Car seat trivia!

So I am going tomorrow to take my CPST course.
My husband thinks 4 days is too long and there is not a whole lot to know about car seats. So being that I am too excited to sleep right now, I just started thinking of a list of questions I could have wrote down for him to answer, but instead I will just post it here (and on my facebook and mom's group) for everyone. Maybe you will learn something you didn't know, or maybe you already know all of it, but it's fun (for me at least) and combines two of my favorite things, car seats and trivia. Keep in mind that I originally thought these up for my husband who knows pretty much zero about car seats, so they are all pretty simple, hopefully.
No googling (not that a lot of you here would need to, hehe)
**please tell me if any of these are weird/don't make sense**


1. What types of car seats are considered forward facing only?
2. what type of car seat is considered rear facing only?
3. what is a car seat called that can rear face and forward face?
4. Which is most important in determining if your child can forward face safely? Age? Weight? or Height?
5. At what age is it usually considered optimal and safe to move your child to a booster seat?
6. what is a locking clip?
7. Where on the Evenflo Maestro is the locking clip located?
8. What must your child pass before being able to move to an adult seat belt without a booster?
9. What is the difference between a locking retractor seat belt and a locking latch plate seat belt?
10. Which car seat is the safest?
11. Can you always trust your pediatrician to give the best advice for car seats?
12. What angle of recline is best for a newborn child?
13. What is the most upright angle a convertible car seat can be installed at?
14. How do you test to see if the harness is tight enough?
15. Where does the harness need to be for rear facing?
16. Where does the harness need to be for forward facing?
17. Which 2 brands of car seat allow rear facing tethering?
18. What is the safest seating postion in the car?
19. Is it safer to rear face on the side (outboard) of a car or forward face in the center?
20. Are harness covers that did not come with the car seat safe to use?
21. Is it safe to wear a winter coat in a car seat?
22. Is it safe for the chest clip to be below arm pit level?
23. Is it safe to remove the chest clip from the harness altogether?
24. When has your child outgrown a car seat rear facing?
25. When has your child outgrown the car seat forward facing?
26.When is it ok to place a rear facing car seat in the front seat of a car or truck?
27. What type of airbags determine if you can have a car seat touching the passenger seat or not?
28. What are the most common types of crash?
29. What is the most deadly type of crash?
30. Why are car accidents the number one killer of children in America?

:thumbsup:

What did he say when you gave it to him? DH would flip out LOL

The answers to some of these are subjective and/or complicated.

turtlemama said:

5. At what age is it usually considered optimal and safe to move your child to a booster seat? "Optimal" is dependent on each kid, and "safe" is a relative term.

13. What is the most upright angle a convertible car seat can be installed at? Depends on the seat.

17. Which 2 brands of car seat allow rear facing tethering? A third will likely allow it soon.

20. Are harness covers that did not come with the car seat safe to use? Depends on the brand of the seat and the brand of the covers. Chicco allows a brand of aftermarket covers.

21. Is it safe to wear a winter coat in a car seat? Depends on the thickness of the coat.

23. Is it safe to remove the chest clip from the harness altogether? Depends on the brand.

30. Why are car accidents the number one killer of children in America? What is the answer to this?

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1. What types of car seats are considered forward facing only? forward facing/combination seat
2. what type of car seat is considered rear facing only? Infant
3. what is a car seat called that can rear face and forward face?convertible
4. Which is most important in determining if your child can forward face safely? Age? Weight? or Height? All 3 depending on child but it is safest to rear face for as long as possible
5. At what age is it usually considered optimal and safe to move your child to a booster seat? Optimal and safe is dependant on child and maturity
6. what is a locking clip?clip to lock a non locking seat belt
7. Where on the Evenflo Maestro is the locking clip located?I dont know I dont own one but my guess would be on the bottom or back
8. What must your child pass before being able to move to an adult seat belt without a booster? The 5 step test
9. What is the difference between a locking retractor seat belt and a locking latch plate seat belt?Locking retractor locks at the retractor meaning you pull it all the way out to lock it. A locking latch plate locks the seat belt at the female end of the seat belt
10. Which car seat is the safest?Which ever one is used correctly every single time and fits the child and car
11. Can you always trust your pediatrician to give the best advice for car seats?Absolutely not
12. What angle of recline is best for a newborn child?45 degrees
13. What is the most upright angle a convertible car seat can be installed at?Most are 30 degrees and some are 35 degrees
14. How do you test to see if the harness is tight enough?Pinch the harness at the shoulders, if you cant pinch it horizontally its tight enough
15. Where does the harness need to be for rear facing?At or below
16. Where does the harness need to be for forward facing?at or above
17. Which 2 brands of car seat allow rear facing tethering?right now its Britax and Sunshine kids soon to be Combi
18. What is the safest seating postion in the car?Statically is the middle but the safest spot is where you get the best install
19. Is it safer to rear face on the side (outboard) of a car or forward face in the center?rear face outboard
20. Are harness covers that did not come with the car seat safe to use?If it didnt come with the seat then no. Some companies allow for accesories that are made by them
21. Is it safe to wear a winter coat in a car seat?Depends on thickness
22. Is it safe for the chest clip to be below arm pit level?No
23. Is it safe to remove the chest clip from the harness altogether?Depends on the brand
24. When has your child outgrown a car seat rear facing?Reach the weight limit or they have less than 1" of shell above their head
25. When has your child outgrown the car seat forward facing?1. they reach the weight limit 2. shoulders go above the top harness slot 3. the top of their ears go above the shell
26.When is it ok to place a rear facing car seat in the front seat of a car or truck?when there is no other seat and no airbag
27. What type of airbags determine if you can have a car seat touching the passenger seat or not?advanced airbags
28. What are the most common types of crash?front and side
29. What is the most deadly type of crash?front?
30. Why are car accidents the number one killer of children in America?most are not properly restrained

He is asleep so hasn't seen it yet. I'll print it off and tape it to the fridge for when he wakes up lol. He will probably just blow it off, but my point will be made.

LISmama810 said:

The answers to some of these are subjective and/or complicated.

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Yeah I kinda did that on purpose because he thinks it's all so easy when really it's not.

Most of what I know is based off of what I have read here on the forums, and looked up online, but mostly the forums.

5. I was going for when they reach the maturity level, which from what all I have read on here tends to be age 6. Safe was also going off of what I read here because I kept seeing that after a certain age, usually around 6 there was not a big difference in harnessing and boostering when it comes to safety.

13. I thought it was no more than 30 degrees, but good to know!

17. didn't know that, I was only aware of the 2. I'd like to know the 3rd!

20. I was going for a more general "no aftermarket products" which is what I kept seeing. I didn't know some were allowed.

21. Ah I knew that, Dh doesn't though

23. Same as 21. So far I have had one reply on my facebook though and that person was like NO! lol

30. because of misuse of car seats or not using them at all.

momtotwogirls said:

16. Where does the harness need to be for forward facing?at or above

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Just to make it even more difficult. The Radian's allow shoulders to be over the top harness slot, but must be under a stated height and ears can't be over the top of the shell.

Angela said:

Just to make it even more difficult. The Radian's allow shoulders to be over the top harness slot, but must be under a stated height and ears can't be over the top of the shell.

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For my practical, I installed a ffing radian. The instructor asked me where the harness needed to be in relation to the shoulders. I told her that seat was an exception to the rule. I explained it all, then she said, "what?" I then explained it all again. She then says, "You own sunshine kids' seats, don't you?" Yep. "Oh, I didn't know that!" I taught some instructors new things last week In class I brought up super latch and the fact that some car seats do not come with locking clips or lockoffs. I wish I had mentioned my own experience erfing. One instructor mentioned rfing her kid to age 2, but that's the oldest the other students had heard of.

turtlemama said:

30. because of misuse of car seats or not using them at all.

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Is it? I mean, obviously fewer kids would be killed if they were restrained better, but even with 100% proper restraint, would that drop car crashes down to no longer the top threat? Misuse can't always be determined after the fact, and even properly restrained occupants can be killed.

LISmama810 said:

Is it? I mean, obviously fewer kids would be killed if they were restrained better, but even with 100% proper restraint, would that drop car crashes down to no longer the top threat? Misuse can't always be determined after the fact, and even properly restrained occupants can be killed.

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Well you did make me second guess so I googled it and it just says that is the reason why, so I went off of that, but yes even if you do everything you can to be safe, some crashes are just not survivable.




This is what my husband answered, please excuse his rude and insensitive remarks, he was trying to be funny.
Also after reading his answers, I asked him what he would do if there was a time when he needed to install a car seat for one of the kids and he said "that's what I have you for." He has no interest in learning anything about car seats :/


1. What types of car seats are considered forward facing only?
booster seats

2. what type of car seat is considered rear facing only?
seats that are plausible to go in vehicular objects (his wording, I don't get it lol)

3. what is a car seat called that can rear face and forward face?
a car seat

4. Which is most important in determining if your child can forward face safely? Age? Weight? or Height?
height, or looks

5. At what age is it usually considered optimal and safe to move your child to a booster seat?
22

6. what is a locking clip?
chesticular clip

7. Where on the Evenflo Maestro is the locking clip located?
up yo butt

8. What must your child pass before being able to move to an adult seat belt without a booster?
ACTs
9. What is the difference between a locking retractor seat belt and a locking latch plate seat belt?
John Deer makes the locking retractor

10. Which car seat is the safest?
the one with the built in chastity belt

11. Can you always trust your pediatrician to give the best advice for car seats?
Eff their couch (no)

12. What angle of recline is best for a newborn child?
249 degrees

13. What is the most upright angle a convertible car seat can be installed at?
27 degrees

14. How do you test to see if the harness is tight enough?
when the child's eyes bug out at least 2 inches

15. Where does the harness need to be for rear facing?
on their chest

16. Where does the harness need to be for forward facing?
on their tummy wummy

17. Which 2 brands of car seat allow rear facing tethering?
Bakana and Baka ie (Japanese for nonsense and that's silly, apparently)

18. What is the safest seating postion in the car?
on yo butt

19. Is it safer to rear face on the side (outboard) of a car or forward face in the center?
forward in center

20. Are harness covers that did not come with the car seat safe to use?
hell no

21. Is it safe to wear a winter coat in a car seat?
it is if it is the right season (this is one that he does know, and he won't put them in with heavy coats on)

22. Is it safe for the chest clip to be below arm pit level?
yes, to keep away icky sweat

23. Is it safe to remove the chest clip from the harness altogether?
quite possibly

24. When has your child outgrown a car seat rear facing?
When they can say " I got made fun of for being in a baby seat."

25. When has your child outgrown the car seat forward facing?
false, small people don't grow

26.When is it ok to place a rear facing car seat in the front seat of a car or truck?
when the driver has a penis. (implying that because he just got a new truck and he is male.)

27. What type of airbags determine if you can have a car seat touching the passenger seat or not?
Helium airbags

28. What are the most common types of crash?
barrel rolls

29. What is the most deadly type of crash?
car hits gasoline truck, explodes

30. Why are car accidents the number one killer of children in America?
because kids are not fastened properly.



I don't want to make another thread, so I will just ask here real quick.

In the CPST course today we were told that the center position is always the safest. A student (who is also a mom that is there voluntarily) said that she had heard it is safer to rear face outboard than it is to forward face in the center. The instructor said that wasn't true and that if we had to make a decision about which kid should go where, the youngest and least developed always goes in the center. So if you had a baby in a bucket, and a 2 year old FF she says it is safer to put the 2 year old FF outboard and the baby in the center than it is to put the baby outboard and the 2 year old center FF.

Is she correct or was the student correct? Does it depend on certain factors?

Also I am having a BLAST taking the course. So far I have got 10/10 and 21/21 on the 2 quizzes we have done and passed all my skills tests. Tomorrow we do the actual seat check thing at a day care. I am excited!

My instructor said it is safer for the FF child to be in the center and the RFer outboard.

Personally, I think it's safer to have a child outboard RFing than in the middle FFing.

the least protected child should go in the center since its technically the most protected spot. So a forward facing child is safer forward facing in the center with a rear facing child outboard

I laughed so hard at your DH's answers I had tears running down my face! :ROTFLMAO:

Yeah he was being a real smart ass. He read the answers aloud to me and could barely get through some of them. His favorite one was the ACT one. He could barely choke it out before busting out laughing lol.

His answers are hilarious! He sounds just like my DH, although after several "training" sessions I am confident that DH knows how to install *one* of our carseats correctly. Too bad I own ten.

Number ten is my favorite, by far. Lmbo!

momtotwogirls said:

the least protected child should go in the center since its technically the most protected spot. So a forward facing child is safer forward facing in the center with a rear facing child outboard

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This is what was taught in my CPST course as well.

LOVE your DH's answers LOL!!!

turtlemama said:

In the CPST course today we were told that the center position is always the safest. A student (who is also a mom that is there voluntarily) said that she had heard it is safer to rear face outboard than it is to forward face in the center. The instructor said that wasn't true and that if we had to make a decision about which kid should go where, the youngest and least developed always goes in the center. So if you had a baby in a bucket, and a 2 year old FF she says it is safer to put the 2 year old FF outboard and the baby in the center than it is to put the baby outboard and the 2 year old center FF.

Is she correct or was the student correct? Does it depend on certain factors?

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We weren't actually taught the answer, but the question was asked and I answered correctly. The instructor affirmed my correct answer, then went on. Later we had some situations and a few of us answered from the perspective of parents, where we'd arrange based upon how hard or easy it was to put the kids in. The instructors were fine with all of the answers offered. (It was a seating arrangement question and basically just wanted seatbelt riders using shoulder belts.) In the end, it is the parent's decision anyway.

"When their eyes bug out two inches"

Rotflmao!!!!!!

momtotwogirls said:

the least protected child should go in the center since its technically the most protected spot. So a forward facing child is safer forward facing in the center with a rear facing child outboard

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I thought this as well and the other mom did too, but the instructor was pretty set on it being the weaker child going in the middle. She said the youngest and weakest (I am assuming she means who has the least amount of bone maturity) would be RF in the center.

I think she may have misunderstood the question or something. She did say that a lot of parents find it easier to put buckets outboard if there are other children because the older kids go in first and then the bucket.
I think I would still stick with a FF child going center and RF outboard though, it just makes more sense to me, and it is easier to maneuver seating wise.