When baby's on board: using child safety seats correctly

For those who may not be aware of it, January is “Baby Safety Month," and as a result, it seems like the perfect time to remind parents of the correct way to use child safety seats when traveling with their young ones.

Although it is a proven fact that car safety seats save lives, thousands of small children continue to die or are badly injured in car crashes each year because their parents never learned the correct way to use them safely. In fact, AAA reported that as many as three out of four parents use the wrong kind of seat for their child.

First, all infants need to be placed in rear-facing seats until they are one year old and weight more than 20lbs. While some parents may think it is ok to change over to front facing seats earlier if the baby is over 20lbs, they are making a grave mistake. It is not so much the weight that counts, but the infant’s overall physical development. A baby’s neck is simply not developed sufficiently before its first birthday to support its head. Similarly, toddlers over 20lbs should not ride in booster seats until they have outgrown the height and weight limits of forward facing seats as specified by each individual manufacturer.

There are two types of rear-facing seats. “Infant Only” car seats are small and have carrying handles. They often come with bases that can be left in the car so all you have to do is click them in and out of the base without having to reinstall them every time you use them. Additional bases can also be bought so you can use the same seat in different vehicles. Many models of Infant Only seats can hold babies up to 30lbs.

The second type of rear-facing seats is “convertible” models. This means that they can also be used in forward facing positions as the child grows. These have both overhead shields (padded tray-like protectors that swing down over the baby) and t-shields that attach to the shoulder straps of a five point harness system that goes around the shoulders, hips and between the baby’s legs.

The safest place to install all car seats is usually in the center of the backseat because it is the farthest from points of impact if the vehicle is hit from the sides. The proper way to use a rear facing seat is to make sure it is securely installed and that the harnesses fit snuggly in all slots without going higher than the infant’s shoulders. Check your seatbelts and (if you are using a convertible seat) make sure they are locked through the right path as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Never install the seat in front of an airbag. If the airbag deploys it may hit your baby’s head.

Booster seats are for very young children who have outgrown their forward facing car seats are often not big enough to use an adult seatbelt. If you have any questions concerning the safety standards of any car seat, including whether that particular model has ever been involved in a recall, consider contacting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA for assistance.save lives, thousands of small children continue to die or are badly injured in car crashes each year because their parents never learned the correct way to use them safely. In fact, AAA reported that as many as three out of four parents use the wrong kind of seat for their child.

*Article excerpted with permission from Diana's book Car Ownership for Women