I’ve written a ton about car seat safety. Many people do. This device is the only device you absolutely have to buy for a baby or your child can die. You can rig random things to function as child-proofing at home or pick up things from a garage sale, but when it comes to your car seat, it HAS to be new, it HAS to be good quality, it HAS to be the right seat for your child and you HAVE to use it right or your child can DIE. I don’t know that I can make it any clearer than that.
Now, don’t get me wrong — I made my fair share of mistakes, and continued to make some for years, but kept improving. I have no problems with people who intend to learn and do better as they know more. It’s admirable, and it’s the best anyone can ask for. Whether or not you feel this post is helpful for you, please share it so that maybe it can get to people who can benefit, or more, whose children will benefit, possibly making the difference between life and death.
And without further ado, here’s my picture guide to car seat safety, in DOs and DON’Ts.
Chest Clip: The name is self-explanatory, so I thought. It belongs between armpit and nipple level. Nowhere else, ever.
Risk: The clip on the belly can damage internal organs and doesn’t hold the straps properly over the chest as they’re designed to do, meaning your child could be ejected from their seat.
Aftermarket Products: Do not use anything on your seat that did not come with it.
Risk: Aside from voiding your warranty, all manufacturer liability and being denied a replacement seat in a crash, things added can damage the straps or interfere with function of the seat.
Harness Straps: Straps need to be about as tight as you can get them without hurting the child. Try The Pinch Test each time you buckle your kiddo in, just to be sure.
Risk: Loose straps do not hold the child in the seat. They can be partially ejected, which can damage any part of their body that is caught, or totally ejected and fly into the window, seats, another person or out of the car entirely. This is the most common mistake.
Harness Height: For rear-facing, the straps must be AT OR BELOW the shoulders. For forward-facing, AT OR ABOVE. You may put a popsicle stick or butter knife in the slot to test, since sometimes the covers can make it hard to tell where the slot is in the shell.
Risk: When rear-facing, any additional space above the shoulders works similarly to having a loose harness — it’s dangerous extra room. Also, when hit head-on (as with 79%) of accidents, you want to prevent the child’s body from flying upwards against the back of the seat, but instead allow the seat to take the impact. Only having the straps below the shoulders keeps the child safely in place.
Angle: The seat needs to be reclined between a 30-45 degree angle. Once children are older and have better neck control, they can be at up to a 30 degree angle. When switching from an infant car seat to a convertible, this change in angle can allow a convertible to take up LESS room than the infant seat, debunking the “I can’t rear-face in my car” myth. If you can fit an infant seat rear-facing, a convertible fits too.
Risk: If the seat is too upright, the body can’t slide along at the intended angle, and in smaller babies without sufficient head control that results in the head dropping down onto the chest, this could restrict breathing.
Bulky Clothes : Children should be dressed in warm-but-thin clothing, then buckled in their seat, and then have warm layers placed on top of them. (See my video here.)
Risk: In an accident, all the air in bulky clothing compresses, like a “Space Saver” bag, leaving the harness incredibly loose and putting the child at risk to be ejected from the seat.
Rear-facing: Children should remain rear-facing in their car seat until they outgrow it by weight or height (less than an inch of headroom from the top of the shell). Two years is the youngest any child should be forward-facing. Children bend their legs, even as they get older.
Risk: Babies and toddlers have weak spines that haven’t fused to protect the spinal cord, and they have proportionately huge heads, and when forward-facing, the weight of the large head pulls on the weak spine, and can separate the skull from the spine, possibly severing the spinal cord (internal decapitation), resulting in paralysis or death. Also, the way the body slides when rear-facing helps the car and car seat absorb the maximum amount of centrifugal force so your baby’s body doesn’t have to — children are 75% less likely to die when rear-facing. Everyone is, actually, but it’s just not possible for adults. As far as their legs? Not only would leg breaks be preferable to a broken neck, but forward-facing children are more likely to break their legs than rear-facing children.
Harnessing: Safe Kids and the American Academy of Pediatrics, amongst many car seat manufacturers, recommend you keep your child forward-facing in a 5-point harness until the limits of their seats, which in many newer seats range from 50-85 pounds. 4 years and 40 pounds is the bare minimum, but most children are not mature enough until they’re 5-7 years old.
Risk: A child who isn’t big enough for a booster can slide out under the belt, called “submarining”, can have the belt sit on their belly or neck and cause internal damage to the gut or the esophagus and trachea. A child who will not sit upright, with the belt over their hip bones and over their collar bone, or tries to put their arm over the belt or the shoulder belt behind their back is not mature enough to sit in a booster, and a child who constantly falls asleep in the car should also be in a harness or they can be seriously injured in a crash. There’s some debate that heavier (60-70 pound+) children may be safer in a seatbelt, but currently the recommendation is still to wait until they outgrow their harness.
Booster Seats: Children need booster seats until they’re 8-12 years old, AND 4’9″ and preferably also 80-100 pounds. Seatbelts are designed to fit the average adult — not children of any age. The strap cannot touch their necks and the lap belt should be across the hip bones, not the soft belly.
Risk: Children who are not large enough risk many things similar to putting a child in a booster too early — damage to their internal organs, throat and windpipe and the entire body in general. Not to mention, children moved prematurely out of boosters are often quite uncomfortable! Kids must meet the 5-Step-Test before they can go without a booster, something most children don’t meet until closer to 10-12.
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There’s just so much to proper car seat use that I couldn’t possibly cover it here, and it’s OKAY if you’ve got something wrong. We all have screwed up at some point. Everyone who helped me with pictures for this post was aware of what I was doing, and some of the “wrong” photos are staged — but some are not. Some are from before moms learned and improved. It’s not a problem if you make mistakes… when it becomes a problem is when you’d rather be right than DO right, at the cost of your child’s life.
Thank you to all the moms in my Facebook “Car Seats for the Littles” and CafeMom “Car Seat Safety” group for all the pictures!
Visit a local Safe Kids inspection station or event, read your manual, ask questions and make changes.
Check out some of my previous guides to car seat safety:
7 Rules for Buying & Installing a Car Seat: http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/107731/7_rules_for_buying_installing
9 Lifesaving Car Seat Rules You’re Probably Ignoring: http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/108322/9_lifesaving_car_seat_rules
6 Car Seat Mistakes Parents Don’t Realize They’re Making: http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/115585/6_car_seat_mistakes_parents
Rear-Facing Car Seats Aren’t Just for Babies Anymore: http://thestir.cafemom.com/toddler/113687/rearfacing_car_seats_arent_just
7 Car Seat Safety Rules You Still May Have Missed: http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/109082/7_car_seat_safety_rules
Booster Seat Safety: Most Moms Know Nothing: http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/109817/few_booster_seats_are_safe
6 Tips for Winter Car Seat Safety (this has my video too)http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/109699/6_tips_for_winter_car
Tags: car seat safety, car seats, carseat, carseats, education, safety, traveling with baby
Thanks for the comparisons- too many parents don’t know how to use correctly or they cave for the whim/comfort of the child. Our 4 yr old is in 5pt and has absolutely no issues about it- we’ve spent time talking about safety and why we use our seat belts and how to use them correctly. She even corrected me the other day when I thought I had it tight enough but apparently it didn’t meet her satisfaction. She’s also tattled on her auntie for “she didn’t tight me enough”. And newborn will RF till she outgrows the seat capacities- although now that the recommendations are for ERF and no longer 1 yr, I anticipate a challenge with my MIL and if that occurs then MIL won’t get to transport.
BTW- I personally would like to see the straps a bit tighter in the “right” bulky clothes photo- they seem awfully loose/wouldn’t pass my 2 finger test.
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
The two finger test is no longer recommended. The Pinch Test is preferable!
And the straps are tight enough. It’s the Keyfit 30 on a newborn — it does look a little weird with a newbie in it, but it’s definitely tight enough. Glad you’re observant! That’s the goal.
What is a comfortable booster for an almost 9yo? The law here changed to 8yo OR 4’9″ (the recommendation is AND 4’9″, but I know very few families following that). My daughter is of average height/weight. She has a long torso. I showed her how the seatbelt doesn’t fit across her lap properly (though, it fits fine on her shoulder). Anyway, she complains that the Graco backless booster is uncomfortable.
Thanks!
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
Here is a great guide to the boosters that rated the best in terms of being used properly every time AND fitting the majority of children correctly. You should be able to find one within your price range that meets your needs!
http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/best_bets.html
You could even go to a store that carries them and try some out.
We got the Sunshine Kids Booster seat back in the spring. She likes it, fine, but would of course prefer no booster. I do recommend the seat, though, especially since both the height and width are adjustable.
Glad you found a booster seat.
For booster seats with high height to accomodate older/taller children, the Sunshine Kids (or now known as Diono) Monterey and the Britax Parkway are good options.
The Britax Frontier is actually the booster seat with the highest shoulder-belt slots but it is a 5-pt harness seat convertible into a booster seat thereafter, so it would not make sense to buy one just as a booster but might be a good option to consider for those shopping for a 5-pt harness/booster combination seat.
As usual, a really well done article that teaches without judging. Thanks, Christie!
Once — only once — my daughter pulled her chest clip down to sit across her tummy while driving (she’s 3). I told her in no uncertain terms that this is unsafe and she must NEVER do it again because it could hurt her. And she hasn’t. Kids are smart, just don’t make it an option to be unsafe in a car and they will not fight you (much) on it. My daughter is VERY strong-willed and stubborn but this is not something we have ever battled over because there are no choices here.
We had a similar experience, my son unbuckled his chest clip ONCE. I pulled the car over immediately and told him it was very dangerous and he was never to unbuckle while the car was moving again. I’m very strict and nobody is allowed to unbuckle until the car has completely stopped moving. You’re right, there is no negotiation and there are no arguments, LOL.
LOL, My mom used to tell us “The car can’t go until everyone is buckled.” But years later, I don’t even think about my seat belt – I just put it on automatically. I’m thankful for that and I want to instill the same thing in my children!
This is such a fantastic post! You have taught me so much over the past year and I am so thankful! Thank you!! I’m spreading the word of course!
I have some serious issues with the 5-Step test. Why? Because even as an adult, I couldn’t pass it. How about we pressure manufacturers to make seatbelts to fit us shorites instead of making up rules that some kids are NEVER going to be able to pass? What’s a parent supposed to do, keep their 14, 16, 18, 20 year old in a booster?
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
Blue, that’s not a problem with the 5-step test though. That is still sound. The issue is that cars aren’t made for smaller adults. Yes, we need to pressure car companies to make vehicles that can fit adults of all varying heights and sizes much, much better.
But for a child, the recommendation is to wait until they’re 12 (due to bone fusing) to remove them from a booster, but obviously it’s your choice to continue past that if you want.
What I’m irritated to learn is that in Europe, there are approved adult boosters, but we don’t have them here. I have no idea why, but I find that unacceptable. I could really use one, and it sounds like you could too!
Aww, this is so cute! And extremely helpful to new Moms who don’t have a clue on how to place their babies in car seats. Thanks for sharing!
Great info! I will be passing this along!
This is awesome – pictures help so much! Will be passing this along for sure – thank you.
Great article! Thanks! So question: My 4.5-year old is currently in a cheapie car seat that only goes to 40 lbs. He is 39 lbs., and his shoulders are already slightly above the top strap. I have a good booster that I could switch to, but he’s still pretty wiggly, and he often falls asleep on long drives (which we take regularly), and his head flops over when he’s asleep. So, is it safe to put him in the booster, or should I buy yet another seat that is able to use the harness for longer? If so, what do you recommend? I really don’t want to spend a ton of money for something that he probably won’t use for very long, but obviously his safety is important.
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
Buy a new seat right away, Anna. He’s not safe if his shoulders are already above the slot forward-facing — it’s bad for his spine in an accident. I would also keep him harnessed, if he wiggles and falls asleep.
The BEST option is a Frontier 85 (around $202-209) which would literally be the last seat you’d buy for him, since it’s the longest lasting harness in height and weight, then also becomes a highly rated booster and has a 9 year lifespan.
If that’s out of your price range, a Graco Nautilus is another great option, but it doesn’t last quite as long in any way, and is only about $40 cheaper.
Anna, another great option would be the Evenflo Maestro. It has tall top harness slots and will cover a child through 50 lbs. That would give him another 10 lbs in it, so enough to last him another year or so. The average cost of it is about $80. It’s a combo seat (harness to booster – same as the Frontier and Nautilus), but the booster is usually outgrown about the same time as the harness. Since you already have a booster, you could put him in that when the Maestro is outgrown. I do agree that he NEEDS to be put in something else though. It’s unsafe to have him in his current seat.
I like this part: a child who… puts the shoulder belt behind them isn’t mature enough for a booster seat. I had to correct a 15 yr old who I was giving a ride to when she tried that trick!
Great post!
One question. In the graph of seat angles RFing…if the horizontal black line is ground level and the angled green lines are the back of the car seat…is the vertical black line supposed to represent the back of the vehicle seat? I guess I’m confused because the photos above show a RFing seat facing to the right and the graph seems to show a RFing seat facing…left? Maybe you could label the vertical axis and/or flip the graph image for those of us with multiple small children, reading this while sleep deprived.
Great post!
One question. In the graph of seat angles RFing…if the horizontal black line is ground level and the angled green lines are the back of the car seat…is the vertical black line supposed to represent the back of the vehicle seat? I guess I\’m confused because the photos above show a RFing seat facing to the right and the graph seems to show a RFing seat facing…left? Maybe you could label the vertical axis and/or flip the graph image for those of us with multiple small children, reading this while sleep deprived.
So, 4 year olds in boosters… We just moved our 45 lb 4 1/2 y.o. out of her Marathon (in order to graduate her 14 m.o. sister from the infant seat into the rear-facing convertible). We purchased a Graco Nautilus for her for our car, so she’s in 5-pt with us, but at the same time bought a high-back booster for carpooling, school trips, etc. My rationale: I’d rather have her strapped correctly into the high back booster (she has excellent car manners so maturity isn’t an issue, the trips in question are short so falling asleep isn’t an issue), than incorrectly strapped into her 5 point, which I see all the time in the school parking lot (and is confirmed by the number of kids who complain that I strap them in “too tight”; they’re clearly not accustomed to the Pinch Rule). I’m not particularly comfortable giving other parents a carseat safety lecture in the school parking lot, and it’s hard to screw up a booster (and my kiddo knows how to do it correctly, too). Plus, it’s WAY easier to plop a booster into someone else’s car during the morning rush on Field Trip days. Thoughts? I don’t want the convenience of “plopping the booster” to unduly influence my post-facto rationalization! But as the original post so aptly said, I’d rather learn that I made a mistake than remain “right” and jeopardize my child’s safety.
So, 4 year olds in boosters… We just moved our 45 lb 4 1/2 y.o. out of her Marathon (in order to graduate her 14 m.o. sister from the infant seat into the rear-facing convertible). We purchased a Graco Nautilus for her for our car, so she\’s in 5-pt with us, but at the same time bought a high-back booster for carpooling, school trips, etc. My rationale: I\’d rather have her strapped correctly into the high back booster (she has excellent car manners so maturity isn\’t an issue, the trips in question are short so falling asleep isn\’t an issue), than incorrectly strapped into her 5 point, which I see all the time in the school parking lot (and is confirmed by the number of kids who complain that I strap them in \"too tight\"; they\’re clearly not accustomed to the Pinch Rule). I\’m not particularly comfortable giving other parents a carseat safety lecture in the school parking lot, and it\’s hard to screw up a booster (and my kiddo knows how to do it correctly, too). Plus, it\’s WAY easier to plop a booster into someone else\’s car during the morning rush on Field Trip days. Thoughts? I don\’t want the convenience of \"plopping the booster\" to unduly influence my post-facto rationalization! But as the original post so aptly said, I\’d rather learn that I made a mistake than remain \"right\" and jeopardize my child\’s safety.
Great post, thanks. I also had a question about the rear-facing angle. I have 23 month old twins that still rear-face. We would like to keep them rear-facing as long as possible, but leg room for my husband when driving is also an issue. Are you saying that the seat can be RF at a 30 degree angle instead of 45 degrees, and at what age? You say “older” children or toddler, but the child in the photo appears to be a toddler but at 45 degrees. Is 45 safer than 30 for any age or less important for older toddlers? Please clarify! Thanks so much.
Nolan,
Older in this case is when they have head control, usually four to six months. Your twins can definitely sit more upright at 23 months old.
I linked to this post here: http://whatmollythinks.blogspot.com/2011/06/when-you-know-better.html
Great post- thank you so much. We have twin boys and keep Britax Roundabouts rear facing in our one vehicle and Cosco Scenceras rear facing in out other vehicle.
The boys are 14 months and about 20 lbs each. I’ve been thinking that upgrading coscos may be a good idea- what would you recommend?
We initially bought them because we were buying 4 seats and cost is always a factor.
I just had a conversation today about car seats and the laws in different states. I live in Virginia and our law is Age 8 or older to be out of a booster seat (Tennessee is the only state with a higher age restriction of 9 years old.) I questioned why there was such a difference from state to state. I understand that a child under the age of 8 should be in a booster/car seat, and that is a child over 8 does not fit the seat belt properly you should have a booster etc to make them safe. But the problem is that most parents beyond a certain age only use car seats and boosters because of compulsory laws and they do not take them seriously. Hence they are not using them correctly anyway. So are children in states with higher age/weight restrictions safer? Statistically this does not seem to be the case. I can only attribute that fact to using the seats correctly, or the need for them in general. I assume it is largely the incorrect use of the seats.
In states that require both age and weight I have concerns. Isn’t it the height of the child that matters and not the weight/age? By that I mean states that have the requirements of both age 8 and 80 lbs. What if you child who is 11 is not yet 80 lbs? What if they are thin but tall enough to be safe in a seat belt? The laws would make more sense if they actually equated with safety more directly. Some states do a good job of addressing height and of providing information on it. Age does not seem to mean a lot beyond say 5/6 years old. I guess what I am asking is if the safety of the car/booster seats is only slightly (less then 1-2%) more effective for older children then just a seat belt, according to government estimates, then why require children as old as 11/12 years old to use booster seats when they clearly do not need them? We chose to buy an expensive 5 point harness car seat for our 7 year old who was 5 at the time. It can be used as a 5 point harness until he is 85 lbs. We felt he needed it because he has Autism, but the law does not require it. I am happy to choose what we feel is safest for our child, but most children do not need a $300.00 car seat. I am all for child safety, I just think there needs to be room for intelligent thought and respect for parents to make the right choices. Some will not anyway, but the laws do not seem to change that fact. Just my opinion.
Twitter: RanaAurora
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Actually, you just don’t understand the laws right. You’re correct, 8 years old is a minimum for safety. However, a tall 11 year old who weighs 70 pounds, not 80, is allowed out of a belt — why? Because the laws say 8 years old AND 80 pounds OR 4’9″. Or often, they negate the weight altogether.
YEs, the height when it comes to boosters is much more important than the weight (though lower weight children are at much more risk of sliding under the belt, which is part of the reason for a minimum weight as well). But their age IS also very important. For example, when going from a harness to a booster, the 4-6 years old range is important, no sooner, not only because of maturity and like I said, risk of smaller children being too little to be restrained by the belt, but also because the lap portion of the belt relies on the pelvic bones and spine (the lower part) and the hip bones to hold the child. That doesn’t begin to fuse until around 4, so a child younger wouldn’t have the bone strength to prevent the belt from causing extreme damage all on it’s own.
So, your concerns are valid, but there is more thought into the laws than you understood.
You’re right — age doesn’t mean THAT much beyond the point where the cervical spine has fused to help take neck impact, and the lumbar spine has fused to take belt impact, along with the maturity to use the belt correctly every single time and the height to fit the belt correctly on every part of the body and the weight to also fill out a belt designed to fit the average adult male also correctly.
But as you can see, that’s a lot of requirements, which no 5-6 year old fits, outside those with the rare medical problem that would make them exceptionally large… and in that case, they’d be more at risk because their spine is still the same strength as the children of smaller weight, so they’ve have more force working against an immature spine.
Basically, let me put it like this — any excuse to try to move a child to a next step prematurely, claiming they’re an exception, is just a risk to their life. They need to be kept in each “stage” of car seat (RF, FFing, booster) as long as possible, until they literally have outgrown that stage. Then there is no question of their body’s ability to handle the next step. It’s really simple — it’s just a matter of changing the mental issue most parents have that has them convinced that somehow car seat safety interferes with a child’s mental health as they age. Ridiculous concept, but quite prevalent.
Hi! I’m a new reader to your blog and just wanted to say I bookmarked it right away! I am so excited to see all you have to share, especially in regards to car seat safety. I shared this link on my Facebook today, as I try to regularly post information about proper car seat/booster usage, especially with the number of people I see on daily basis using seats improperly.
Kudos!
Twitter: RanaAurora
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Thanks Amber! I’m glad you found us and enjoy what you’ve learned!
although children do “bend their legs even as they grow” they can end up parilized if they are over the reccomended weight and hight for rear facing and crash with their legs/feet between the car seat and back seat.
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
Which is why you never use a seat over the recommended weight or height. That has nothing to do with rear-facing safety.
When is it safe for a child to sit in the front seat? 12? Or, is it 12 and 100 pounds? (Or, does it vary from state-to-state or car-to-car?) Our oldest child is not close to either, but we were talking about this because of carpooling.
Thanks!
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
Best practice is kids 12 and under in the backseat. That means their 13th birthday should be their first venture up front! It even says this on most airbags as well.
I have to say…while proper car seat use is appropriate,car seats will only slightly improve your child’s outcome if you are in an accident.
The very best way to protect your children is to avoid accidents. Don’t use your phone while you drive, give yourself ample time to be where you need to be so you aren’t rushing, don’t drive exhausted, drive defensively and always stay alert. In the end, these are the most effective strategies to employ while driving, and better than any car seat in protecting your child from harm.
Twitter: RanaAurora
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Hardly. While everyone should absolutely drive as safely as possible, there are also hundreds of people on the road with you at any given moment who can make mistakes, might be tired, etc. I’ve been in a handful of accidents and NONE were my fault. Pretending like driving safe means you’ll never wreck is naive at best.
So yes, drive safe, but in the end, accidents are just that — accidents. You cannot prevent them. If you don’t protect your kids from EVERYONE ELSE on the road, they will get VERY hurt, and “slightly improve” the outcome? Significantly. SIGNIFICANTLY improve the outcome. It’s the difference between these news stories of an infant dead on the road because they flew out of the car, and one with bruises.
Please don’t undervalue the likelihood of accidents — they are very really, and painfully common, and using a car seat correctly can be the difference between life and death.
Christie recently posted..What To Do When You See Car Seat Misuse In a Friend’s Photo
I never said not to use car seats, or use them correctly. Just that it is a less effective way of protecting your children than driving defensively–if you fret over every detail of the car seat, but then get on your cell phone while driving around, you have just effectively erased any additional protection you gave your children.
Just because an accident may not be someone’s ‘fault’ legally does not mean it couldn’t have been avoided by the not-at-fault party. I say this as someone who was in an accident (a multiple car pile-up) that was not my fault, but which I could have avoided if I had been driving slower, been more alert, and left more space around my car. Can every accident be avoided by driving more carefully? No. Can most of them? Absolutely.
Understand: I speak as a professional risk analyst. Our job is to help people quit using intuition and emotion to evaluate risk, and to look at the hard numbers to help improve decisions.
The fact is, using a cell phone while driving increases your chance of accident by 400%. Insuring that you car seat is properly installed reduces the chances of death in an accident by around 70% for babies, by 50% for older kids. WHICH IS CLEARLY GREAT. But not as great as putting down the cell phone.
DO BOTH. I am not arguing that car seats are important. I am simply saying that driving more safely should be the priority. Car seats are only useful after our first and more effective line of defense has failed.
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
Thank you for your clarification. I suppose I’m especially sensitive because I’ve heard way too many times “I’m a safe driver” as an excuse to have an 8 month old forward facing, or a 3 year old in a booster.
However, I still hold that you CANNOT avoid accidents that not your fault a good majority of the time (how would I avoid being rear-ended at a stop light I was legally stopped at?), and I feel that you greatly underestimate the benefit of car seats. We’re not just talking about death either. There’s a whole slew of permanent injuries that happen for even one death.
Besides, the argument here is like saying if you don’t use a cellphone, and you can “avoid” other people hitting you (usually you can’t), then your seatbelt is less important than cellphone use.
I know that’s not what you mean, but it’s the implication. You have to be very aware of how others will read what you’re writing, and it’s irresponsible to make it sound as if defensive driving is going to save your kids more than a car seat will.
Christie recently posted..What To Do When You See Car Seat Misuse In a Friend’s Photo
That is what I am saying, though. If you look at actual statistics and odds, driving more carefully, and putting down the cell phone, is a better way to reduce harm to your children (and yourself) than making sure everyone is buckled up.
That is the only downside of seat belts, and cars touted for their safety. THEY ARE GOOD THINGS (I love nothing so much as a Volvo with a pair of carefully installed car seats). But they give people a false sense of security, a sense that they are now protected from all harm. You aren’t. A seat belt reduces risks, but it doesn’t eliminate them, not by a long stretch. And it doesn’t reduce those risks to the same degree that talking on a cell phone raises them, not by a long shot.
It’s an interesting psychology…universally, people get far more worked up about the risks that they perceive they can’t control, even if those risks are less likely. I see it every day…people come to a public meeting, up in arms about an environmentally contaminant that has a 1 in a million chance of giving them cancer…then they leave the meeting and light up a cigarette. They are hell bent on making that contaminant go away, but they won’t quit smoking.
We are hell-bent on accident-proofing our children, but too many moms (I see them!) don’t take the necessary steps, every day, every trip, to pay closer attention to the road and drive more carefully.
We fear the crazy drunk plowing into our family, when that’s far less likely to happen that US either plowing into someone because we are distracted, or allowing someone to plow into us because we are not paying enough attention to take evasive action. So we focus energy on controlling that external risk, and don’t devote significant attention to our own behavior.
Again, I am not saying car seats aren’t important, or that it isn’t important to use them correctly. I am just saying that they aren’t guaranteed to save your child if you get in an accident. Someone on a cell phone has the approximate driving skills of someone with a .08 Blood Alcohol Level. Put down the phone, put down the GPS,focus on the road, and keep ALL of us from having to put our car seats to the test.
Twitter: RanaAurora
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Oh, I completely understand! I very much agree that it doesn’t matter if your child is in the best seat possible if you’re driving like an idiot.
I just worry about what people who briefly skim your discussion points would conclude, you know?
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We rear-face to age 4 or more and harness to 8 or 9, however long they fit in the Frontier85. Nobody sits correctly 100% of the time. Even I probably don’t! Better safe than sorry.
And we’ll booster until the child is either 120 lbs. or 65 inches, no matter what as long as the booster fits. This is the Frontier85. NO reason to use a seatbelt when you can have the extra shell and head wings. I don’t care if my kids are 14! I would use it in the back if I fit.
Parents of dead kids from car accidents would agree with me. You can’t ever get a life back. Protect your kids to the MAX!
One thing not on here that is dangerous as well is the carry bar on infant carseats. It needs to be down and locked when in the car. Those activity bars and danglies might entertain your child but that bar can seriously harm them in a crash!
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
Actually, Mary, I didn’t include that because many infant seats that are newer allow the bar in multiple positions, including upright, as long as it’s “locked.” The Keyfit, for example. Read the manual for each seat!
But YES! No big toy bars across the handle.
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Twitter: soccermama777
says:
You don’t have anything about twisted straps – all the pics have nice clean flat straps and my understanding is twisted straps are almost as bad as loose straps.
He’s not safe if his shoulders are already above the slot forward-facing — it’s bad for his spine in an accident. or 65 inches, no matter what as long as the booster fits.
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Can most of them? I say this as someone who was in an accident (a multiple car pile-up) that was not my fault, but which I could have avoided if I had been driving slower, been more alert, and left more space around my car.
Thank you so much for your sharing. I know it is so important for a little baby have a right and safe car seat. I and my husband have spend a lot of time on buying and installing the baby seat, and lucky to enter into your blog. I appreciate that you are so kind to provide this informative info to us.
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Another terrific post. I love that you took the time and effort to clearly picture the RIGHT way and the WRONG way. Vehicular accidents continue to be the #1 killer of children outside their own homes. This post will help many, many people keep their children safer. Thank you!
My middle child ( Drama queen Aleena ) use to give such a hard time about having her buckle so tight. She would cry scream and just made me never want to leave the house with her…. lol Any who i made it a game to buckle her up. I act as if it is very hard for me to clip her in and i grunt lol With each clip we high five
WE are now able to drive away from our home WITHOUT drama queen Leena screaming lol Making it a game has helped in all our uncomfortable car seat buckling safeness. Thanks for the article. I am always looking for great ways to educate all that i come across.
I had to correct a 15 yr old who I was giving a ride to when she tried that trick! I am so excited to see all you have to share, especially in regards to car seat safety. In the graph of seat angles RFing…if the horizontal black line is ground level and the angled green lines are the back of the car seat…is the vertical black line supposed to represent the back of the vehicle seat? I’ve been in a handful of accidents and NONE were my fault.
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This is such a fantastic post! Another terrific post. I am all for child safety, I just think there needs to be room for intelligent thought and respect for parents to make the right choices. That doesn’t begin to fuse until around 4, so a child younger wouldn’t have the bone strength to prevent the belt from causing extreme damage all on it’s own.
If that’s out of your price range, a Graco Nautilus is another great option, but it doesn’t last quite as long in any way, and is only about $40 cheaper. We’re not just talking about death either.
I told her in no uncertain terms that this is unsafe and she must NEVER do it again because it could hurt her. SIGNIFICANTLY improve the outcome. The issue is that cars aren’t made for smaller adults.
I don’t care if my kids are 14! No.
Put down the phone, put down the GPS,focus on the road, and keep ALL of us from having to put our car seats to the test. Because the laws say 8 years old AND 80 pounds OR 4’9″. Kids are smart, just don’t make it an option to be unsafe in a car and they will not fight you (much) on it. My daughter is VERY strong-willed and stubborn but this is not something we have ever battled over because there are no choices here.
Plus, it\’s WAY easier to plop a booster into someone else\’s car during the morning rush on Field Trip days. However, a tall 11 year old who weighs 70 pounds, not 80, is allowed out of a belt — why?
I do agree that he NEEDS to be put in something else though. I am not arguing that car seats are important. Our 4 yr old is in 5pt and has absolutely no issues about it- we’ve spent time talking about safety and why we use our seat belts and how to use them correctly. What’s a parent supposed to do, keep their 14, 16, 18, 20 year old in a booster?
By that I mean states that have the requirements of both age 8 and 80 lbs. Glad you’re observant! I just worry about what people who briefly skim your discussion points would conclude, you know?
What if they are thin but tall enough to be safe in a seat belt? YEs, the height when it comes to boosters is much more important than the weight (though lower weight children are at much more risk of sliding under the belt, which is part of the reason for a minimum weight as well). That means their 13th birthday should be their first venture up front! Another terrific post.
But YES! I live in Virginia and our law is Age 8 or older to be out of a booster seat (Tennessee is the only state with a higher age restriction of 9 years old.) I questioned why there was such a difference from state to state. A seat belt reduces risks, but it doesn’t eliminate them, not by a long stretch. When is it safe for a child to sit in the front seat?
We purchased a Graco Nautilus for her for our car, so she’s in 5-pt with us, but at the same time bought a high-back booster for carpooling, school trips, etc. So question: My 4.5-year old is currently in a cheapie car seat that only goes to 40 lbs. Or, is it 12 and 100 pounds? LOL, My mom used to tell us “The car can’t go until everyone is buckled.” But years later, I don’t even think about my seat belt – I just put it on automatically.
I would use it in the back if I fit. I’m glad you found us and enjoy what you’ve learned!
I shared this link on my Facebook today, as I try to regularly post information about proper car seat/booster usage, especially with the number of people I see on daily basis using seats improperly. although children do “bend their legs even as they grow” they can end up parilized if they are over the reccomended weight and hight for rear facing and crash with their legs/feet between the car seat and back seat. I know that’s not what you mean, but it’s the implication. I also had a question about the rear-facing angle.
Once — only once — my daughter pulled her chest clip down to sit across her tummy while driving (she’s 3). I know it is so important for a little baby have a right and safe car seat. It’s unsafe to have him in his current seat. She even corrected me the other day when I thought I had it tight enough but apparently it didn’t meet her satisfaction.
The laws would make more sense if they actually equated with safety more directly. Besides, the argument here is like saying if you don’t use a cellphone, and you can “avoid” other people hitting you (usually you can’t), then your seatbelt is less important than cellphone use. Our job is to help people quit using intuition and emotion to evaluate risk, and to look at the hard numbers to help improve decisions.
If you look at actual statistics and odds, driving more carefully, and putting down the cell phone, is a better way to reduce harm to your children (and yourself) than making sure everyone is buckled up. Thank you for your clarification.