SafelySeated

Does your childs car seat have an emergency sticker?

No one ever plans on being in a serious car accident with their children, but it does happen and it's good to be prepared.

In the event of a car accident and you or other adults are injured and unable to communicate, the first responders will have a hard time identifying your child or their needs.

It's a good idea to have an emergency medical card attached to their carseat that has the following information:

➰Childs full name

➰Childs date of birth

➰Parents names, dates of birth , and phone numbers

➰A phone number of at least one outside emergency contact

➰Any important medical information (medications, allergies)

➰Your pediatricians name and phone number

➰Any other vital information

There are many free downloads you can get for these templates. You'll want to attach the information to an area of the car seat that is not highly visible through the window, or another great option is to hide the information under a paper flap that says “I.C.E.” (in case of emergency) on the outside. You want to keep this as updated as possible.

This isn't a perfect solution for first responders, but it's a simple thing that can you can do to help ensure your child's safety.

How do I tell when my child can come out of their booster?

Transitioning a child out of their booster seat before they are ready can be very dangerous. If you take a look at the picture below you can see the child out of the booster seat has submarined under the seatbelt which would likely eject them out of the vehicle.

So how do you tell when they are ready to transition?

There is a 5 step method to determine if they are ready:

Step one: The child can sit with butt flush against vehicles seat.

Step Two: The child's knees bend at the edge of the seat and feet firmly planted on the floor.

Step Three: The shoulder belt lies between the child's neck and shoulder.

Step 4: The lap belt sits low across the top of the childs thighs.

Step 5: The child has to be mature enough to sit properly like this the entire car ride.

Hello everyone! My name is Alexis and I am certified Car seat passenger safety technician. I am creating this page bring more education around Car seat safety, and to help answer as many questions as I can. Let's face it car seats are hard, so why do it alone! Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have regarding car seats!

Have you heard of the "Pinch Test"?

A lot of caregivers leave the harness strap of car seats too loose. Often times this is because "it seems to tight or uncomfortable" for the child.

A “snug” harness equals “a snug strap should not allow any slack. It lies in a straight line without sagging. It does not press on the child’s flesh or push the child’s body into an unnatural position.” You want the straps to be “as snug as a hug.” The pinch test is simple. If you can pinch any slack at the strap , then your straps need to be tightened.

Why is is this important? In the event of a car accident the straps hold the child down, and if the straps are too loose the child will not be secured properly to the seat. This can lead to serious or fatal injuries.

Crash testing shows with 3 inches of harness slack, the child’s shoulder can slip out of the harness allowing the child’s head to extend past the car seat and strike the vehicle door in a side-impact crash.

So remember snug as a hug in the car seat, and always check the straps with the pinch test!

What is a LATCH system?

LATCH stands for: Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren.

Latch was invented to help reduce car seat installation mistakes. LATCH can be found in vehicles as well as infant, convertible and forward-facing child safety seats, made after Sept. 1, 2002.

The LATCH system consists of built-in straps and hooks on the safety seat and anchor hardware in the vehicle. When using LATCH, the LATCH anchors and attachments take the place of seat belts. Tuck the seat belts out of the way to avoid interfering with the lower anchoring system. Also, keep in mind the LATCH system may have a height and weight limit. Always read your car seat manual for the most accurate information!

Some basic LATCH installation tips,

▪️Read both your car owner’s manual and child safety seat instruction manual.

▪️Attach each hook from the base of the child safety seat onto its own lower anchor in the space where the rear seat back meets the seat cushion. Tighten and adjust the straps according to the child safety seat manual. In order to get it to fit tightly, you need to press the seat down and back while tightening the straps.

▪️If you are using a child safety seat in the forward-facing position, attach the child safety seat's top tether strap to the correct anchor point. This is an important step because top tethers greatly reduce the amount of dangerous forward-head movement in a crash. Pull to tighten.

▪️Check to see if the seat is installed tightly. You should not be able to move it more than an inch from side to side or forward when holding the seat where the LATCH strap goes through the seat.

As always if you have any questions feel free to reach out with any questions or to schedule a car seat installation!

🚨 RECALL ALERT 🚨 Please read, don't panic. The seats are okay to use when the base is installed with the seat belt. Simply discontinue use of the lower anchors and install the base with the seat belt instead.

Dorel Juvenile Group (Dorel) is recalling certain Safety 1st onBoard 35 Secure Tech, Maxi-Cosi Coral XP, Maxi-Cosi Mico XP Max, Maxi-Cosi Mico XP, Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe+, and Maxi-Cosi Infant Base child seats. Please refer to Dorel's recall report for specific model numbers. The lower seat anchors used to secure the child seat base may fail, allowing the child seat to detach. As such, these child seats fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 213, "Child Restraint Systems."

Remedy:
Owners are advised to only secure their child seat(s) with the vehicle belt restraint system until the seat is remedied. Dorel will mail a replacement base to owners, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 7, 2023. Owners may contact Dorel customer service at 1-877-657-9546 or [email protected].

Notes:
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Did you know that your car seat expires? With technology advancing, standards for car seats are changing, replacement parts are no longer available.

Most car seats expiration dates are listed right on a label the car seat, usually located in the label or bottom of the seat.

Other car seats have label that just list the manufacturer date and you have to do some digging. Cross reference the user manual for the years of permitted use, then that will give you an expiration date! This label is located on the side or the bottom of the seat.

Can you spot the misuse in this photo?

Hint: There's 8 of them.

Let's talk about top tethers!

When a car seat is installed tightly and the top tether is being properly used, it can limit forward facing car seats by tipping by at least 4-6 inches!

By limiting this movement you are protecting your child from hitting the car seat in front of them, the door, center console, or another passenger in a car crash.

A study showed about 64% of forward facing car seats are not using the top tether at all. (source: safe kids world wide)

If you are unsure how to install your top tether don't worry! Your vehicle manual should give you a drawing of all designated tether anchors. It will also tell you how to route the tether strap and which one exactly to connect to.

As always if you have any questions or want to schedule a car seat check feel free to message me!

Did you know aftermarket car seat accessories are not safe to use in your car seat?

Aftermarket accessories are often promoted as making your child your ride safer, more comfortable. The problem is these products are not regulated and have not been crash tested for safety so there is no way to tell how they will perform in a crash in your child's car seat.

It is best to not add any accessories to your car seat that did not come with the car seat.

Are there any exceptions to this rule? The one exception is accessories that were made specifically by the manufacturer of your car seat and are listed as safe to use with your child’s specific seat. In that case, the accessory was tested with your child’s seat and shown to be safe and effective.

Did you know you could keep your Child rear facing past age 2?

A young child's head, neck, brain and spine are not developed enough to withstand crash forces. When you combine an oversized head with an underdeveloped spine and decided to face your child forward anyway, you could be setting them up for serious injury.

The more time we give children's bodies to strengthen and their bones to fuse together the less risk of a fatal injury in a car crash. The day will come when you do need to turn your child forward facing, but let's make sure first we have given them ample enough time develope inside and outside so they can survive those crash forces.

With that being said MAX OUT your car seats rear facing limits and then turn them forward facing.

With winter weather it can be challenging keeping your little one warm and safe in the car seat.

Remember Thin layers, lightweight coats (that pass the coat test) are some great options

Never bulky or puffy layers, anything that routes through harness straps or hinders proper harnessing, covers that keep your little one completely out of view or are not approved by the car seat manufacturer.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out!