It's Child Passenger Safety Week and as promised, I'll be sharing more about carseat safety. While I am well educated and incredibly passionate on the subject, I am not a certified expert. That being said, I always suggest reaching out to Safe in the Seat if you need help, she is a CPST (certified child passenger safety technician).
A carseat is a life saving device, but it can only do that when being used correctly. Sadly, nearly half of all carseats are being used incorrectly. When they are used correctly they can reduce the risk of a fatal injury by up to 71% - wow!
Let's talk about some common misuses I see all the time:
Improperly installed carseats - this is a big one. There seems to be a a lot of confusion over who can install your seat, where, and how. Well to start - you can and should install it yourself, and you can find out where and how by reading your manual. People tend to rely on Fire and Police stations to install their seats, but this is not good practice as most of those places have well intentioned, but unexperienced people trying to help. If you're wanting help installing your seat find a CPST to teach you.
Using aftermarket products. You know those cute little head rests you see sold and gifted at baby showers? Yea, they're not safe. If it did not come with the carseat, do not use it. Carseats are tested for safety using just the materials they came with, adding items can alter the way the seat functions in a crash - not good. The same often goes for those mats people use under the seat to protect their vehicle seat. Your manual will tell you if this is allowed, I generally advise against it regardless as it can mess with a proper install.
Not using the right seat. You can research top rated carseats all day and read the reviews, but the fact is that all carseats on the market are equally safe when used correctly. There's no standardized testing in the US, the testing you may see is paid for by the various manufacturers. It's really going to be specific based on your vehicle, passengers, needs, and budget. Now, some seats have more functions or are better designed to make them a better option for families. For instance, we love the Nuna Pipa and Rava for their sleek design, additional features, and the fact that they have great limits that allow them to fit very small babies, up to much older children. Beyond that, carseats have limits which need to be abided by to keep the child safe. Unfortunately state laws are not representative of this and the majority are way behind the times. Instead, let's rely on the studies that have been done. Science has taught us that children are safest rear facing until they max out the limits of their seat or a minimum of age 2. After that, they move into a forward facing harnessed seat. They should remain harnessed until at least age AND they can sit correctly 100% of the time (no slouching, leaning, wiggling around). From there the ability to graduate from a booster to just the seatbelt depends on the 5 Step Test. The final stage is that prized shotgun position - not before age 13!
Improperly restrained children. A properly installed seat that is the right fit for your child isn't going to do your job if the child is not buckled in correctly. See below for harnessed seats. For boosters and seatbelts you can refer to the above 5 Step Test. This also applies to bulky jackets - coats off in the carseat!
Using an expired carseat or a used one where you don't know the history. Wait, carseats expire? Yes! Carseats are made of plastic and after time and use, plastic begins to break down. Most have a lifespan of 6-10 years, but check your seat. There will be a sticker on it that says the manufactured date and the manual will tell you the lifespan. As for the used carseats - just don't buy one used. You don't know if it was in an accident or properly cared for. If you don't think you can afford a carseat, there are resources. There's also great convertible seats starting around $40.
I think that's enough of a starting point, haha. Some time in the future I'll do an individual post on each of these points because there is so much information to be shared. Please, if you have carseat safety questions reach out! I'm happy to help answer or point you to someone who knows. There's some really helpful resources here.
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