Car Seat Mistakes
Let’s talk about something important, something really important, that many parents take too lightly. I was once told by a driving instructor that operating a vehicle is like handling a 2,000 lb weapon. Add a small child into the mix, and you better be sure they are safe. Most of us travel with our kids in the car so often, it’s like a home away from home. These reasons are why proper car seat safety and usage is crucial. Here are ten common car seat mistakes.
1. Using Front Facing Car Seats for Children Under Age Two
I listed this one first because this is the mistake I most commonly see. Recently, the AAP started recommending all children under 2 years old use a rear-facing car seat. A statement from the AAP’s site reads, “A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention showed that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are riding rear-facing.” It is important to remember that just because it isn’t the law, does not mean it is not the smartest choice. I also want to point out there is not much to gain by switching your child to a front facing car seat before necessary, but there IS a lot to lose.
2. Buckling Over Big Coats
Here in MN we have some brutal winters and I often see small children packed into puffy snow suits like the Michelin man. This becomes dangerous when those kids get packed into car seats, too. Big coats compromise car seat safety because it is difficult to buckle their harness tightly to their body with a large barrier in the way. The buckles on your car seat keep your kid safest when tight against the body. Instead of using a big coat, put your child in warm clothing, buckle them into their car seat, and then put a large and warm blanket over them (not attached to the seat itself).
Don’t you see the resemblance?
3. Using Car Seat Gadgets and Aftermarket Products
If an item you are attaching to your car seat did not come with it, it is not safe. It was not crash tested with the seat and does not belong on there. Don’t use covers, toys, or extra newborn head supports when traveling with your child in the car seat. You can’t be sure the item is safe unless it was crash tested and approved with the seat.
4. Loose Straps
I know I am guilty of having my child’s car seat straps too loose. Sometimes car seats don’t have an easy mechanism to adjust them and you get lazy. But, again, this is very important and can alter the outcome of your child’s life in the event of a crash. Car seat straps should be tight against the body, holding your child securely. An easy way to determine if a car seat strap is tight enough is the pinch test. If you can pinch a fold in the harness above the chest clip, it is too loose.
5. Chest Clip Too Low
The five point harness is a great and safe buckling system. However, it only works when used correctly. The top buckle, or chest clip, should rest across baby’s chest, level with the armpits. Be sure to adjust this every time you put your child in their car seat as the chest clip tends to often slide down.
6. Infant Car Seat Handle in Upright Position While Driving
I’m sure you perused your infant car seat manual when first installing your seat, but do you remember where it said never drive with the handle upright? If you never read your manual, be sure not to pass mistake #9. The handle should be used for carrying the baby in the car seat, not as a toy bar to entertain baby while on the road. It is dangerous to have this in front of the child while driving. Only leave it upright when not in motion.
7. Allowing Sticky Foods to be Consumed in Car Seats
Graco recently recalled millions of their car seats due to a buckle issue. They said their buckles were prone to sticking, making them difficult to undo to safely remove the child from the vehicle in the event of a crash. Did it occur to any other parents out there how many other things could cause this danger? I know pretty much everyone lets their kids eat in the car seat, but consider disallowing any sticky foods that might get into the buckle and cause it to stick.
8. Letting Your Infant Sleep in the Car Seat Often
I know many parents are always on the go, but this mistake made my list because an infant lying against the back of their head too often can develop plagiocephaly. That’s the medical term for a flat back of the head. Be sure not to keep your infant whose skull is still forming in their car seat too long or too often. This can also cause problems with sleeping if you are conditioning your child to rely on the car seat to nap.
9. Not Reading All Your Manuals–Car Seat and Car
I think most people read their car seat manuals before installation. The mistake is not also reading your car’s manual for proper car seat installation. Each car and car seat is different. You should read both to be sure you’ve installed the seat properly. For instance, my vehicle does not allow a car seat to be installed in the middle of the back seat because the latch hooks are too close together to be safe. I would not have known this if I had not read my car’s manual.
10. Using LATCH and Seat Belt Installation Together
You might think securing the car seat to the vehicle by two methods is safer than one. Actually, this is not the case. It is safest to install the car seat using one method or the other, not both together. There are many reasons for this: it is not crash tested this way, the two belts would wear opposite directions in a crash, the two belts would affect “ride-down” of the child and possibly transfer more pressure from the crash into the child’s body. Just use one method or the other to be safest for your child!
That’s my list! Did you learn something new? Please share this advice with others–anyone transporting children should know how to use a car seat properly!
