car seat information!

* Your carseat should be rear facing until baby is at least one year AND 20 lbs. The AAP recommends RFing your child for as long as possible, to the limits of their car seats.

* Check your owners manual for when to switch from an infant seat to convertible, most infant have a weight limit of around 22 lbs (though some go higher) OR have a height requirement of 1 inch of space between baby's head and top of the hard shell of the seat. If your child outgrows the infant seat by weight or by height you will still need to rearface to one year of age in a convertible seat

* You can rearface longer than a year, some convertible seats RF to around 33 lbs. It is safest to leave baby rear-facing as long as possible. Here’s a video about extended rearfacing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8

* Do not install your carseat with LATCH and the seat belt at the same time. Seats are not tested using both methods, this could be dangerous. Pick ONE method of installation only.

* The safest place to install the seat in your car is the one with the tightest fit. Seat should not move more than 1 inch at the base in either direction when installed correctly

* All car seats have a an expiration date. Most are 6 years from the date of Manufacture (DOM). It is not safe to use a seat beyond that date because they do start to degrade. http://home.comcast.net/~dcbsr/test/..._old_seat.mpeg

* Remember that the laws in place are really the MINIMUM guidelines, not the top.

* There are NO, I repeat NO after market products that are safe to use with your car
seat. http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/aftermarket.aspx

A few other useful videos:
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G59s3...related&search

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

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1) rear-end collisions are less frequent than front-end collisions

2) rear-end collisions statistically occur at much lower impact speeds than front-end collisions

3) side impact collisions are less dangerous when RFing because of the way the carseat rotates in a side-impact collision.

4.) A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times MORE likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash and that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing for as long as possible for the best protection and that there has never been a single reported case of hip/leg/foot injury from rear-facing.

5.)Even in a minor crash the seat MUST be replaced and I don't know of an insurance company that won't do it. Only Britax allows minor crashes to not replace seats (no air bags and no structural damage to the vehicle) ALL other seats must be replaced NO MATTER WHAT!

*NHTSA recommends that child safety seats be replaced following a moderate or severe crash in order to ensure a continued high level of crash protection for child passengers.


*NHTSA recommends that child safety seats do not automatically need to be replaced following a minor crash. (Most car sear manufacturers do though, Britax is the ONLY one that doesn't)


* Minor crashes are those that meet ALL of the following criteria:

The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site;

The vehicle door nearest the safety seat was undamaged;

There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants;

The air bags (if present) did not deploy; AND

There is no visible damage to the safety seat


* Clarifying the need for child seat replacement will reduce the number of children unnecessarily riding without a child safety seat while a replacement seat is being acquired, and the number of children who will have to ride without a child seat if a seat were discarded and not replaced. The clarification will also reduce the financial burden of unnecessary replacement.

LATCH INSTALLATION

In most cars you can not use LATCH in the center position. Check your car manual. If it does not specifically tell you it is okay to use center LATCH then it is not safe.

Even if you have only one carseat installed, there are structural issues to consider. i believe that the LATCH pairs are supposed to be reinforced by a structural bar behind the sheet metal. i believe that one seat is supposed to be supported by one contiguous bar, via the LATCH anchor on each end of said bar. by attaching the carseat to the center position, using one LATCH anchor from each side, the carseat is not utilizing one dedicated reinforcement bar.

this is how it looks:

o__________o o__________o

some vehicles that allow center latch have this:

o__________o_______o__________o

or this (one extra center anchor to be used with one outboard anchor):

o__________o______o o__________o

or this (three dedicated pairs):

o__________o o______o o__________o

Rear Facing is the Safest Way to Travel

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing for as long as possible (to the limits of a convertible seat) for the best protection, which would be to 30-35 lbs. OR when the head is 1-inch from the top of the carseat.

When a child is forward-facing, there is a lot of stress put on his/her neck in a crash. The weight of a child's head in a crash causes the spinal column to stretch...the spinal cord, however, is NOT meant to stretch! This can cause a tear...which means paralysis or even death. This is referred to as "internal decapitation"...the child's head would be slumped forward and it would look as though he/she was sleeping. It doesn't matter if the child has great head control...that means nothing. New data is showing that a forward-facing child is 4 times more likely to be seriously injured or killed than a rear-facing child of the same age.

(note: having a carseat that allows tethering RFing reduces this risk (only two brands on the market currently allow this feature, Britax and Sunshine kids, soon Recaro will have a convertible carseat out that also allows RFing tether). New carseats can almost always can be tethered FFing which reduces head excursion in an accident. Even older cars can be retrofitted to add Top Tether Anchors)

Rear-facing seats do such a great job of protecting children because the back of the carseat absorbs the crash forces. The child's head, neck, and spine are kept in alignment, allowing the carseat to absorb the forces. The child's head is also kept contained in the carseat, decreasing the risk of coming into contact with projectiles.

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WHY TAKE A CAR SEAT ON A PLANE?!


1) SAFETY ON THE FLIGHT! Contrary to popular belief, most plane crashes are survivable. They usually happen on the runway during take off or landing. Proper restraint decreases the risk of injury. Even some more severe crashes (such as the one in Souix City are quite survivable. And, of course, Turbulance can be quite severe, so using a car seat can provide some added protect there as well.

2) Safety on the ground! Children need to use their safety seats on the trip to and from the airport. The best way to ensure that your child has a seat when you get off the plane is to use it on the plane. Airlines have been known to damage or lose seats that are sent down with the checked baggage. While some vehicle rental places do offer safety seats for rent, they do not guaranty that the seat you requested will be there for you or that it will be in usable condition (i.e., no missing parts, no recalls, etc).

3) Comfort and convenience! Small children sometimes don't fit in a plane seatbelt at all. Most children are also more comfortable in their own car seat than in the adult seat on a plane. They usually find it easier to sleep. Additionally, because children are used to remaining buckled in their seats in the car, it's usually much easier to convince them to stay buckled in their car seat on the plane. Even well meaning children can get distracted and play with the flippy part of a plane seat buckle.

This accident happened on I-75 in Georgia. The woman driving the vehicle was killed. There was no child in the seat at the time of the accident.

The cover was ripped from the seat during the accident and can be seen in the lower left hand corner of the picture.

Warning these might be disturbing to some (all) of us.

Please keep the family in your thoughts.

http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_137101424.html

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../accident2.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../accident1.jpg

Awesome job! I just wish LATCH could be used to higher weight limits. But Canada needs higher weight seats too, so you probably don't have the problem US people do.

Great point! Even in a minor crash the seat MUST be replaced and I don't know of an insurance company that won't do it. Only Britax allows minor crashes to not replace seats (no air bags and no structural damage to the vehicle) ALL other seats must be replaced NO MATTER WHAT!

Liz, I actually prefer the belt install. I think it's easier in most cases. If you come across that let me know because I've always read they are equal.