mamoomorgan
12-11-2008, 04:06 PM
This is an excerpt from the BC Injury Research and Prevention website:
(the bold is me)
Preventing Motor Vehicle Occupant Injuries
Some important tips:
All children aged 12 and under should ride in the back seat when in a car.
Infants (0-1 year old):
* Use infant-only car seat or rear-facing convertible until the infant weighs at least 20-22 lbs.
* Harness straps should be at and below shoulder level.
* Never put an infant in the front seat of a car with passenger side airbags.
Toddlers (1-2 years old):
* Convertible / Forward -facing car seat for toddlers weighing over 20 - 40 lbs.
* Harness straps should be at and above shoulders.
* Most seats require top slot for forward-facing.
Preschoolers (3 - 4 years old):
* Forward-facing car seat until preschooler weighs 40 lbs.
* Forward-facing belt positioning booster seat for preschoolers over 40 lbs.
* Belt positioning booster seats must be used with both lap and shoulder belt.
5-14 Years Old
*
Young children should graduate from car seats to booster seats. Booster seats are recommended until the child is age 8 and 4'9" tall and 80 lbs.
*
Older children and teenagers wear seatbelts. The lap belt should fit low and tight across the lap/upper thigh area and the shoulder belt should fit snug crossing the chest and shoulder to avoid abdominal injuries.
Ok, there is some good info in there, like how a seatbelt should fit etc. but why the other stuff? Grrrr! Why say "Forward-facing car seat until preschooler weighs 40 lbs" when they could possibly still be rf and stay ff in a harness to 65#'s, and height isn't even mentioned. Just seems sad to me to go to all the work to write this up and post it on their site and then miss out/mess up some few KEY facts.
Rant over.
(the bold is me)
Preventing Motor Vehicle Occupant Injuries
Some important tips:
All children aged 12 and under should ride in the back seat when in a car.
Infants (0-1 year old):
* Use infant-only car seat or rear-facing convertible until the infant weighs at least 20-22 lbs.
* Harness straps should be at and below shoulder level.
* Never put an infant in the front seat of a car with passenger side airbags.
Toddlers (1-2 years old):
* Convertible / Forward -facing car seat for toddlers weighing over 20 - 40 lbs.
* Harness straps should be at and above shoulders.
* Most seats require top slot for forward-facing.
Preschoolers (3 - 4 years old):
* Forward-facing car seat until preschooler weighs 40 lbs.
* Forward-facing belt positioning booster seat for preschoolers over 40 lbs.
* Belt positioning booster seats must be used with both lap and shoulder belt.
5-14 Years Old
*
Young children should graduate from car seats to booster seats. Booster seats are recommended until the child is age 8 and 4'9" tall and 80 lbs.
*
Older children and teenagers wear seatbelts. The lap belt should fit low and tight across the lap/upper thigh area and the shoulder belt should fit snug crossing the chest and shoulder to avoid abdominal injuries.
Ok, there is some good info in there, like how a seatbelt should fit etc. but why the other stuff? Grrrr! Why say "Forward-facing car seat until preschooler weighs 40 lbs" when they could possibly still be rf and stay ff in a harness to 65#'s, and height isn't even mentioned. Just seems sad to me to go to all the work to write this up and post it on their site and then miss out/mess up some few KEY facts.
Rant over.