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The Importance of Using the Correct Baby Seat / Car Seat for your Baby during Transport
Many parents appreciate the requirements for a car seat or transport capsule for their kids, but regrettably, there are still many who do not have an understanding of this important requirement.
Car or Baby Seats save lives- A baby is too precious to leave in anything less then the correct car seat or capsule when being transported around. I will do my best to explain the importance of this, as well as the different styles, and types of car seats. Among the easiest mistakes to avoid is to just make sure that your child is in the correct car seat for his age and that he is facing the right direction. Infants should be in a rear facing infant only seat or convertible seat until they are 1 year old AND twenty pounds or ten kilos. Anyone who suggests that it is OK to place an infant in the forward facing direction is wrong. The reason for this is that the infant is unable to support the weight of their head, and in the event that you need to stop suddenly, the head will force itself back into the seat, rather then the baby suffering from whip lash, and having the head spring forward where it is unsupported. Children who reach ten kilos before their first birthday still need to face backwards and can be moved into a rear facing convertible seat. Smaller infants who don't reach 10 kilos until after their first birthday should also continue to face backwards. This is more a minimum though. Many people advocate continuing to sit toddlers rear facing in a convertible seat until they outgrow it for added safety. In all cases, it is safer for the baby, to face the rear for as long as possible. Further, it should be noted that some car seats are marketed as being safe for babies from birth, but we found that one of the car seats we bought that said this, was really only suitable from six months. The reason we say this is that the seat did not have enough padding around the head to fully support the head. Again, I always advocate greater safety, and not being sorry later.
After they are ten kilos and have passed their first birthday, toddlers can use a forward facing car seat (either a convertible, combination or forward facing seat) until they are about 20 kilos. Children over twenty kilos should be placed into a belt positioning booster seat (either a combination seat or booster seat) and they will usually stay in it until they are at least 8 years old.
You should not use your car's regular seat belts until they fit correctly when your child is about 40 kilos and is one and a half metres tall. Remember that your child will not be ready to use regular seat belts until the shoulder strap fits across his shoulder and not his neck, and the lap belt fits across his hips and not his stomach.
All children under 12 years of age should be placed in the back seat of the car, especially if you have passenger side air bags. While mentioning air bags, may I very strongly suggest that under no circumstances, should a child seat be placed in the front seat of the car- particularly, if the car is fitted with air bags.
The deployment of an airbag can kill a baby, or cause severe damage. If you only have a car with front seats, there is usually an option to disable the air bag in the front passenger seat. Once you have the right seat, it is easy to make mistakes by not securing the seat correctly in your car or not securing your child correctly in the seat. Common mistakes when using a car seat include:
• having harness straps too loose or in the wrong position • having a harness chest clip in the wrong position • not locking the seat belt properly with a locking clip, seat belt retractor or locking latch plate. Keep in mind that newer seat belt systems have a built-in locking mechanism. • not securing the car seat correctly, by either using the wrong seat belt path or not making the seat belts tight enough placing an infant seat in the path of an air bag.
Other mistakes to avoid depend on what type of seat you are using. In addition to following these tips, you should also read your car seat's instructions. A recent study showed that many of these instructions are difficult to understand by many parents, so if you don't understand what you are doing, either call the manufacturer or go to a car seat inspection station to see if you are using your seat correctly. To make installation even easier, consider getting a car seat and car that has the new LATCH system, which doesn't need to use your car's set belts. LATCH tether anchors can also be added to older cars.
When using an infant seat, make sure that: • the harness chest clip is correctly positioned at your child’s armpit level so that the shoulder straps will be in the correct position • the harness straps are snug and straight • rear-facing harness straps are positioned at, or slightly below, your child’s shoulders • the seat reclines at about a 45 degree angle • you never place an infant in a rear-facing child restraint in the front seat of a car with a passenger side air bag When using a rear facing convertible seat, make sure that: • harness straps on rear-facing seats are positioned at, or slightly below, your child’s shoulders • the harness chest clip is in the correct location at your child's armpit level • the harness straps are snug and straight • the seat reclines at about a 45 degree angle When using a forward facing convertible seat, make sure that: • The harness straps on forward-facing restraints are positioned at, or slightly above, your child’s shoulders. You should be using the top set of harness slots for convertible child safety seats. • the harness straps are snug and straight • the harness chest clip is positioned at your child’s mid-chest or armpit area. When using a forward facing combination seat, make sure that: • harness straps would be positioned at, or slightly above, your child’s shoulders. • at 20 kilos, you remove the harness straps and use your car's lap/shoulder belt, especially if the harness straps are below the child’s shoulders. • you stop using a shield booster once your child is 20 kilos When using a belt-positioning booster seat, make sure that:
• you always use the lap/shoulder belt combination with a belt-positioning booster. Never use a lap belt only. This includes no back and high back booster seats. • the shoulder belt rests snugly across chest, rests on shoulder; and should NEVER be placed under the arm or behind the back. • the lap-belt should rest low, across the lap/upper thigh area, and not across the stomach. You should also avoid using a car seat that has: • been recalled • involved in a crash • is more than 10 years old (or depending on the manufacturer, • more than 5-6 years old) • doesn't have a label with the date it was manufactured and the seat name or model number • doesn't have instructions • is missing parts or has cracks in the frame
I have included a link below to a review page on different car seats for your consideration. I have found it to be a good source of product information. For more information, click on car seat information for your baby here.
I have also felt it would be beneficial to provide two links below- one to a Victirian government page on child safety as well as a link to the Royal Children's Hospital of Melbourne, on child safety material and pdf files. Wherever possible, I have tried to provide relevant information as well as links to relevant resources for your information gathering. I trully hope I have managed to help you in your quest to select a suitable child seat for your child.
I have also included a link here to a site about car seats for babies. I feel it is important to see a number of sites for you to get a good feel for the style and type of seat you would like.
One final point on car seat safety is a new website I have come across, which ranks car seats in the order of the dangerous chemicals that are used in their manufacture. This is an issue that is gaining media attention, as we are able to significantly increase our children's safety by adhering to these recommendations. the site below helps parents to rank seats in order, and to potentiallpy buy the seats with the lowest toxic chemicals in them, to prevent unnecessary illness in their kids, with repspect to skin irritations and the like. For more information, go to healthy car seats here.
I have also included a link here for another source for online baby seats.
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