Car Seat Confusion {Part 2: Car Seat Expert Q & A}

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girl in five point harness car seat Providence Moms Blog
Photo Credit: Are you my rick? | Flickr

 

For part two of our Car Seat Confusion Series, we held a Q & A with Diana Imondi, the Traffic Safety Programs Manager for AAA Northeast and Vice President of Safe Kids RI, an organization that addresses safety issues, including child passenger safety in Rhode Island! Diana gave us the low down on the difference between convertible and combination seats, rear facing kids with long legs, when your kiddo is ready for a booster seat, and more. Read on for all the info! (And for information on infant car seats check out Part 1 of this series!)

You are passionate about child passenger safety. How did that come about?
I had my son Christian in 2001. While I was pregnant I was very concerned about safety. I bought a safer car, purchased a Britax car seat, and thought I was taking all the steps to keep my son as safe as possible. About five years after having my son I took a course to become a nationally certified child passenger safety technician and realized I had been installing his car seat incorrectly all along! Soon after my certification, I was in an accident. It was the day of my son’s 6th birthday.

Like Diana, a car seat check saved her child from serious injury in a crash.  State Farm | Flickr

I felt so fortunate to have the knowledge to keep him in a 5 point harness. Had I transitioned him to a booster seat, that crash would have likely been the cause of significant injuries for Christian. This experience sparked a passion to share my knowledge with other parents. I became a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety instructor and now work with a team of instructors here in Rhode Island to train police officers, firefighters and EMT’s, health care professionals, and even some parents as technicians. In 2008, I applied to become a representative on the National Child Passenger Safety Board.

What are the most common car seat mistakes you see?
The most significant mistakes we see are related to transitioning children too quickly — moving a child from rear facing to forward facing too soon, from a 5 point harness to booster or from a booster to a standard seat belt. When involved in a crash, physics meets biology. Child safety seats are designed to “ride down” the forces of a crash on a child’s fragile body. The same crash that would cause an adult to experience “whiplash” could cause a young child a potentially fatal injury. This is why the AAAP and NHTSA policies are to keep children riding rear facing until a minimum of age two.

Another common mistake is in harnessing the child. You should not be able to pinch any slack in a harness. The chest clip should be positioned at arm pit level (not down near the child’s stomach). Also, be sure the harness is positioned through the correct slots in the car seat. Parents should use the slots just below a baby’s shoulders while they are rear facing and the slot at or just above the child’s shoulders once they transition to a forward facing seat.

How does a parent know when a child is ready for a new seat?
Children outgrow infant seats and car seats by height and weight. It’s easy to tell if they have outgrown their seat by height, just look to make sure the top of their head is at least an inch below the top of the seat’s hard plastic shell. Every seat sold in the United States is required to have a label (usually a large sticker) on the seat to indicate weight limits. Above all else, remember that a harness will protect a child better than a vehicle seat belt, which is designed for adults.

boy in five point harness carseat incorrectly Providence Moms Blog
This happy little guy needs his chest clip positioned higher (at armpit level) and there should be no extra slack in the straps. Glen Beltz | Flickr

Where can a parent get a car seat safety check?
Parents can use this link to find a technician in their area. Many police stations have a technician who can assist, just call in advance. Additionally, Safe Kids RI has a schedule of “check-up events.” Follow them on Facebook for a schedule of events!

Car seat safety checks are free and can save lives! State Farm | Flickr

At what age can a child be forward facing?
By Rhode Island law, a child can be turned forward facing once they reach two years of age or 30 pounds. This is for developmental reasons. American Academy of Pediatrics policy uses age two as a minimum. It’s safest to keep children rear facing until they reach the maximum weight of their rear facing (convertible) car seat.

“My child has long legs! Is it safe for them to be rear facing when their legs are squished?”
I will use the explanation of Dr. Marilyn Bull: children are flexible and are able to comfortably cross their legs. Data does not support evidence of leg injuries from car crashes, but we have a great deal of evidence that keeping them rear facing reduces the risk for brain and spinal cord injuries. Keep them rear facing as long as you can, even those with long legs.

Can you describe the differences between a forward facing seat and a booster seat? How we know which one is right for our child?
A forward facing car seat has a five-point harness system which ensures that the harness is restraining the child at the strongest parts of their body to distribute crash forces over a larger area to prevent injury. A seat belt meets their body at only three points. Both size and behavior should be considered. Evaluate whether the child can sit for the entire ride without wiggling out of the seat belt or pulling it behind their back; if they can still fit in the forward facing seat, it’s a safer choice for those children. Others may need more head support than a booster can offer. Children who still nap in the car are more comfortable in a seat with a back and head restraint. Certainly, once the child outgrows the forward facing car seat, it’s time to switch to a booster.

Four styles of child safety seats. NCDOT communications | Flickr

Any advice for moms who are overwhelmed with the number of choices available when choosing a seat for their little one?
Parents should use NHTSA’s Ease-of-Use chart which is a 5 point rating system. This website offers guidance on how easy it is it install the seat, harness the child, read the instructions, and outlines the weight limits of the seat.

Can you tell us a little about the LATCH system?
LATCH stands for lower anchors and tethers for children. The LATCH system in vehicles includes hardware referred to as lower anchors (located in the bite of the vehicle’s back seats) and top tether anchors. Car seats can be installed with either the vehicle’s seat belt OR the lower anchors attachments (but not both). There is a weight limit for use of lower anchors of 65 pounds, which accounts for the combined weight of the child and the car seat. Once a child reaches 40 pounds it is recommended that the car seat is installed using the seat belt rather than the lower anchors. On the car seat, you will find a top tether which should be used when installing all forward facing car seats. Top tethers reduce head excursion in a crash to prevent head, neck and spinal cord injury.

Any advice you’d like to add for the moms reading this?
I would love to remind parents to make sure they are wearing seat belts themselves! Avoid distracted driving and be mindful of taking children out of the car immediately when arriving at their destination. (Vehicular heatstroke deaths are tragedies that can be prevented.)

 

Fluffy strap covers like the ones in this photo can cause your baby to be ejected from her seat in a crash. Never add anything to your child’s seat that did not come included by the manufacturer. Intel Free Press | Flickr

Don’t forget to check out Part One of this series all about infant carseats!