Safer Child Products

All vehicles and Child Car Seats made after 2002 are required to be equipped with the LATCH system, (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children).  To locate the LATCH anchors between the vehicle seat back and bottom, look for a small circle with a diagram of a child in a seat.   There should be a diagram just above each LATCH anchor point.  If you are still unsure, check your vehicle’s owners manual. 

When you secure the LATCH clips, make sure that the opening or jaw of the clip is facing downward.  If the strap attached to the LATCH clips routes through the child car seat, be sure that the belt is in the correct path for the direction of your seat.  The seatbelt, or LATCH belt, should always use the path that is closest to the vehicle’s seat back. Many seats will have a label where to route the belt rear facing and where to route it forward facing.  

Even though the Child Car Seat may have a weight limit of 55, 65 or even 80 lbs, the LATCH anchors have a weight limit as well and may only be rated to 40 or 48 lbs.  Check your vehicle owner’s manual.  If this is the case, you will need to switch from the LATCH system to securing the Child Car Seat with the vehicle seatbelt instead.

http://www.macombcountymi.gov/publichealth/HPDC/PDF/LATCH%20and%20tether%20fact%20sheet.pdf

Safer Child Products

Once you turn the child car seat forward facing, it is very important to secure the top of the seat with the tether strap. This needs to be used whether you are using a seatbelt or latch clips to install the child car seat because the tether reduces the forward movement and rotation of the child car seat in a crash.  If you are unsure of where the top tether strap anchors to, check your vehicle owner’s manual.  Some vehicles have the tether anchor on the bottom of the back of the same seat, some vehicles have it on the rear dash and I’ve seen other places too!   The vehicle owner’s manual will also inform you how to route the tether strap in relation to the head rest.

Safer Child Products

Having been through several child car seats with my own children, attending many child car seat inspections and now as a certified child passenger safety technician, I am well versed in child passenger safety. Why is it so complicated?  By putting in the time, I am able to gather information and pass it along to you.

Children whose car seats are rear facing are 5x safer in a crash than forward facing. Therefore, it is best to keep your child rear facing as long as you can, even after age 2. Check the weight and height limits of the Child Car Seat. It is ok if their legs are up against the rear seat of the car. The Child Car Seat will absorb most of the force of a crash, but a broken leg is better than a broken neck.  http://www.research.chop.edu/programs/carseat/toddler.php

Safer Child Products

Everyone knows that infants and young children need to ride in Child Car Seats.  What is not as clear is the need for Booster Seats or how long a child needs to be in one. A child needs to be in a Belt Positioning Booster (BPB) Seat from the time they outgrow their forward facing child car seat, until they are 4’9” tall, 80-100 pounds. They should be able to pass The Safety Belt Fit Test.  Did I just say 4’9”?  Yes I did.  Did I forget to mention the age limit?  No, I chose not to, because it is not about their age, it is about how the adult seat belt fits them. 

Whether in a BPB seat, or not, the seat belt needs to cross between the shoulder and the neck and the lap belt needs to sit across the hard hip bones or upper thighs, NOT on the soft tummy.  If a seat belt does not fit properly, a child is likely to sustain life-threatening injuries in a crash.  The shoulder belt will not hold them back into the seat and as the child folds in half, they can damage their spine, and the lap belt can cause a number of injuries to the internal organs as well.  For more information on Seat Belts  and on the Safety Belt Fit Test go to http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/big-kids/on-the-way/booster-seat-and-seat-belts.html