Friday, March 22, 2024

Where Should Baby Car Seat Be Placed

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How Long Is A Car Seat Good For

How to place your baby in a car seat

Car seats are typically good for six to seven years from the manufacture date .

Manufacturers aren’t required by law to put expiration dates on car seats, but most seats will have either an expiration date or the date of manufacture.

Look for a date embossed on the shell of the seat or for a sticker on the seat with one of these dates. The car seat is good until the expiration date, unless it’s involved in a moderate to severe crash, in which case it needs to be replaced.

It’s hard to discard what seems like a perfectly good car seat when it reaches its expiration date, but the plastics used to make car seats deteriorate over time, especially in extreme temperatures and with sun exposure. Even though you won’t see the deterioration, the weakness in the plastic can cause it to break and fail to protect your child during a crash. In addition, dirt, cleansers, and food spilled on parts of the car seat may cause it to degrade over time.

Another reason car seats expire is because safety standards change. A car seat that’s beyond its expiration date is more likely to not meet the newest and safest standards.

Why You Need A Car Seat

A car seat can save your child’s life and prevent serious injury in a crash. Tragically, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of accidental death among children in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that three children are killed and over 500 are injured in traffic accidents daily. That’s more than a thousand fatalities each year.

All states now have car seat laws, but car seats for children weren’t even developed until 1962. Before that there were car seats, but they weren’t designed for safety. They were a way to prop up a child in the seat so parents could see them and so they could see out the window.

In 1971, the first standards for car seats were adopted by the NHTSA. And eight years later, in 1979, the first child restraint law was passed. All states passed car seat laws by 1985.

Car seats are incredibly effective when used properly. When compared with seat belt use alone, car seats reduce the risk of injury for children in a crash by 71 to 82 percent. For children ages 4 to 8 years old, booster seat use reduces the risk of serious injury by 45 percent, compared with seat belt use alone. And for older children and adults, buckling up with a seat belt reduces the risk of death and serious injury by half.

NHTSA estimates that 325 children under age 5 are saved by car seats each year. Between 1975 and 2017, more than 11,000 children’s lives were saved by child restraints in passenger vehicles.

Maximum Car Safety Standards: Where’s The Correct Installation For A Rear

According to the SafeRide4Kids and National Library of Medicine research studies, all newborns, children younger than three, and children up to 3-years-old kiddos have the same car seat setup process.

In addition, the study showed that the safest car seat for a rear-facing child is the back seat of your vehicle. But what position?

Furthermore, in the research, the experts state that the center position of the back seat reduces the risk of injuries by 43%.

Also, the rear center position is the furthest place from any impacts and external forces in any type of car crash.

However, numerous experts state that most parents place their rear car seat in the rear passenger side.

Although I’m not entirely familiar with why they do so, I can only assume they want to keep an eye on the baby better. Wrong! The safest place is the center position!

Still, they always have an exception, and some of the common reasons are:

The LATCH installation is impossible in the center

They cannot properly install a rear-facing car seat in the center position

The center position is just too narrow for a rear-facing car seat

Other reasons.

My advice is to follow the rules strictly, visit the authorized centers and organizations that can help you install the rear-facing car seats in the right place, or search for a Child Passenger Safety Technician.

These people are verified experts, and they will best guide you through the installation process.

NEVER!

The pressure will literally smash them.

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What Side Of The Car Should A Baby Car Seat Be On

For ease of access and keeping an eye on a baby, the most common spot for a babys car seat is the rear passenger side. But the study showed that children under age 3 seated in the center of the back seat had nearly half the risk of injury in motor vehicle crashes than children seated in either of the other positions.

Do’s And Don’ts Of Infant Car Seat Use

Best Infant Car Seat: 9 Best Recommendations For Your New Born in 2017

Safety tips for inside and outside a vehicle

Many parents with newborns rely on the convenience of an infant car seat. They can remove a sleeping baby from a car without unbuckling her and click the carrier right into a stroller.

But that convenience can also cause problems because it might lead parents and caregivers to put a babys safety at risk, although they dont realize it.

Research has found that children in portable car seats have been injured in falls from elevated surfaces or when the seat turns over on soft surfaces, such as on the top of a bed or on a sofa.

Here are some helpful tips from the certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians at Consumer Reports and the American Academy of Pediatrics for keeping your baby safe while in an infant car seat in and out of a car.

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Can My 1 Year Old Sit In A Front Facing Car Seat

However, if you were to ask if your 1-year-old should sit in a front-facing car seat, the definitive answer to that is a resounding “No,” according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, who recommend keeping your child rear-facing until the age of two, or to the highest weight and height allowed by the carseat

What If You Cannot Put The Rear

You will have to use two outside seats.

There’s no difference between a driver’s and passenger’s side in collision statistics, so there’s no difference for the rear-facing child’s car seat.

But, the only variable would be if you street park and your child who needs more time to buckle needs to be on the passenger side.

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Newborn & Infant Seats

a. Infant seats are suitable for 9-18 months old children, keeping the child’s head, neck, and back supported, only for the rear position.

Kids should use them until they reach the maximum weight limit and switch to the rear all-in-one seat or rear convertible.

b. Convertible seats for 40-60 pounds kids for rear and forward-facing positions with harness straps for more security.

Please keep them in rear positions until their height and weight limits overpass the maximum.

c. All-in-one seats – 3-in-one design for the rear, forward-facing, and booster seats.

Car Seat Safety: Newborn To 2 Years

Car Seat Safety by Age: Rear-facing Car Seats for Babies

Babies are at greater risk of injury in crashes. This is because babies’ spines are developing and their heads are large for their bodies. In a crash, if your child is riding forward-facing, her spinal cord may stretch, which could result in serious injury or death. However, when your baby rides rear-facing in a child safety seat, her upper body head, neck and spine is cradled by the back of the child safety seat in the case of a frontal crash, which is the most common type of crash.

According to research studies, children up to 2 years of age who are placed in forward-facing child safety seats are more likely to be seriously injured in a crash than same age children who are in rear-facing child safety seats. Watch the video to learn more about which car seats are appropriate for your baby and how to install them.

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Installing The Infant Seat In Your Car

Before you install your child in the car seat, you need to securely install the seat in your car. Its only when the seat is safely secured that you can place your baby in the seat .Well first look at what the best place is to install an infant seat in your car. Then show you exactly how to securely install a seat with a base and without a base.

Is The Driver Side Or Passenger Side Safer

For ease of access and keeping an eye on a baby, the most common spot for a baby’s car seat is the rear passenger side. But the study showed that children under age 3 seated in the center of the back seat had nearly half the risk of injury in motor vehicle crashes than children seated in either of the other positions.

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Optimal Positioning In Your Vehicle

If the lower anchors are at the standard spacing , any car seat can theoretically be installed using the lower anchors. In reality, it may not be possible to get a secure installation with a specific car seat in that specific center seateven if there are lower anchors for the center seat.

When the lower anchors are wider than the standard spacing, you need to check the car seat’s manual to see if they allow installation with lower anchors that are wider spaced than usual. If they do, you’ll also need to check whether the manufacturer permits the spacing found in your vehicle.

How Much Does A Child Have To Weigh To Face Forward

The Best

While 1 year and 20 pounds used to be the standard for when to flip car seats around, most experts now recommend using rear-facing child seats until children are 2 years old and reach the top weight and height recommendations of the car seat manufacturer, which is typically around 30 pounds and 36 inches.

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Safest Place For 2 Car Seats

The safest place to install two car seats depends on if youre installing the car seats in the rear-facing or forward-facing positions.

If both of the car seats are rear-facing/forward-facing, place the younger child in the middle and the older child behind the passenger seat. Since the older child is physically stronger and more developed, theyll be a bit more able to handle the impact force of a collision. Of course, if your children are twins, install one car seat in the middle and one behind the passenger seat.

If one of the car seats youre installing is a rear-facing car seat and the other is a forward-facing car seat, you should place the forward-facing car seat in the middle and the rear-facing one behind the passenger seat. Children riding in a forward-facing car seat have fewer safety features protecting them than those riding in a rear-facing car seat. So, they need to be placed in the middle to reduce the risk of injury in a collision.

Infant And Convertible Car Seats: What’s The Difference

Parents have the option of choosing between an infant and a convertible car seat when traveling with their baby. Both are safe options if your baby meets the car seat’s height and weight recommendations. You also have to make sure you know how to securely install the seat. It’s important to choose the seat that works best for your baby and your needs. Here are the key differences between infant and convertible car seats.

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Center Seat Safest For Children

In this study, researchers looked at whether those recommendations were still valid by analyzing data on child occupants of motor vehicle accidents from 1998 to 2006 based on insurance claims and a telephone survey.

The analysis included children from birth to age 3 who were seated in a child-restraint system in the rear seat of motor vehicles that were involved in a crash in 16 states.

The results showed that the passenger side rear seat was the most popular position for the baby or child’s car seat followed by the left rear seat and center seat .

Researchers also found use of the center position decreased as the child got older. For example, 39% of baby car seats for infants under age 1 were placed in the center rear seat vs. 18% of child car seats for 3-year-olds, regardless of any additional passengers in the rear seat.

Children seated in the center had a 43% lower risk of injury than those in either side position, which researchers say revalidates current child-restraint safety recommendations.

“Although placement in any rear seating position provides excellent protection,” write the researchers, “those in the center have the lowest risk of injury.”

Researchers say recommendations should continue to encourage families to install child and baby car seats in the center of the rear seat.

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When Should I Put In The Baby Car Seat

Infant car seat installation

Pack a small number of toys and snacks to keep your baby or toddler occupied during the flight. Make sure your CRS is approved for airplane use. Measure the width of the CRS. Buy a discounted fare for your child to guarantee a seat to place the travel seat. Travel seats cannot be placed in exit rows.

How to fit a baby car seat?

Install a rear-facing car seat base in the back seat of your vehicle. Follow the manufacturers instructions for how to properly install the car seat.

  • Position the seat so that its semi-reclined. Check the side of the car seat for 2 parallel lines.
  • Place your newborn into the car seat.
  • Insert your newborns arms through the shoulder straps.
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    What If One Kid Is Safe In The Center But Child Number Two Is On The Way

    It’s okay, here’s the deal:

    1. Place the child rear-facing in the center since they’re most vulnerable in the crash

    2. Put the forward-facing kid in the center seat as the infant car seat overall gives more security to your kid

    The first situation, here we go:

    The majority of car crashes are frontal ones

    The center position is a top one for rear-facing seats in rare but most dangerous for side-impact crashes

    In frontal impacts, the infant seats are the safest, as they keep the baby’s head, neck, and back supported and stable.

    Of course, there are always exceptions, but you can use your CPSTs for more explanation and different stances.

    Why Is The Seat Behind The Driver The Safest

    The majority of crashes are frontal impact crashes. Being in a rear-facing car seat is safer if the crash is front impact as the childs head, neck and back are all being supported during the crash. It would stand to reason, the benefits of being in a rear-facing seat are less significant in a side impact crash.

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    Where Should The Car Seat Be Placed

    The infant car seat or any other car seat should be placed in the back row in the center.

    Statistics show that after analyzing accident data that the center spot has a 43% less chance of injury.

    If we imagine a T-bone accident then you might get lucky and the car gets hit on the other side where the car seat is located. This is a gamble. However, if you place the infant car seat in the middle then no matter from which direction the accident happens your baby will be protected no matter what.

    Position : Middle Rear Seat

    How to Use a Car Seat Safely

    If the middle rear seat has a three-point seat belt, this is the safest place to put a child restraint because it is the furthest away from the sides of the car.

    If the middle rear seat has a lap-only belt, check the child restraint instructions to see if it can be fitted with a lap-only belt. Most child car seats require a three-point seat belt. If this is the case, fit the seat on a rear seat that has a lap and diagonal seat belt.

    If you are using an Isofix or i-size child seat you can only use the middle rear seat if it has Isofix points.

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    Fitting The Child Correctly In The Car Seat

  • Place your child in the car seat with the child’s back flat against the car seat.
  • Place harness straps over the childs shoulders. Harness straps should lie flat, not twisted, and be placed through the slots located at or below your childs shoulders.
  • Buckle the harness and the chest clip, and tighten until snug. The harness is snug enough when you cannot pinch any extra material at the shoulder.
  • Bulky clothing or blankets can prevent a snug harness fit. Always buckle the baby in the seat first, and then place coats or blankets over the harness.
  • If your baby needs support, fill the empty spaces with small, rolled blankets on each side of the babys shoulders and head.
  • If there is a gap between the buckle and your childs groin , try placing a rolled washcloth or diaper in the space for a more secure fit.
  • Never put thick padding under or behind the baby unless it is recommended for use by the car seat manufacturer.
  • Place chest clip at armpit level. This holds the harness straps in place on the childs chest and shoulders.
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