VoodooChile
New member
I'm designing a car seat safety brochure for our day care to use (I've seen some things there that were just plain scary), but I'm no expert. If I paste the full text of what I've got so far in here, I'd love some feedback. PLEASE tell me if I have any false/misleading info, or if something should be added. The formatting isn't coming through here very well. I'm also citing my sources using APA, so please either let me know how to contact you to give you credit, or point me to your source so I can credit it. Thanks a lot!
Infant Carriers
· NEVER place a rear-facing child seat of any sort in a front seat where there is an active frontal airbag.
· Most infant carriers have a weight limit of 22 lbs and a height/length limit of 29”. Please check your manual—if your child is too large for his/her carrier, please replace it with a convertible seat.
· In a rear-facing infant carrier, the harness straps must be at or below your child’s shoulders for a proper fit.
· Keep the chest clip at armpit level, not neck or tummy level.
· Many models require the carrying handle to be down while traveling; some models are reinforced, however. Check your manual before leaving the handle up.
Convertible Seats
· It is safest to leave your child rear-facing for as long as the seat will allow. Most states require children to be rear-facing until they are at least 1 year of age and 20 pounds; however, most convertible seats have a rear-facing weight limit of 30-35 pounds.
· There is no such thing as the “best” car seat. The best seat for you is one that is properly installed in your vehicle, and fits your price range. All current seats sold pass government safety standards. Choose the seat that has features that allow you to use it correctly.
· Keep harness straps at or below shoulders for a child who is rear-facing, and at or above shoulders for a child that is forward-facing.
· Many models only reinforce the top harness slots for forward-facing; if your child is forward-facing, please check your manual to ensure your harness is safe.
· Keep the chest clip at armpit level, not neck or tummy level.
· When installing your seat, be sure to use the correct seat belt paths or LATCH hooks for either rear- or forward-facing. Don’t use both LATCH and the seat belt.
· A 45 degree recline is recommended for newborns and young infants who are rear-facing. Older babies and toddlers can have less recline.
· When forward-facing, an upright position with no recline is safest.
· It is best not to dress your child in bulky outerwear in his/her car seat. To check if a coat is too bulky, place your child in his/her seat with the coat on and adjust the harness to fit. Then remove your child’s coat and fasten the harness without adjusting. If the harness straps are too loose, the coat is too bulky.
· Some models feature tethers for forward- and sometimes rear-facing to reduce head excursion in a crash. They should be used whenever possible.
· Some models are forward-facing only.
Combination (3-in-1) Seats
· Keep your child harnessed to the top weight limit (usually 40 pounds, but sometimes 65).
· When the child is 40 pounds or their shoulders are above the top harness slots, remove the internal harness and use the seat as a booster with the lap and shoulder belt.
· Some models are forward-facing only.
· In many combo seats, the top harness slots are for adjusting the headrest, and are not designed to be used with the harness. Check your manual, and if the manual is unclear, call the manufacturer to ask if the top slots can be used with the harness.
Boosters
· A child is held in place much better with a 5 point harness than with a booster. If your child will try to move around, fiddle with the seat belt, or falls asleep in the car frequently, consider keeping him/her in a harnessed seat.
· It is not recommended to put a child in a booster who is not at least 4 years old and 40 pounds.
· The shoulder belt should be across the center of the chest, not the neck—use the shoulder belt guide if it doesn’t fit properly.
· The lap belt should be high on the thighs or low on the hips, not over the tummy.
· Use a high back model if your car has low seat backs with no headrests.
· A backless model is fine if your vehicle has headrests, or if there is plenty of growing room from the tops of your child’s ears to the top of the seat back.
· Many kids need to ride in a booster until the ages of 8-10 and the height of 4’9”. To tell if your child is ready to ride without a booster, ask these 5 questions:
1. Does the child sit back all the way against the auto seat?
2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and the arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If you have answered “no” to even one of these questions, your child is safest in a booster seat.
· The back seat is the safest place for children under the age of 15.
Sources
(2007). Car-Safetly.Org Vehicle and Carseat Safety Information. Retrieved January 16,
2007 from Car-Safety,Org Web Site: http://www.car-safety.org
Infant Carriers
· NEVER place a rear-facing child seat of any sort in a front seat where there is an active frontal airbag.
· Most infant carriers have a weight limit of 22 lbs and a height/length limit of 29”. Please check your manual—if your child is too large for his/her carrier, please replace it with a convertible seat.
· In a rear-facing infant carrier, the harness straps must be at or below your child’s shoulders for a proper fit.
· Keep the chest clip at armpit level, not neck or tummy level.
· Many models require the carrying handle to be down while traveling; some models are reinforced, however. Check your manual before leaving the handle up.
Convertible Seats
· It is safest to leave your child rear-facing for as long as the seat will allow. Most states require children to be rear-facing until they are at least 1 year of age and 20 pounds; however, most convertible seats have a rear-facing weight limit of 30-35 pounds.
· There is no such thing as the “best” car seat. The best seat for you is one that is properly installed in your vehicle, and fits your price range. All current seats sold pass government safety standards. Choose the seat that has features that allow you to use it correctly.
· Keep harness straps at or below shoulders for a child who is rear-facing, and at or above shoulders for a child that is forward-facing.
· Many models only reinforce the top harness slots for forward-facing; if your child is forward-facing, please check your manual to ensure your harness is safe.
· Keep the chest clip at armpit level, not neck or tummy level.
· When installing your seat, be sure to use the correct seat belt paths or LATCH hooks for either rear- or forward-facing. Don’t use both LATCH and the seat belt.
· A 45 degree recline is recommended for newborns and young infants who are rear-facing. Older babies and toddlers can have less recline.
· When forward-facing, an upright position with no recline is safest.
· It is best not to dress your child in bulky outerwear in his/her car seat. To check if a coat is too bulky, place your child in his/her seat with the coat on and adjust the harness to fit. Then remove your child’s coat and fasten the harness without adjusting. If the harness straps are too loose, the coat is too bulky.
· Some models feature tethers for forward- and sometimes rear-facing to reduce head excursion in a crash. They should be used whenever possible.
· Some models are forward-facing only.
Combination (3-in-1) Seats
· Keep your child harnessed to the top weight limit (usually 40 pounds, but sometimes 65).
· When the child is 40 pounds or their shoulders are above the top harness slots, remove the internal harness and use the seat as a booster with the lap and shoulder belt.
· Some models are forward-facing only.
· In many combo seats, the top harness slots are for adjusting the headrest, and are not designed to be used with the harness. Check your manual, and if the manual is unclear, call the manufacturer to ask if the top slots can be used with the harness.
Boosters
· A child is held in place much better with a 5 point harness than with a booster. If your child will try to move around, fiddle with the seat belt, or falls asleep in the car frequently, consider keeping him/her in a harnessed seat.
· It is not recommended to put a child in a booster who is not at least 4 years old and 40 pounds.
· The shoulder belt should be across the center of the chest, not the neck—use the shoulder belt guide if it doesn’t fit properly.
· The lap belt should be high on the thighs or low on the hips, not over the tummy.
· Use a high back model if your car has low seat backs with no headrests.
· A backless model is fine if your vehicle has headrests, or if there is plenty of growing room from the tops of your child’s ears to the top of the seat back.
· Many kids need to ride in a booster until the ages of 8-10 and the height of 4’9”. To tell if your child is ready to ride without a booster, ask these 5 questions:
1. Does the child sit back all the way against the auto seat?
2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and the arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If you have answered “no” to even one of these questions, your child is safest in a booster seat.
· The back seat is the safest place for children under the age of 15.
Sources
(2007). Car-Safetly.Org Vehicle and Carseat Safety Information. Retrieved January 16,
2007 from Car-Safety,Org Web Site: http://www.car-safety.org