Important for parents

[Erika]

Last spring, when our daughter was born, we had our car seat inspected. We had followed the directions to a T and thought we had it in correctly but, like 80-96% of American parents (statistics vary depending on the source) we were wrong.

On our way to the firehouse, we were almost T-boned at 55 MPH as a man ran a red light mid-cycle. Being like most parents, and not having our carseat installed correctly, we could have lost our daughter or at the very least had a 2 week old with very serious injuries.

I never would have thought that car seat installation was a 2-man job, but this fireman (a good-sized person, BTW) put his full weight on the base of the seat in order to stretch the strap tight enough. It's the same story whether you have LATCH or are using a lap belt. That sucker should not budge!

Even if you think you have your seat put in correctly, please take a few minutes to have it checked out. It's free, and could save a life.

http://seatcheck.org/

 

[maggiegrace1]

Thanks Erika.......

I will have Maggies checked before we go anywhere else...

 

[mousebymarriage]

When my kids were little I would just kneel(one knee in the carseat) and then make sure my other knee or foot was not leaning on anything, basically putting all your weight in the carseat. Please use the locking clip thing they give you(it is usually attached to the back or side of the carseat and looks kind of like an upper case letter I) when the belt is buckled it should be attached to both the lap and shoulder belt at the same time and it should be a few inches from the part that gets buckled (read you instruction manual first). pull as hard as you can on the belt to insure it is tight(if you don't use the locking clip the belt will loosen in a short time and the carseat will move around and render it useless. When you get up off the carseat that sucker should be rock solid and it will stay that way until you undo it but, only if you use the locking clip! The same idea works if you use the tether attachment if your seats(many newer cars have them) have the steel pieces that the tether can clip on to. To see if your car has them just reach down into the back of the seat(you know, the same place where the cheerios and everything else seems to fall). They are 2 rectangular steel "bracket" frames and that's what they are used for. If you use those it takes the place of using the locking clip and seat belt because they are welded into the seat frame.

 

[Erika]

When my kids were little I would just kneel(one knee in the carseat) and then make sure my other knee or foot was not leaning on anything, basically putting all your weight in the carseat. Please use the locking clip thing they give you(it is usually attached to the back or side of the carseat and looks kind of like an upper case letter I) when the belt is buckled it should be attached to both the lap and shoulder belt at the same time and it should be a few inches from the part that gets buckled (read you instruction manual first). pull as hard as you can on the belt to insure it is tight(if you don't use the locking clip the belt will loosen in a short time and the carseat will move around and render it useless. When you get up off the carseat that sucker should be rock solid and it will stay that way until you undo it but, only if you use the locking clip! The same idea works if you use the tether attachment if your seats(many newer cars have them) have the steel pieces that the tether can clip on to. To see if your car has them just reach down into the back of the seat(you know, the same place where the cheerios and everything else seems to fall). They are 2 rectangular steel "bracket" frames and that's what they are used for. If you use those it takes the place of using the locking clip and seat belt because they are welded into the seat frame.

:lol: spoken like a true mom :lol:

 

[Laura]

Also, your kids should be in booster seats until they are 4'9" or taller (8-12 years old). I know a lot of people with kids that are much shorter than 4'9" and aren't using a booster because they don't know better.

My 5 year old is in the same car seat that he's been in since he was 5 months old, and he'll probably fit in it for at least another year. Then I'll be moving him to a booster seat for about 3-4 more years.

 

[PixyDust]

We have the police install ours when we get a new one. They will do this for free. Just run by the station, or they are normally at local fairs/festivals.

 

[maelstrom]

Also, your kids should be in booster seats until they are 4'9" or taller (8-12 years old).

It's sad that I'm 20 years old and only two inches too tall for a booster seat.

Erika, I'm glad your daughter was ok and that now her seat is installed correctly, should there ever god forbid be an accident.

 

[mousebymarriage]

In New Jersey the law states 8 years old or 80 pounds, whichever comes first. My son is 5 years old and still in a booster seat and since he weighs 37 pounds I'm thinking he'll be in High School before he hits the 80 pound mark:lol: ! My daughter is 10 and 100 pounds and 5'1" already!

 

[dopey]

Thanks for the reminder, Erika.

Makes you wonder, though, how we survived childhood. When I was a kid, the only thing standing between my noggin' and the windshield was mom's outstretched arm.