Car Seat Safety
It was drilled into my head as a kid to always always have my seat belt on in the car. I was the kid who would chastise adults if they forgot to put on their seat belt. So it’s no surprise that I’m very careful with Kate’s car seat. It shouldn’t surprise me that not everyone is as anal as I am! So I figured I’d throw out a bunch of info. If you know it, ignore me. If you don’t, well maybe it can help you out. I’m not an expert, but I know where to find answers so if you are confused about anything just send me an email and I’ll try to find what you need.
Make sure you have a car seat that is properly installed. It needs to be in securely using either LATCH or seat belt, with less than 1″ of give along the belt path. I like mine to be in very securely, I literally lay across the seat or kneel in it to push it into the seat cushion as I fasten the seat belt. You can get your seats checked for free by a certified inspector, find one at seatcheck.org. Rear-facing seats need to be at a 45 degree angle for a newborn, but most (not all!) convertable seats can be installed more upright for older babies/toddlers. I have Kate’s installed at about a 35 degree angle, which is still well within the green zone on her seat indicator. (Not all seats have a nice little bubble like hers, some just have a level line.) Check your manual!
The harness needs to be snug! So many parents I see are nervous about this. You don’t need to hurt the child, but it does need to be firmly snug against their body with no slack – you shouldn’t be able to pinch any extra harness between your fingers. I pull the strap to tighten it first, then pull upwards at the shoulders to pull slack out from the hip area, then pull the strap again to make it nice and snug. If a harness is too loose it might not hold in the child in an accident. The straps should not be twisted at all, and never submerge them in water – spot-clean only.
That chest clip? It goes up at the level of their nipples/armpits. Not so high that it’s at their neck, but it does need to be high up on their chest. That clip holds the straps together, again so that the straps don’t slide apart in an accident, letting your child fly out.
When rear-facing the shoulder straps must be in a harness slot that is at or below their shoulders (as measured perpendicular to the seat back). (The reason for this is that when in an accident rear-facing the child’s body will slide up the seat back, so you want it snug to keep them from ramping up too far.) When forward facing the shoulder straps must be in a harness slot that is at or above their shoulders (as measured perpendicular to the seat back).
Nothing should be between your child and the car seat, or between your child and the harness. No aftermarket products (blankets, headrests, harness covers), no thick coats, no pillows. Only what came with your seat. In the winter take the heavy coat off before putting your kid in the seat. I dressed Kate in a fleece jacket and then put a blanket on her once she was strapped in.
Kids need to be rear-facing in a car seat to a bare minimum of 1 year old and 20lbs. That’s the law in every state, it is illegal to forward face them until then. The new recommendations from the AAP is to keep a child rear-facing until 2 years and 30lbs minimum, but to rear-face as long as you can to the extent of the seat’s height and weight limits. The reason for this is that most crashes – and the worst crashes – occur when you are in forward motion coming to a complete stop. When you are forward-facing you are thrown forward against the restraints. In a rear-facing seat the child’s movement is absorbed by the seat. A young child’s spine is not fully fused yet and their head size is much larger in proportion to their body than an adult, which puts them at a greatly increased risk of neck injuries. It is five times safer to be rear-facing. (Their feet can touch the seat back, their legs can be bent, it’s okay, they’re probably just as comfortable. No, seriously, kids have their legs folded all the time.)
Once they move to a forward-facing seat they need to stay in a five-point harness until a minimum of 4 years and 40lbs. They should not be moved to a booster until they are mature enough to stay seated in position every car ride – no falling asleep, moving the seat belt, etc – which typically is between 5 and 6 years old.
Kids need to be in a booster seat until they are 4’9″ (tall enough that the seat belt hits them properly across the shoulder, not the neck). This may not happen until they are 12! It has nothing to do with age and everything to do with height. Also childrens’ hips are not fully developed yet and the booster seat helps properly position the lap belt so it does not go across their belly. Not all boosters will properly position the belt for your child, make sure you try them out so that the fit is right.
Car seats expire! Check your seat for the stamped-on date. Some are 6 years, some 8, etc… depends on the manufacturer. The plastics in the seat start to break down over time and become brittle – not a good thing. Also, if your vehicle is in an accident the car seats need to be replaced. Insurance may cover it (but they may not want to), so check. This is why you should never get a used car seat, you don’t know its history.
And you? Make sure you wear your seat belt! If the shoulder is adjustable, make sure it crosses your shoulder for a good fit. Your kids need you to be safe, too.
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Kate’s still in her Graco MyRide 65 and I have to say, we love that seat! Now we have two different MyRides, one in my SUV and one in Den’s car; mine is the older model, Den’s is newer. Apparently they changed the buckle and harness straps. Plus of course a seat can behave a bit different in different vehicles. Well the one in my SUV I love love love. It is really easy to pull tight and release the buckle, it’s just been a great seat for us. The one in Den’s car I am less thrilled with. The buckle is much harder to snap together and it’s a bitch to pull tight enough! I’m going to uninstall it to see if there’s anything messing with it.
As for Kate, she is such an excellent car traveler! Every time I put her in it and strap her in she reaches for her car toys, giggles at herself in the mirror, and chills out. Not that I think the seat is solely responsible for that, but she clearly enjoys her time in the seat. What a change from when she was an infant… soon as she reached the point of being interested in what’s going on around her the car has been a much different experience.
Wish there was a “like” button for this. :)
I think you should add one more thing, about LATCH. The weight limit for using the LATCH may not be the same at the weight limit for the seat – you have to check the car seat manual AND your vehicle’s information on its LATCH bars. My son weighs 45 lbs and his heavy Britax is almost 20 lbs. The combined weight does not fit within the LATCH criteria, so I have use both the LATCH and the seat belt to install the car seat.
That is true, there is a pretty low weight limit for LATCH. And I hope you mean using LATCH until you have to use the seatbelt, not both at the same time, since that’s not safe either… just use the seatbelt. ;)
I really enjoyed reading this. I had also read about only spot cleaning car seat straps and had done so in the past but last weekend my daughter peed all over her straps and they reek now. I’ve tried the spray from the pet store to get rid of the smell of cat pee (it’s the strongest stuff out there, and conveniently also comes in a non-toxic form) but given the heat the carseat still smells. Any ideas? It’s a Britax so we were hoping to use it for at least another couple of years, so I’m definitely expecting more accidents along the way. Thanks!
Rachel, you might want to try contacting Britax to see if they might send you replacement straps or if they have any further suggestions on how you can safely clean the straps. Yuck, not nice! I read that you can try spraying them with a vinegar/water solution – lightly spray, don’t saturate. But that may help remove the pee smell when it dries.
My sister puts her kids’ coats on backwards once they’re in the car seat and buckled securely. I thought that was clever. I don’t have that problem very often. :)
As for the not falling asleep, moving around etc… I’m not old enough to be out of a 5 pt harness either then! haha.
LOL Barb. I actually know some people whose kids normally ride in just a booster but when they go on a long trip when the kids are likely to fall asleep they put them back in a 5-point harnessed seat!
Loved this…I am a freak about the kids car seats and how they are strapped into them correctly! I will have them in 5 point harnesses for as long as humanly possible. Several years ago I dated an EMT and he told me too many stories about kids in boosters (and older kids too) who would move the shoulder strap and then in an accident they would be thrown forward and the seat belt would basically crush their abdomen/hips and most of them died from internal injuries. I am not willing to take that chance…we shelled out the big dollars for the booster with 5 point harness that goes up to 65lbs+ and can accomodate a tall child like ours.
However…I did NOT know about not submerging the straps in water. Do you know why that is a recommendation? My son got car sick not too long ago and I totally dismantled and washed all of his Britax seat….I didn’t put the straps in the wash..but I ran them under the faucet and then hung them to dry…should I be worried? I do know that you can replace the straps on any Britax at Britax.com for not too much money. I replaced the straps and the buckles on his Britax because the crotch clip just never seemed to latch in easily and a few times it didn’t “click” and I went to get him out of the car to find one of the buckles undone…it freaked me out! So I just went to Britax.com and ordered the replacement for like $35! So worth the expense if you ask me.
I refuse to let anyone put my children in a different car seat or one not installed by me…whenever my sister or their Godmother takes them…we just trade cars…that way I know they are installed correctly (Plus my car has all the latest safety upgrades and that is important to me).
Glad to know I am not the only one out there that is totally anal about this. We did turn our son at 1 year old….but that was before the new recommendation…our Daughter will be rear facing for much longer…but luckily she and her brother like it that way….they can play together easier if they are facing each other… :)
Karaleen
Karaleen, the not submerging the straps is because it can affect the harness’ integrity. However it does seem that plain water has not been shown to reduce tensile strength, it’s the cleansers that can do that. However submerging in water can remove the fire-retardant chemicals. It’s probably fine, but of course that’s your call!
Holy smokes, finding the buckle undone would freak me out too! Good thing you were able to get that replaced. Definitely worth it.
Nat and Karlaleen,
My daughter is 4 and is around 38 pounds. Should she not be in a booster??? I am a bit freaked out by this. Nat, do you know which Britax Karaleen was talking about that goes up to 65 pounds??
This was very helpful to read. Thanks for taking the time to post it.
Shannon
You know I appreciate your car seat expertise since I’ve gotten to experience it firsthand! ;)
Thank you. I read your post twice to calm me. My husband wanted a second seat for his car for our five year, 44 pound boy. And I bought a booster. Tried not to faint thinking about him out of his five point restraint seat. That will still be his main seat at least. the booster scares me even with the belt positioner, and it is good by recommendations.
And here’s hoping my 1 year old, 25 pound boy slows down a little to stay rear facing for longer. Maybe I should wean him and slow down that weight gain? ;)
Hil
Hil, the research that has been done seems to show that after age 5 a properly positioned seatbelt is just as safe as a 5-point harness, as long as they are sitting up properly in their seat. I understand being scared, though!
Haha, I hope your 1 year old slows down a bit! But he still has a long ways to go to hit 40lbs (assuming you have a seat that rear-faces to 40), and most do slow down at this point!