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CALLING ALL BRITNEYS: CAR SEAT SAFETY 101


Sadly, each year thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes.
The easiest way to prevent this from happening to your child is by always correctly
using car safety seats and seat belts. Let these car safety suggestions from the
American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) serve as your road map for safer traveling
with your children.

Choosing the right car seat

The AAP firmly asserts that no one seat is the "best" or "safest." When choosing one,
make sure you select a seat that fits your child's size and then be sure to install it correctly and use it properly every time you drive. When shopping for a car safety seat, don't base your decision on price alone, as higher prices often result in added features that may not necessarily make the seat safer or easier to use. Remember that nearly every one on the market has met very strict safety standards established and maintained by the federal government.




Infant Car Seats

The AAP recommends that all infants should ride rear-facing until they have reached at least one year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. That means that if your baby reaches 20 pounds before her first birthday, she should remain rear-facing until she turns one. There are two types of rear-facing seats: infant-only seats and convertible seats. Convertible seats can be used rear-facing for infants and then converted to a forward-facing position once the child is old enough and big enough to do so safely.

Infant-only seats are labeled as such because they can only be used for infants from birth up to 20 to 30 pounds, depending on the model. Sold both alone and as a part of a stroller system, infant-only seats are small and have a carrying handle. Many come with a detachable base, which can be buckled into your car. The seat clicks into and out of the base, which means you don't have to install it each time you use it. Your child is kept safe while in the seat by being strapped into the seat by a built-in harness that covers his upper torso.

	When choosing which infant car seat to purchase, take into account the advisement of Consumer Reports: in a recent test of 12 infant seats, only two performed well: the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS ($89.99, www.tinyride.com and $99.99, www.babiesrus.com).
Baby Trend Flex-Loc		Graco SnugRide with EPS

Convertible Car Seats
Once your child exceeds the weight and height limit for her infant car seat, it’s time to move her from that seat into a convertible car seat that you position rear-facing. When your child is at least one year of age and at least 20 pounds, he can ride forward-facing. However, it is recommended by the AAP that he ride rear-facing until he reaches the highest weight or height limit allowed by the car safety seat.

If you have used your convertible seat rear-facing, you need to make three adjustments before using it forward-facing. First, move the shoulder straps to the slots that are at or above your child's shoulders. Next, move the seat from the reclined to the upright position if required by the manufacturer of the seat. Finally, make sure the seat belt runs through the forward-facing belt path. To be sure you’ve followed these steps correctly, follow the car safety seat manufacturer's instructions.

	In this category, try Britax’s Boulevard LATCH Convertible Car Seat or the Evenflo Triumph Deluxe Convertible Car Seat, which both earned top honors from Consumer Reports ($299.99, www.barebabies.com and $174.95, www.tinyride.com).
Britax’s Boulevard LATCH Convertible Car Seat		Evenflo Triumph Deluxe Convertible Car Seat

Booster seats
Booster seats are designed to raise your child so that the lap and shoulder seat belts fit properly. Booster seats do not come with harness straps, but are used with the lap and shoulder seat belts in your vehicle, the same way an adult rides. The AAP recommends that your child stay in a car safety seat with a harness as long as possible before being allowed to ride in a booster seat. According to their recommendations, he is ready for a booster seat when he either reaches the top weight or height allowed for her seat with a harness, his shoulders are above the harness slots, or his ears have reached the top of the seat. Booster seats should be used until your child can correctly fit in lap and shoulder seat belts.

	Our top picks for booster seats: Recaro Start Child Booster Seat or Graco’s TurboBooster SafeSeat ($349, www.barebabies.com and $69.99, www.babiesrus.com).
Recaro Start Child Booster Seat		Graco’s TurboBooster SafeSeat

When it’s time to move out of the car seat

Seat belts

Your child is ready to use lap and shoulder seat belts when the belts fit properly. The AAP lists the following as the criteria for a proper fit: the shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat, the lap belt is low and snug across the thighs and not the stomach, and that your child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with her legs bent without slouching and can stay in this position comfortably throughout the trip. If the seat belt does not fit your child correctly, he should stay in a booster seat until the adult seat belts fit him correctly, which is usually when the child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age.

When securing your child into the car with a seat belt, never tuck the shoulder belt under the child's arm or behind the back. If there's only a lap belt, make sure it's snug and low on the child's thighs, not across the stomach. Never allow children or anyone else to share seat belts. All passengers must have their own car safety seats or seat belts.

While there are products on the market that claim to make seat belts fit better, no federal standard ensuring the effectiveness and safety of these products has been developed. Not only do most vehicle and car safety seat manufacturers recommend they not be used, the AAP does as well, stating that as long as children are riding in the correct car safety seat for their size and age, they do not need to use any additional devices.

Car Safety Cheat Sheet
1	Always use a car safety seat, which is required by law. Begin with your baby's first ride home from the hospital, using a rear-facing infant car seat.
2	Never place a child in a rear-facing car safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle—especially one that has a passenger air bag. The safest place for all children to ride is in the back seat.
3	Set a good example—always wear your seat belt. Doing so helps your child form a lifelong habit of buckling up.
4	Remember that each car safety seat is different. Read and keep the instructions that came with your seat handy and follow the manufacturer's instructions at all times.
5	Read the owner's manual that came with your car on how to correctly install car safety seats. If you need help installing your car safety seat, contact a certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Technician. To locate and set up an appointment, call toll-free at 866/SEATCHECK (866/732-8243) or visit www.seatcheck.org.

—Chelsea Kaplan

Read all about Deputy Editor/Beauty Director Chelsea Kaplan's life with child in her blog, “I'm Somebody's Mother?”