- Brief Summary of objectives (3):
- Explain how to select the right car seat
- Determine to switch your child’s car seat
- Identify resources for manufacturing information and recalls.
- Topic 1: Choosing the Right Car Seat for Your Child
- Point 1: The Hard Facts
- Car seats and boosters provide protection for infants and children in a crash, yet car crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1-13.
- 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.
- 325 children under 5 saved by car seats in one year
- 42% of children killed in car crashes in 2020 were unrestrained
- Point 2: Know the 4 different types of restraints
- Rear-facing car seat: The best seat for your young child to use. It has a harness and, in a crash, cradles and moves with your child to reduce the stress to the child's fragile neck and spinal cord.
- Forward-Facing: Has a harness and tether that limits your child's forward movement during a crash.
- Booster: Raises and positions a child so the vehicle’s lap-and-shoulder belt fits properly over the stronger points of a child’s body, the hips and across the chest.
- Seatbelt: Should lie across the upper thighs and be snug across the shoulder and chest to restrain your child safely in a crash. It should not rest on the stomach area or across the neck or face.
- Point 3: Find the Right Car Seat
- There are many car seat choices on the market. Select a car seat based on your child’s age and size, then choose a seat that fits in your vehicle, and use it every time.
- Always refer to your specific car seat manufacturer’s instructions (check height and weight limits) and read the vehicle owner’s manual on how to install the car seat using the seat belt or lower anchors and a tether, if available.
- To maximize safety, keep your child in the car seat for as long as possible, as long as the child fits within the manufacturer’s height and weight requirements.
- Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12.
- Topic 2: Determine When to Switch Seats
- Point 1: Rear-Facing Car Seat
- Your child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing car seats:
- Infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing.
- Convertible and all-in-one car seats typically have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time.
- 1 – 3 Years
- Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. It’s the best way to keep him or her safe. Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether.
- Point 2: Forward Facing Car Seat
- We previously talked about keeping your child rear-facing for as long as possible to keep them safe. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on the car seat to determine when the height, weight, or age requirements for a forward-facing seat.
- 4-7 years
- Keep your child in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether until he or she reaches the top heigh
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