Fancy Pantsy

As I’ve mentioned a few times, I actually see car seats used wrong more often than right…to the point that I can barely even glance into cars in parking lots, or infant seats in public places, since it upsets me so much…and there is usually nothing I can do about it. So, I decided to post a few of the common errors I see, in hopes that all my readers will at least check their own car-seat usage and ensure they are avoiding these common and risky errors.

1) Chest-clip too low. This is what I see MOST often.  I see the chest clip (which is the clip that attaches the two straps together) on the belly of the child, sometimes right above the buckle of the car-seat. If it is like that, the shoulder straps of the seat can easily slide wide open, allowing a baby to slide through them in an accident (or to climb out). As well, in the force of a collision it can put pressure on the baby or child’s internal organs through the soft stomach. The chest has the protection of the rib-cage.  The chest clip needs to be at armpit level, in order to keep the shoulder straps firmly on the shoulders.

This chest clip is too low:
 

Here is a good one:

2) Harness too loose. The rule of thumb is that if the harness is loose enough at the shoulders to pinch it, or to slide two stacked fingers under it, it is too loose. A too loose harness is not holding your baby closely enough to the seat and can lead to  shaking and possible internal injuries in a collision, or even allow the child to be ejected from the seat. I know a lot of parents worry the tighter straps will hurt their babies or make them uncomfortable. All I can say is…being injured in a collision will hurt more. I have also never noticed that a baby whose straps are tight enough is any more unhappy in the seat than one whose straps aren’t.

3) Using articles that the seat harness has to thread through, such as a head-hugger or Bundle me. Unless these articles come with the seat, do not use them. You can use rolled up receiving blankets to support a baby’s head (and most newborn seats have heed support anyways), and a shower cap style cover (that only goes over the seat) with some blankets under it but over the harness to keep your baby warm. Anything the harness has to be threaded through can interfere with the harness sitting properly and being tightened properly. As well, the seat was not tested or certified with any such products attached to it. I know that the J.J. Cole says their *Bundle me* has passed standards, but that is a load of crap. It may have passed their standards, but there is no official testing or standards for after-market items like these that go onto car-seats. Google the code J.J. Cole says their product complies with, and you’ll see it says NOTHING about after-market products.

4) Seat not installed tightly enough. The seat should move one inch or less side to side. If it moves more than 1 inch, it is not tight enough. I prefer no movement. I recommend having one person use their knee to put a their weight into the seat while another person pulls the seat-belt or latch strap as hard as possible. Bounce and do it a few times. My installs have gotten way tighter since I started to always make sure someone is pulling while I do the bouncing.  Also, if you are using a seat-belt, pull i tout all the way and make sure  it “locks” when you let it in a little before using it. If your seat-belt does not lock, the seat will loosen and you’ll need a locking clip, which is a bit complicated to get into here. If you think your seat need locking slip, I would really recommend you get it installed by a tech, as they are tricky. 

5) Bulky jackets or snowsuits in car-seats. This is a no-no as the bulk of the jacket or snow-suit will keep the straps from getting tight enough, and in the force of a collosion that bulk can compress, making the straps too loose to protect you child. To test your child’s outerwear, try this trick. Dress your child in the outerwear, and put them in the seat, than tighten the straps properly (as in number 2 above). Now, remove your child, take off the outerwear, and put them back in the seat and do up the straps without tightening them. If the straps have more than very minimal slack, than the outerwear should not be worn in the seat…as that slack will be there in a collision. I know this is a pain in the butt in cold places. I recommend making sure your child has a layer of fleece (good sporting store fleece, not cheap fleece) to wear in the car-seat, as it is warm, and but not bulky. You can also put the winter jacket over the child once in the seat.

6) Too old seats. Most seats with a 3 point harness (the straps come out from above the shoulders and the crotch, but not the sides of the hips) or a shield (that tray type thing in front of the child) are now expired. Even if they aren’t, shield less 5 point harness seats are considered safer.

3 point harness:

Shield seat:

7) Kids being turned forward facing, or moved to booster seats , too soon. I’ve said it a million times, and I’ll say it again. It is best to keep your babies rear-facing and then harnessed to the MAXIMUM limit of the seat (check the side fo the seat, or the manual).  At a bare minimum, babies should be BOTH 1 year AND 22lbs to move to forward facing and kids should be BOTH 40lbs AND 4 years old to move to a booster seat.

It is getting close to the time where DD will finally move from a Harnessed Car-seat to a booster seat, as she is now almost 40lbs (which is the legal minimum for this move).

In my car, she will stay in the car-seat, as my car-seat has a weight limit of up to 65lbs. She probably wont be in it that long…but she will likely be until the Bebe grows out of the infant bucket seat and is ready to move to a rear-facing convertible seat, which the girl’s seat is. My parents, my mother in law, and the man, however, have typical car-seats with a 40lb limit, so for those cars, I am starting to eye Booster Seats and look for the one I want sale.

The one I have in mind is the Graco Turbo-booster, both because it is pretty, and because I have read on car-seat bulletin boards and forums that it is a good one.

Last month, a consumer report came out with the findings that many of the booster seats on the market are not properly positioning kids, and leaving them unsafe. I was very  relieved to read this article and discover the seat i am eye-ing is one of the “good” ones.

I was also sorry to read that the Eddie Bauer/Alpha Omega does not make a good booster seat. Not for myself, because I don’t have one of these seats…but because among my friends it is one of the most popular car-seats. When I was on maternity leave, almost everyone but me got this seat for their kids when they were ready to come out of the infant seats, since it goes from rear-facing, to forward-facing, to booster seats…more bang for your buck. I did not get this seat at the time only because it was not a good fit for my car. I wonder how many of those friends (who I lost touch with when I returned to work) are now using these seats as booster seats for the girl’s similarly aged peers?

I hope this article has been read by all, and that the kids of my friends and former friends remain safe, and in booster seats that are considered effective.

Here is the article.

Remember, the bare minimum for turning to forward-facing is 1 year AND 20lbs, the bare minimum for going to a booster seat is 4 years AND 40lbs, and the bare minimum for sitting in a regular seat-belt is 8 years OR 80lbs (in Canada).