat that's been recalled
Test your seat:
Over the past five years, millions of safety seats have been
recalled but many of them are not repaired or replaced. Check your
safety seat against the list of recalled seats maintained by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). You will need
to know your safety seat's model name, model number, and manufacture
date, all of which are on the seat. Go to
www.hsrc.unc.edu/pubinfo/child
recall.htm and click on recalls.
The danger: Car-seat recalls occur for a variety of reasons,
including faulty latches and flammable seat fabric. While some recalled
seats don't pose a fatal danger, many do. A faulty buckle could easily
lead to disaster.
Fast fix:
If you discover that your seat has been recalled, contact the
manufacturer for further instructions. Never buy a car seat at a
garage sale or a secondhand store, unless you can verify it is not on
recall or you have in writing from the previous owner that it has not
been involved in a crash.
