Car Seats and My New Mission

I am absolutely stunned and dismayed at the number of intelligent, loving, caring parents who place their children in harm's way DAILY by using inappropriate or inadequate carseats. Parents who I know love and treasure their children, and MANY more anonymous folks who's cars I see out and about. Parents who don't realize, through misinformation or ignorance, the level of danger their child is in. While most parents do use child safety seats (though you'd be shocked if you really noticed how many DON'T), the number of kids in seats that are expired, or have been in crashes, or are not appropriate for their child's age/size/developmental level is absolutely appalling. I have been more and more aware of this problem the more I learn from on-line friends and research I have begun on my own. The problem is HUGE and one I feel passionate about trying to fix.

When I had Thomas, I knew we needed a carseat. I borrowed an infant seat from a friend with no written instructions, expiration date, nothing. My mom, grandma, and I loaded him in to take him home from the hospital and even, if I remember correctly, had the seat forward facing. We got home safe and sound, I turned the seat around in my car, and all was well. When he got a bit older, we moved to a bigger child seat, and then to a backless booster. I was oblivious to the dangers we were exposing him to, and had no comprehension about how lucky we were never to have been in an accident. I saw each move to a "bigger boy" car seat as a measure of how grownup he was. I now know how wrong I was.

I am not going to list all the ins and outs of car seat safety here. First of all, I am not qualified and there are TONS of on-line resources to do that. What I will say is this : keep your kids rear-facing as long as possible! Rear-facing is the safest way for littles to travel.

From http://www.carseat.org/Resources/633.pdf:

"Children in Sweden ride rear facing until they are three to five years old, lowering traffic

death and injury rates substantially. Convertible safety seats currently sold in the United

States can be used in the rear-facing position up to 30 pounds or more. For the best

protection available, children should ride rear facing until they are at least 18-24 months

old."

We are SO anxious to get our kids forward-facing, we put their safety in jeopardy. I read this information when Benjamin was little and kept him rear-facing til he was about 18months old. Max the same. Abby Grace will stay rear facing until she is 30 pounds. It is SO much safer. I have heard people say, " but they look uncomfortable." They are not bothered by being rear-facing if that is all they have known, and if they are uncomfortable, they WILL let you know, just as they do in other situations.

Once you turn your kids around, keep them in 5 point harnesses as long as you can. We all seem to see moving from a 5 point harness to a belt-positioning booster as a "step-up." It is NOT! It is a huge step DOWN in level of safety. Belt-positioning boosters have a place, but a 5 point harness is SO much safer. I have a seat for Benjamin that becomes a BPB as early as 30 pounds and is good til he weighs 100 pounds. I was very excited til I started to learn more. Unless your child sits straight up, facing-forward, with the belt positioned as it is supposed to be, and all belts and buckles hold properly each and every time, you are putting your child at risk. With our Tax Stimulus money, we are buying Graco Nautilus seats for both Benjamin and Max. It has a 5 point harness to 65 pounds, and a highback booster to 100 pounds. To learn about the importance of 5 point harnesses, you can go to http://www.usa.safekids.org or www.kyledavidmiller.org. I will warn you, the story and video of Kyle is heartbreaking and so sad, but his parents are turning the tragedy of their loss into awareness and that is a legacy to their beloved son.

From www.carseat.org : "Recognize each stage of restraint as a demotion, not a graduation."

I have also heard from SO many sources, to get your car seat installed properly, go to a fire station. While many fire, ems, and law enforcement officers are knowledgeable about car seat safety, FEW of them are actually certified. There is a National Standardized Child Passenger Safety Training Program that certifies individuals as child passenger safety technicians and instructors. In my area, only 1 ambulance authority and 3 fire stations are certified. Source : http://www.nhtsa.gov/cps/cpsfitting/FindFitting.cfm

The part of all this that is exciting to me is that there are classes for certification and I am currently looking into becoming a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician. It will involve 4 days of classes, 3 tests, and travel, but it is a goal I look forward to accomplishing. It is a cause I believe in, and a great need is present. I am excited and will keep you posted!

The good news is that practical help is out there on the web for info, stats, and how-to. There is also financial assistance available to purchase appropriate, safe seats. Kyle's website has good info on that.

Bottom line - get as good and safe a car seat as you can, install it properly, use it EVERYTIME your child is in a vehicle, and keep them as buckled as you can for as long as you are able.

You just may save your child's life.