The Model T Ford came on the scene in 1908. Plenty of old movies show families cruising around in their nifty autos like an amusement park ride. Remember the old Beverly Hillbillies show? The Clampetts were all piled in their jalopy with granny perched on top of all their wordly goods on their road trip from the Ozarks to California.
Nobody was buckled in. Cars were just a neat way to get from point A to point B. Car seats were barely a thing when the show aired (’62-’71).
The very first child safety seats (early 1930’s-40’s) weren’t really about safety per se. They had metal frames & canvas seats and basically hooked over the seat with metal hooks. They were mainly for containment and to give kids a boost up, so they could look out the windows to keep them occupied. It took nearly 30 years, well into the 1960s before child safety seats were actually considered safe devices and began to undergo the testing and manufacturing standards to meet federal laws and guidelines.
I wonder if part of that might be because it took some decades for population to increase and for the number of families owning cars to increase? When there aren’t that many cars on the road, you’re not as likely to have an accident. When traffic increases, so do accidents & fatalities (which gets attention).
It wasn’t until the 1970’s that the NHTSA started issuing child safety seat standards, such as all seats needing to be anchored by the vehicle’s seat belts, include a harness to restrain the child, but there was still no real impact crash testing at this point. GM also came out with their “Love Seats,” which for the first time came in multiple size models to choose from – one for infants and one for bigger children. Both of the Love Seat models secured with a regular car seat belt. The child’s model faced forward, while the infant model faced towards the rear. Tennessee was the first state to pass a child restraint law (1977).
Seat belts THEMSELVES were only included in some models of cars by the 50’s, and no one really used them. I remember road trips in the 70’s and having to tip the seats of the station wagon to get in the back—and there were the unused seatbelts, stuffed down in between the seats. You & I got through our entire childhood without car seats—we rode on the floor, in the back window, on our parents’ and siblings’ laps, whatever.
By 1985, federal laws required children under certain ages to ride in a car safety seat. And by the 90s, we started to see the now familiar LATCH systems (lower anchors and tethers), but these weren’t actually federally required until 2003.
Now, as parents know all too well, current US requirements call for a five-point harness system, which provides a snug fit, restrains the child, and combined with the LATCH system (lower anchors and tethers), child safety seats have never been safer. All 50 states have minimum requirements for appropriate age, weight, and size of each child safety seat; pass impact crash testing; and manufacturer’s expiration date. All child safety car seats must meet the minimum safety standards, but many models go above and beyond what current laws require. As a matter of fact, the choices and options for our modern child car seats are so numerous now that the research and selection process can be even more daunting than buying an actual car.
“Anymore, a parent can be arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide for not providing their children with properly fitted, mandatory car safety seats, if the parent gets in a car accident and the child dies,” said attorney Michael Maggiano of the law firm Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi P.C. “In fact, manufacturers of child car safety seats are held to incredible safety standards, because they can be held liable for defective products if they don’t.”
The National SAFE KIDS Campaign claims that over 50 percent of children (ages 14 and under) killed in car accidents were not restrained at the time of impact, the campaign asserts that 3 out of 4 carseats are used incorrectly.
USING CAR SEATS
The deal is, they’re so the norm now that we THINK we all get it. We buckle it in & out, switch it in and out of cars with our spouse or the grandparents, LUG it to and from the grocery store, etc., with our sleeping infant inside (#chiropractor).
So, there’s this GREAT account on Instagram called @safeintheseat. She’s a certified expert & mom & she gives online car seat courses and 1:1 consults because all the car seat stuff can be confusing!!
Now, our kids were in car seats, of course, because they were born in the mid-late 90s. But I’m convinced I didn’t use them correctly…or at the minimum, reduced their safety. For the sake of those who may be new to car seats or grandparents (raising hand) who might not know best practices…. Let’s run down some car seat GOOD-TO-KNOWs.
Did you KNOW:
- Road injuries are the leading cause of preventable deaths and injuries to children in the United States.
- Correctly used child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent.
- More than half of car seats are not used or installed correctly.
Here are some things to know so you can pick a seat that’s right for your child:
- Choose a seat that meets or exceeds Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213. The seat’s label will say so.
- Learn how to install the seat and use the harness before your child’s first ride. Don’t depend on store displays to show you how to do it.
- To get help or to double-check that you’ve installed it properly, visit a child car seat inspection station, set up by the federal government across the country. You can also get help from many local health departments, public safety groups, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and fire departments. Be sure to ask for a certified child passenger safety technician.
Anything you route your car seat straps through makes the car seat less effective. That includes those cozy car seat covers or bulky clothing (snowsuits, bulky coats). If you want a car seat cover, find one that doesn’t need the shoulder or crotch straps fed through it at any point. Your child can wear thin fleece or thin sweaters but no coats. Does this make getting in and out of the car seat harder? Yep. But is it safest? Also yep. Worth the extra hassle, moms! (This is also why you may see moms dashing into a store with their toddler not wearing a coat….it’s 2 minutes outside next to mom vs. 10 minutes in and out of a coat as they get in and out of the car…ain’t nobody got time for that. So don’t judge kids not wearing coats!)
The reason for this (and includes bulky Halloween costumes, too) is b/c it makes you THINK your harness is tightened enough when it’s actually NOT.
CAR SEAT ROAD MAP:
All kids start rear-facing and should stay rear facing as long as possible. INFANT SEAT—optional, but fit and convenience is great. Newborn through first year. CONVERTIBLE SEAT: Can start with this one from the beginning and use it rear facing and then convert to forward facing. HIGH BACK BOOSTER: Child learns to sit properly with adult seat belt instead of harness. Maturity plays a big role here. NO BACK BOOSTER: Continues to boost child up until they can fit properly in adult seat belt. MOST kids don’t outgrow this final stage until 10-12 years old! (Diono Monterey 5 IST great model).
Should always check height/weight limits, harness height limits in all the stages. Some car seat makers say their seat will last you forever but when you look at the limits, that’s not true. Do your research.
Car seats EXPIRE. Continuous safety testing. Be careful of getting them second hand. You may be cheating yourself out of a couple years’ use. Treat car seats like smoke alarms or going through your kids’ outgrown clothes….you need to re-evaluate it & maybe adjust every few months. Kids grow like weeds and will outgrow their harness position etc.
Don’t use non-regulated after market products. If it didn’t come in the car seat box, don’t use it. Car seats are designed & crash tested to be used the way they come. This is irritating…how can they even sell the stuff if it’s not safe to use? Um…’Merica, people. Just because it’s on the shelf doesn’t make it effective or good for you.
Michelle @ safeintheseat has an online Infant Course. Proper installation, important harnessing techniques and adjustments to keep baby breathing easy. A little baby’s airway is about as wide as a straw, so car seats need to be reclined at the right angle…especially for babies with low neck control. It’s about the recline position, not the added neck pillows or shoulder strap cushions—those are actually risky add ons. Also where that chest clip rests matters. Too high and it could be pinchy & restrict breathing. Too low and the harness can be too loose and not do its job.
Preemies might have special car seat needs—their recline position needs to be greater, for example b/c of breathing and less neck control.
When you’re carrying around your baby in car seat and you get to your destination, PUT IT ON THE GROUND, not on counters or tables. I’ve witnessed car seats (baby inside) falling off tables at restaurants and off the handle area of the grocery store carts. Car seats go fully inside cart basket.
Did you know the crotch buckle moves? To see if it’s where it needs to be, put your child in car seat without diaper (if he wears one). Is their actual BODY over the slot in the plastic where crotch buckle comes out of the car seat shell? If body is sitting on slot, it’s time to move the crotch buckle forward.
A note about car seat mirrors…for rear-facing car seats so you can drive and still glance back and see your baby. Use SOFT SIDED/padded car seat mirrors. Find ones that attach to the headrest in multiple ways—not just a single Velcro tab. In a wreck, picture mirror as flying object.
Airlines do not require car seats … but suggest using them for same reasons as you do in a car. Safety, containment, you’ll have it when you arrive at destination. It’s a “known” for your child.
If you need assistance having your child safety seat installed or the fit inspected by a professional, check with the Safe Kids Child Passenger Safety Technician in your area.