Is your child’s car seat safe? Let a professional check it.
Parents fasten children into car seats thinking they’re ensuring the child’s safety. But chances are, unless the seat was checked by a certified professional, it’s not safe. Car-seat installation varies based on what type of car parents have and what type of car seat they’re using. Even if parents read the installation instructions provided with the seat and in the vehicle’s owner’s manual, few know the difference between an emergency locking retractor and a latch plate.
That’s why it’s important that parents seek out a technician certified in car-seat safety to demonstrate proper installation and use. Certification requires more than 30 hours of training, which shows parents just how complicated car seats can be. Here are some of the common mistakes made with car seats: Facing the seat forward too soon. Car seats should face toward the rear of the car until the child is at least 1 year old and weighs 20 pounds.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping the seat rear-facing for as long as the manufacturer’s instructions allow. Upon impact, a rear-facing seat absorbs most of the force. In forward-facing arrangements, the body absorbs the impact, and an infant’s neck and spine are not developed enough to handle the force without injury. Allowing the seat or harness to be too loose. Once installed, a seat should not be able to be jiggled from side to side or front to back.
The harness straps should be at or below the child’s shoulders for a rear-facing seat or at or above the shoulders for forward-facing. Parents can check for proper tightness of the straps by trying to pinch them at the shoulder. The harness should not gather between the fingers. To keep the harness snug, bulky winter coats should be removed before the child is buckled in, and a blanket can be placed on the child for warmth after he or she is secured. Using a seat that’s unsafe.