Why Child Car Seats?
Bottom line, car seats save lives!
“The most dangerous thing that U.S. children do as part of daily life is ride in a car,” writes Benjamin Hoffman, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention Executive Committee. “Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for children 4 years and older.”
The AAP goes on to say that using the correct car safety seat or booster seat can help decrease a child’s risk of death or serious injury by over 70 percent.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates concur that proper use of car seats could reduce infant deaths in car crashes by 71 percent, and deaths of children between the ages of one and four by 54 percent. Other studies have estimated that rear facing restraints reduce the risk of serious injury by about 80-90 percent.
It is important to correctly secure your child in a properly sized and installed car seat.
And it’s the law! While car seat laws are up to each state, the approval process of car seats is covered by the federal government.
There are three basic types of car seats:
- rear-facing (including infant models)
- forward-facing
- booster
The infant seat is designed for newborns and small babies usually up to 8 or 9 months. It is always rear-facing. A rear-facing car seat is designed to protect the head, neck, and spine of small children by distributing the force of a crash over the entire body.
There are variations of each type of seat known as a convertible seat, a combination seat, and an all-in-one seat.
A convertible seat can change from a rear-facing to a forward-facing seat as the child grows.
A combination seat can change from a forward-facing to a booster seat.
An all-in-one seat can change from a rear-facing, to a forward-facing, and to a booster seat.
Types of Car Seats
There are three basic types of car seats:
- rear-facing (including infant models)
- forward-facing
- booster
The infant seat is designed for newborns and small babies usually up to 8 or 9 months.
There are variations of each type of seat known as a convertible seat, a combination seat, and an all-in-one seat.
A convertible seat can change from a rear-facing to a forward-facing seat.
A combination seat can change from a forward-facing to a booster seat.
An all-in-one seat can change from a rear-facing, to a forward-facing, and to a booster seat.
Recommendations by Age
This NHTSA chart shows recommended car seats based on a child’s age.
Children under the age of one (newborns and infants) should always ride in a rear-facing seat installed in the back seat. Keep your child in a rear-facing seat as long as possible within height and weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer.
Then, keep your child in a forward-facing seat installed in the back seat for as long as possible within height and weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer.
Lastly, keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. Children are generally ready to use a seat belt when 1) they can keep their back against the vehicle seat without slouching; 2) their knees bend over the edge of the seat; and 3) they can keep their feet flat on the vehicle floor.
Frontal impact crashes are the most common type of car crash. From a crash dynamics perspective, the further away from the point of impact, the less energy a person’s body experiences. Best practices recommend keeping your child in the back seat for as long as possible, a minimum of thirteen years old. Other recommendations place the child in the middle of the rear seat to minimize exposure to side impacts.
Recommendations by Age
This NHTSA chart shows recommended car seats based on a child’s age. Children under the age of 1 should always ride in a rear-facing seat. Keep your child in a rear-facing seat as long as possible within height and weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Then, keep your child in a forward-facing seat as long as possible within height and weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Lastly, keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly.
- Read the car seat instruction manual carefully.
- Practice putting the car seat in and out of the car before bringing it to the hospital.
- Always use a car seat. Never hold your baby on your lap.
- A rear-facing car seat must not be placed in the front passenger seat of any vehicle equipped with a passenger side air bag. If your vehicle has side impact air bags, make sure the car seat is secured in the middle seat. The middle back seat is the safest location.
- Never leave your baby unattended in the car. Cars can heat up fast in the sun, and a baby can overheat quickly.
- Never buy a used car seat if you do not know the full history. Never use a car seat that has been in a crash.
- All car seats have an expiration date. Generally, it is six years, but you should contact the manufacturer of the seat to find out what the expiration date is for your specific seat.
- Use your baby’s car seat rear-facing and semi-reclined no more than 45 degrees, so that the baby’s head stays in contact with the seat and the baby’s airway stays open.
- Do not use any products in the car seat that did not come from the manufacturer. Car seat fabrics meet strict fire safety codes. Add-on toys can injure your child in a crash
- Make sure the car seat is buckled securely in the car. If you can move the car seat more than an inch side to side or toward the front of the car, it is not tight enough.
10 Common Mistakes in Car Seat Safety from the Mayo Clinic
1. Getting a used car seat without doing your homework.
2. Placing the car seat in the wrong spot.
3. Using the car seat outside of the car.
4. Incorrectly installing the car seat or buckling up your child.
5. Reclining your child at the incorrect angle.
6. Moving to a forward-facing car seat too soon.
7. Not removing your child’s heavy outerwear.
8. Moving to a booster seat too soon.
9. Incorrectly using a booster seat.
10. Transitioning to a safety belt too soon.
Get Your Car Seat Inspected
It is estimated that 70-80 percent of children in car seats are improperly restrained.
The NHTSA provides a locator service for car seat inspections. Whether you’ve just installed a car seat or need help installing or using one, get help at a car seat inspection station near you. Certified technicians will inspect your car seat free of charge, in most cases, and show you how to correctly install and use it.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#installation-help-inspection
A recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a car seat creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards. Most decisions to conduct a recall and remedy a safety defect are made voluntarily by manufacturers prior to any involvement by NHTSA.
Manufacturers are required to fix the problem by repairing it, replacing it, or offering a refund.
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchSafetyIssues?prodType=C
Are All Car Seats Safe?
All car seats on the American market are required to meet existing government safety requirements and pass standard crash tests. It has been said by many that the best car seat is the one that works best for you and your child. It installs securely, is easy to use, fits your child, and you use it!
All NHTSA-rated car seats meet Federal Safety Standards and strict crash performance standards. While all rated seats are safe, they do differ in their ease of use in four basic categories. These categories are given a star rating with 1 being Poor and 5 being Excellent:
- Evaluation of Instructions – Examines the content and clarity of the instructions manual for the child restraint.
- Vehicle Installation Features – Examines the ease of using features that pertain to installing the child restraint in a vehicle.
- Evaluation of Labels – Examines the content and clarity of the labeling attached to the child restraint.
- Securing the Child – Examines the ease of using features that pertain to securing a child correctly in the restraint.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#find-right-car-seat-find-compare-seats
Government Ease-of-Use ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Ease-of-Use Ratings Program. Use of the Government Ease-of-Use rating in this advertisement does not constitute or imply an endorsement by NHTSA or the United States Government of the product or the product’s manufacturer or provider.