PARENTS FIGHTING.
Parents are fighting the battle to protect their kids when traveling by car. They seek out the best model kids car seats and struggle with the often frustrating and awkward process of installing the seat properly in the confined space of their vehicle.
DONT GIVE UP!
Don't give up - This is one battle that you must win with the difference between success and failure literally being the difference between life and death.
Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. Putting children in age and size appropriate car and booster seats reduces serious and fatal injuries. Infant seats by 71% and toddler seats by 54%
All children up to 8 years of age must be secured in an appropriate child restraint system commonly called a baby booster seat or a children's car seat.
NHTSA (http://www.nhtsa.gov)research shows that 8,325 lives of children under 5 have been saved by the proper use of child restraints during the past 30 years. Child restraints offer the best protection up to the age of 8 years, after which normal seat belts provide the best protection. Volvo Cars of North America a company renowned for its pioneering contributions to vehicle safety recommend that the safest place for all children up to 12 years of age is in the back!
Baby Booster Compass B510 (NHTSA tests resulting 5 x 5 star) - How Good is THAT?
80% of children's car seats are found not to have been installed correctly yet children located securely in properly fitted car seats have emerged from horrendous crashes with barely a scratch.
1. Rear-facing Child Safety Seats - Infants up to minimum 1 year old or 20 pounds in weight.
2. Child Safety Seats - When they are too large for the rear-facing seats (minimum 1 year or 20 pounds) they should ride in a forward-facing child safety seats, secured via the LATCH/ISOFIX or seatbelt (preferably in the middle seat) until they are aged around 4 years or 40 pounds.
3. Booster Seats - For older kids, booster seats are generally located on the driver or passenger sides so as to make use of the car's safety belts. Both the booster seat and the car's safety belt should be adjusted so that the child is protected properly with the shoulder strap covering the shoulders and not across the neck.
They should ride in booster seats until the vehicles normal seat belts fit them properly, in that the lap belt lays across the upper thigh and the shoulder belt fits properly across the chest and usually that is when the child is at least 4' 9" tall.
Generally it is recommended that children should always ride in the back seat even when they are big enough to be wearing the normal vehicle seat belts.
Installing a Child Safety Seat.
If you are not using the services of a certified installer check your vehicle owner's manual to see if they recommend a make and model safety seat and follow their instruction for correct installation. Also read and understand the instructions from the make of the car seat itself. If you are in any doubt have your seat installed by a certified professional and at least have your own installation checked out by a certified technician.
This is important - Choose a seat with 5 or 6 point harness. Safety seats MUST be firmly strapped in place, lean down heavily on it to push the seat down whilst strapping it in place and adjust the straps of the seat itself so that the chest plate or clasp is positioned up under the armpit level so as to prevent the child slipping out. Once a seat is installed correctly you should not be able to move it more than an inch. If it is just too awkward to push the seat down whilst strapping it in then get someone else to help add the weight to it.
As a parent or guardian it is your responsibility to provide the child safety seat to anyone else who transports your child. All children under 8 years of age must be transported only in the back seat of a motor vehicle and they must be secured with a safety belt system that is appropriate for their age and weight. A child weighing more than 40 pounds may be secured in the back seat of a motor vehicle wearing only a lap seat belt but then only if the vehicle does not have any lap and shoulder belts provided for the back seat.
The airbag systems usually found in modern vehicles are designed to offer protection to adults but in fact front and side impact airbags can be hazardous to children who should always be in the back and correctly positioned in children's car safety seats appropriate for their age and weight. If all else fails and you just have to put your kid in the front then use their safety seat with the vehicle passenger seat pushed back as far as it will go and turn the passenger airbag system off.
Article by Rosemary Nettleton
Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. Putting children in age and size appropriate car and booster seats reduces serious and fatal injuries. Infant seats by 71% and toddler seats by 54%
All children up to 8 years of age must be secured in an appropriate child restraint system commonly called a baby booster seat or a children's car seat.
NHTSA (http://www.nhtsa.gov)research shows that 8,325 lives of children under 5 have been saved by the proper use of child restraints during the past 30 years. Child restraints offer the best protection up to the age of 8 years, after which normal seat belts provide the best protection. Volvo Cars of North America a company renowned for its pioneering contributions to vehicle safety recommend that the safest place for all children up to 12 years of age is in the back!
Baby Booster Compass B510 (NHTSA tests resulting 5 x 5 star) - How Good is THAT?
80% of children's car seats are found not to have been installed correctly yet children located securely in properly fitted car seats have emerged from horrendous crashes with barely a scratch.
1. Rear-facing Child Safety Seats - Infants up to minimum 1 year old or 20 pounds in weight.
2. Child Safety Seats - When they are too large for the rear-facing seats (minimum 1 year or 20 pounds) they should ride in a forward-facing child safety seats, secured via the LATCH/ISOFIX or seatbelt (preferably in the middle seat) until they are aged around 4 years or 40 pounds.
3. Booster Seats - For older kids, booster seats are generally located on the driver or passenger sides so as to make use of the car's safety belts. Both the booster seat and the car's safety belt should be adjusted so that the child is protected properly with the shoulder strap covering the shoulders and not across the neck.
They should ride in booster seats until the vehicles normal seat belts fit them properly, in that the lap belt lays across the upper thigh and the shoulder belt fits properly across the chest and usually that is when the child is at least 4' 9" tall.
Generally it is recommended that children should always ride in the back seat even when they are big enough to be wearing the normal vehicle seat belts.
Installing a Child Safety Seat.
If you are not using the services of a certified installer check your vehicle owner's manual to see if they recommend a make and model safety seat and follow their instruction for correct installation. Also read and understand the instructions from the make of the car seat itself. If you are in any doubt have your seat installed by a certified professional and at least have your own installation checked out by a certified technician.
This is important - Choose a seat with 5 or 6 point harness. Safety seats MUST be firmly strapped in place, lean down heavily on it to push the seat down whilst strapping it in place and adjust the straps of the seat itself so that the chest plate or clasp is positioned up under the armpit level so as to prevent the child slipping out. Once a seat is installed correctly you should not be able to move it more than an inch. If it is just too awkward to push the seat down whilst strapping it in then get someone else to help add the weight to it.
As a parent or guardian it is your responsibility to provide the child safety seat to anyone else who transports your child. All children under 8 years of age must be transported only in the back seat of a motor vehicle and they must be secured with a safety belt system that is appropriate for their age and weight. A child weighing more than 40 pounds may be secured in the back seat of a motor vehicle wearing only a lap seat belt but then only if the vehicle does not have any lap and shoulder belts provided for the back seat.
The airbag systems usually found in modern vehicles are designed to offer protection to adults but in fact front and side impact airbags can be hazardous to children who should always be in the back and correctly positioned in children's car safety seats appropriate for their age and weight. If all else fails and you just have to put your kid in the front then use their safety seat with the vehicle passenger seat pushed back as far as it will go and turn the passenger airbag system off.
Article by Rosemary Nettleton
Great Stuff on Amazon
To view the bay booster seat that received the NHTA 5 x 5 star rating: Booster Compass B510 (NHTSA tests result 5 x 5 star) - How Good is THAT?
All children up to 8 years of age must be secured in an appropriate child restraint system commonly called a baby booster seat or a children's car seat.
The First Years Compass B510 Deluxe Folding Adjustable Booster Car Seat - Aspen
To view the bay booster seat that received the NHTA 5 x 5 star rating: Booster Compass B510 (NHTSA tests result 5 x 5 star) - How Good is THAT?
Amazon Price: $84.31 (as of 07/09/2009) 
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