September is Child Passenger Safety Month, so what better time to delve into the intricacies of car seats?
The variety of car seats types along with all the rules involved with them can overwhelm any new parent.
-Rear-facing
-Infant
-Front-facing
-Booster seats.
-Convertible
Regardless of type, the seats are meant to protect your children while riding in automobiles. So, federal safety standards govern the creation and usage of car seats. These standards require parents to use car seats with any child too small to use the car’s built-in seat belts.
The earlier stage seats each have the most safety features, which is why experts recommend you keep children in their seats until your child reaches the maximum weight that seat should hold. This would keep your toddler in their rear-facing, safest seats as long as possible. After that, let kids graduate each stage only when they can no longer use the previous one. Don’t simply move your child up because they are anxious to look older, or they want to see out of the front window.
All states require car seats and boosters. Specific laws and requirements, beyond that of simply having to have a seat, govern the usage of each type. These laws often differ, depending on what state you’re in! North Carolina, for example, requires children to be in a size appropriate car seat until they are either 8 years old or 80 pounds. Minnesota, on the other hand, requires kids remain in a car seat or booster until they are 4’9” in height. Regardless, children aren’t big enough to use a car’s seat belt system without some form of car seat or booster until they are between 8 to 12 years old. Police can and will pull cars over if they suspect children aren’t properly strapped in.
Mostly, the different types of seats are based on your child’s age. Read the seat’s weight limits to ensure you’re picking the right size seat for the size of your child. Road injuries are the leading, preventable cause of death in children, and proper use and installation of car seats can reduce those deaths by up to 71 percent.
Rear-Facing
Generally, infants up to 2 years old use rear-facing car seats. Most experts consider this type safer than front-facing seats. According to BestCarSeatHub.com, rear-facing seats better protect the delicate bones in the head, neck and spine by absorbing more crash forces than a forward-facing seat. Children usually stay in this type of seat from 5 up to 40 pounds. The rear-facing seats come with bases. Parents secure the base into their cars by either using seat belts or by clipping the base to anchors in the lower and upper back edges of most back seats. Preferably, use both the seat belts and the anchors. You can never be too safe. The part of the seat your child sits in clicks in and out of that base, allowing it to become a carrier for your baby.
Front-Facing
When your child outgrows the rear-facing car seats, the front-facing seats are the second stage. These seats still attach to the bars in the base of your car’s back seat, but the backseat seat belts also pass through the back of the car seat to further secure it. Again, these connect via seat belts and anchors.
Booster Seats
Booster seats can have no backs, low backs, or high backs. Most often seen for sale, though, are the no back version where the child just sits on a booster seat much like they do at restaurants. The point of a booster seat is to raise your child to the height needed for use with your car’s built-in seat belts. You’ll want to pick a seat that puts your child at a height where the car’s seat belt properly and comfortably passes over your child’s chest, similarly to how a seat belt fits an adult.
Convertible Car Seats
You want to keep your child in the 5-point car seat harness as long as possible. It helps keep your child secure. When your child grows older and you start thinking of moving up to a booster seat, consider instead converting the car seat by removing the harness belts and utilizing your car’s seat belts instead. The benefit of using your car seat in this way is that they most often have sides and neck protection that a simple booster seat doesn’t have. Remember, there is no need to rush to the next step of car seat. Rather, keep your little ones in the more protective, younger-age seats until they reach that seat’s maximum weight capacity as explained in the seat’s specs.
Car Seat Must Do’s
Car seats come with registration cards. Be sure to fill these out and mail them in. Doing this will ensure you’re updated in the event of any product recalls on your car seat.
Installation can be confusing! Especially if you’ve never done it before. This is something you do not want to mess up since precious lives are depending on it. Don’t be afraid to seek out a professional. Typically, there are designated fire departments where a trained car seat professional installs the seats and instructs new parents how to do it themselves. If you can’t find one, seek a nearby location. SafeKids.org says that 3 out of 4 parents do not use or install car seats correctly. You don’t want to be one of those parents. We should all strive to keep our children as safe as possible.
Pay attention to your Car Seat’s expiration date. Yes, car seats can actually expire. Car seats expire because their materials break down over time, and the seats can no longer provide their intended safety ratings. When the time arrives, trust the expiration date, and get rid of the seat.
Used car seats? While it is legal to buy and sell used car seats, experts do not recommend it. There is no Car Fax on car seats, so you have no way of knowing if the seat has been compromised in some way. If the seat suffers from damage in any way, it isn’t able to provide the safety levels expected.
Car seats can be tricky, so it’s a good idea for parents to educate themselves and seek out expert help when needed. These tips and explanations should help you in your journey towards car seat understanding.
Check out our other parenting tips.
*Also published on familiesofmultiples.com