(dmv.org)
It has been nine months of preparation, toil, and thought in getting ready for your new arrival. The house is entirely baby-proofed. You have enough diapers to last an eternity. You have read so many baby books and magazines you find yourself quoting Dr. Brazelton at dinner parties. Stroller: check. Baby Mozart CDs: check. Prep bag for the hospital: check.
The Last Thing on a New Parent's Mind?
The next thing you know, you are a parent and despite what people may or may not tell you, things will be a bit different now that you are responsible for this small crying creature that looks like it spent way too long in a bathtub. You will eventually need to get the infant home and that presents the car-seat dilemma.
If you chat with those who teach and check car seat installation you will generally get agreement on one thing. Usually the car seat is last in line when it comes to baby preparation. Yet, behind the crib and maybe the high chair it is used the most. That is not to say we parents have all of a sudden become irresponsible. In many cases we have the car seat; it is just still in the box.
Thank goodness for those hospitals with Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Technicians on hand to assist new parents with the right way to put the device into the vehicle. You might also run into these folks at the store where you purchased the car seat. Of course, this is not always the case, so it is important to know the proper way to secure the car seat you purchased and then have it double-checked by someone else.
So Many Car Seats
There are so many types of car seats and boosters available that choosing one can be overwhelming. Plus, parents are generally tired from the delivery and panicked a bit at the immediate future, so the installation becomes even more of a chore. First and foremost, it is imperative to read the instructions and base how you attempt the task of getting the seat locked into a vehicle on the manufacturer's recommendations.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is another invaluable resource for information and instruction on all types and stages of car seats. Not only do they offer detailed text and videos, but this is also the place to find out about recalls, ratings, and to report defects.
Proper Installation Techniques
Here, we shall discuss the three basic stages for car seats and give an overview of how to install each.
Infant Seats
All you have to do is hold your newborn baby (or anybody's baby for that matter) to get an idea that you are dealing with something fragile. Protecting and preparing an infant to endure an accident safely takes great care. The infant's head and neck are at most risk, but it doesn't take much to cause injury to any part of the body.
The idea behind the seat you buy is that if a collision does occur, the force will not be directed toward one specific area or limb, but rather evenly across the whole body. This is the same concept with adults, but all the more important in infants.
There are two types of infant seat and specific ways to get each into your vehicle in the proper manner:
Rear-facing, infant-only seats are ideal for smaller infants and preemies, but can be used for any child up to 20 or so pounds. One helpful technique to keep in mind when you are doing your best contortionist act trying to get the seat in is the inch factor.
If you can move any strap, harness, or the entire seat itself more than an inch, then you probably need to put some more elbow grease into pulling the seat belt or ensuring the straps are appropriately taut. Do this by putting a knee in the seat or finding some other way to put your weight into it. Then pull on those straps! Other tips include:
- Many times this type of car seat comes with a base that a carrier latches into. This actually makes installation easier because you are dealing with a rather small piece of plastic. The base and carrier should only go in the back seat, preferably in the center area.
- If your seat is naturally at an angle you will have to place a shortened swimming noodle (one of the only materials CSP has certified) to level out the base, which will need to be a 45-degree angle with the carrier installed. Some manufacturers make bases that are adjustable.
- Make sure the carrier straps are tight and the harness clip is even with the baby's shoulders or armpits. Also make sure the straps are in the slot that lines up just above or closest to the infant's shoulders.
- If the child is still a bit wobbly in the seat due to its size, place rolled receiving blankets or towels along each side. This provides additional support and cushion. However, do not place anything under the harness straps. Just keep it to the sides. After a couple of months this most likely will not be necessary as the infant begins to sprout and achieve some size and weight.
- When the carrier is snapped into the base the handle must be placed in the down position.
- Some older vehicles (especially those manufactured prior to 1997) may require the use of the locking clip. This is the piece of metal that looks like something out of Star Wars or just the letter "I" on its side. Certain vehicles do not have seat belts that lock when the brakes are slammed. Thus, the locking clip is placed into the base seat or in the back of the chair portion in other car seats through the seat belt. If the car seat begins to move forward when the brakes are depressed then the clip acts to prevent too much slippage.
- Have your work checked before using the
car seat.
Convertible seats are designed to grow with your child. They can be modified with each weight and age transition allowing you to only buy one car seat. Thus, when the child is an infant the seat will face the rear.
When he tips the scales at 20-plus pounds then the seat can be switched to face the front. Still, the tips listed for the infant-specific seat still apply with the convertible variety. The convertible seat generally has more gadgets and straps that aid with restraint, including a tether that comes off the back and can be latched in various places in your vehicle.
Convertible Harness Types
A firm fit is still the key no matter what phase the car seat is being used for. But convertible car seats can come equipped with one of three types (5-point, tray, and T-shield) of harness systems. Each meets the required safety standards and the choice ultimately depends on what you have read or simply your general preference.
Each has pros and cons that you will pick up in your research. Users have been satisfied with each, although anything with straps tends to get twisted over time. The best way to straighten the straps out is to literally pull them completely out of the seat and run warm water over them. This will bring them back to new and get the built-up gunk out from various snacks in the car.
The tray arm tends to restrict the child's movement more than the others and is not necessarily book- or toy-friendly. Plus, the padded arm tends to get extremely worn and dirty over time.
The T-shield has parallel straps connecting into a buckle-type apparatus between the child's legs. The one problem with this is that the buckle area can create a gap that is a little too big. It can also rub too hard against your child's legs and can cause pinching.
The Tots (From 20 to 40 pounds)
By this time, the car seat, whether designed for this age group specifically or a convertible should be facing forward. Still in the back seat, but now looking the same direction as you bring a whole new skill set into driving.
The major change most likely is going to be where the harness straps are positioned. These seats are generally held in by a seatbelt slipped through a hole in the back. The key again is to ensure less than an inch of movement from side to side and forward.
This can be more difficult, or at least it seems that way, with the bigger car seats. To combat this, car seat engineers have added anchors and tethers for additional protection. This brings us to the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system.
The LATCH System
More than just an awareness program, LATCH is actually an alternative means of installing a car seat. An astonishing number of car seats (by some estimates 80%) would fail CPS check. So this program is an attempt to curb dismal numbers by offering what some consider a simplified installation method. What does it mean? Well, now all new vehicles are equipped with seat belts plus various other mooring components.
If you have a vehicle manufactured after 2002, simply feel around the back seat until you find a couple of heavy metal latches. These are designed to hold the anchors and tethers that come with the new car seats. Thus, you can now hook a car seat into the back of a vehicle without utilizing the seat belts. But all the other aspects of securing the seat still apply, mainly ensuring the straps are all nice and taut and that the seat does not move about.
Hey, I Am a Big Kid (40 pounds plus or four to eight years of age and beyond)
Once a child starts topping out at the maximum weights listed for the toddler car seats, they are still not out of the water. One misconception many parents have is that when a kid is pushing 50 pounds they no longer need the car seat. While this is technically true, it does not mean they can sit like an adult and simply use the seat belt. Studies have shown that this time period is exceptionally vulnerable for children and that many perish in accidents where they were in a seat belt, but lacked any other type of safety aid.
Once the car seat is gone, it needs to be replaced with a booster seat. There are a couple of types. The regular booster seat looks like a seat cushion you would take to a baseball game. But it helps prop the child to a better height and a standard seat belt is set in the correct place across their body. New cars generally have adjustable shoulder belts to guarantee the right fit, but if yours doesn't, you may need to purchase some an adaptor. Consult with a CPS beforehand, because some of these modifications carry a bit of controversy.
The second type of booster comes with a high back. It almost looks like a cockpit seat on an airplane, which might help you to convince your child that, yes indeed, these things are cool. These chairs can be strapped in like a regular car seat and come with a harnessing system so you do not need to worry about head damage from the seatbelt in the event of an accident.
