Car seat safety: All in one

In this post, I am going to sum up everything I have posted in my car seat safety posts.

1. Read the manual that came with your child's car seat from cover to cover!
2. The LATCH system and belting system should NOT be used at the same time (unless stated otherwise in the manual).
3. Check your local health or fire departments for someone who will help your properly install your car seat for FREE.
4. The base or seat should not be able to move more than an inch any direction! The seat must be strapped in as tight as you can get it.
5. Follow the car seat's manual's instruction for how to properly install the seat because not all car seats are the same.
6. Make sure that you have the seat belts or LATCH tethers positioned properly.
7. A rear-facing seat should typically be installed at a 45 degree angle. 
8. When using an infant carrier, the handle should be positioned down (unless stated otherwise in the manual).
9. When a child is in a booster (whether high-back or backless) the child MUST have the shoulder and lap belts, not just the lap belt alone.
10. A car seat should never be placed in the front seat of a car unless it is a two-seater vehicle (typically trucks) where the air bags can be turned off (consult your car's manual for how to properly do this).
11. Children should remain rear-facing until 1 year old AND 20 lbs by law, but it is recommended that children now remain rear-facing until AT LEAST 2 years old, and even beyond if the car seat's weight/height limits allow it.
12. Children should remain in a five-point harness until they are 4 years old AND 40 lbs, and they can remain beyond that point if the car seat's weight/height limits allow it .
13. Children must remain in a booster until 4'9 and 40 lbs or 8 years old by law.
14. Your child must move to a booster once the child's shoulders are higher than the highest slots for the straps and/or the child has outgrown the weight and height limits for the seat.
15. If you child outgrows the weight and/or height limits for any seat (infant carrier or convertible), then your child either needs a new seat with higher weight/height limits or needs to graduate to the next type of seat.
16. When your child is rear-facing, the straps should come out of the slots at or BELOW the child's shoulders.
17. When your child is forward-facing, the straps should come out of the slots at or ABOVE the child's shoulders.
18. In a five-point harness, the straps should not be twisted, they should be snug (you should not be able to pinch any slack or easily get your fingers under the chest clip), and the chest clip should be about even with the bottom of your child's armpits (no lower!).
19. In a booster, the shoulder belt should not touch your child's neck, and the lap belt should not touch your child's stomach.
20. Aftermarket attachments (head/body supports, strap covers, cup holders, toys, etc.) should NOT be used on your child's car seat. If it was not made for the car seat, it's not safe. Using these things actually voids the warranties of most car seats. 
21. If your child has a winter coat on and you have to loosen the straps to buckle your child, the coat is too big, which makes the seat unsafe.
22. Car seats expire! Check your car seat's expiration date. If it has expired, it's time for a new one!
23. If the car seat is in a moderate to severe wreck (whether the child was in the seat or not) you must get a new car seat!
24. If you need help purchasing a car seat, check with your local health department. Many of them have programs to help with just that!
25. An infant carrier should NEVER be placed on top of a shopping cart! It is NOT safe.

Also, here is an image that will explain the age limits thoroughly.

It is our job as parents to keep our children safe! In today's world, that is no simple task, but there is one thing you have complete control over... car seat safety! Our children are not minimums, so lets take the time to insure their safety!

Here are my babies getting ready to ride safe and sound :)

Car seat safety: Infant carriers and shopping carts

This...

...is NOT safe!

I know... I know. It clicks when you put it on there. I was deceived by this too when Grace was a baby. I thought the click meant that it wouldn't fall. Nothing ever happened with Grace, and I learned better before I had Brentley. 

Yes, it does click, but that does not mean that it is secure. Car seats are not made for shopping carts. In fact, most user manuals say NOT to do this. 

Not only is the seat not actually secure on there, but doing this can damage the mechanism, therefore making it not properly connect in the base, which could prove fatal in a crash. 

I see people doing this all the time, everywhere I go. I have even seen people defending themselves even when faced with the facts.

The facts are that:

• Shopping carts are not made for car seats, so placing your baby up there in his/her car seat up there can make the cart top heavy, which can cause the cart to tip.
• The metal of the shopping cart is too thin, so while you hear the click, the seat is not secure.
• Any bump or sudden stop... someone bumping your cart with their's, a rowdy child running into it, hitting something in the floor, etc. could send your child tumbling to the floor.
• If your baby is old enough to wiggle, baby might send herself tumbling to the floor. 

It only takes a second. You reach up to the top shelf to grab that can of peas you need, and your pride and joy has fallen to the floor. 

It does happen, and it is much more common than you think.

Here is a link to one tragic story...

http://www.macon.com/2011/09/21/1712353/baby-dies-after-fall-from-grocery.html

Many more stories like this one can be found through a quick Google search. I have read three stories like this in the past couple of weeks. The other two babies survived, but one suffered a skull fracture. That is not something any parents want their child to go through!

Simple solutions:

1. Place the entire car seat in the basket where the groceries go. Yes, this limits space, but is that space worth risking injury or death to your child? Try getting hubby to go with you to the grocery store so you can each push a cart, or take a trip to the grocery store each week instead of every two weeks or once a month, that way you won't have to get as much.
2. If you have a travel system, put the car seat in the stroller. It is designed for that. I would go to the store by myself, push Brentley's stroller with him in his car seat, and pull the cart behind me. It requires some effort, but it was worth it.
3. Baby wear! I have done this too. Brentley loved to be worn. He just became to heavy for my back being the little chunker he is. Regardless of that, if your baby likes to be worn, wear that baby proudly! You free up your cart and your baby will be safe :)

References:

- http://carseatblog.com/10985/shopping-carts-eeek-what-not-to-do-with-your-infant-carseat/

Car seat safety: Wrecks and expiration dates

There are two more things that mean your child's car seat can no longer be used... wrecks and expiration dates.

Most people don't realize that car seats expire, but they do. Newer car seats have the expiration date listed on the shell, and you can always check your car seat's manual for the expiration date. Some seats expire in five years while others last as long as eight years. Each manufacturer is different. Regardless of that, once your child's car seat expires, it's time for a new one.
Also, this is a direct quote from my reference at the bottom...

"Parents should know that NHTSA instructs its techs and both Safe Kids and the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association agree that no seat should be used for more than a period of 6 years from its date of manufacture"


They expire for three reasons...
1. Technology changes
2. Materials where down
3. The manufacturer may no longer manufacture replacement parts. 


You can check the first reference for how to find your car seat's expiration date.



Another reason that you have to get a new car seat is if it has been in a moderate to severe wreck. It does not matter if the child was in the seat at the time or not. You must get a new one if the seat was in the car when the car was involved in an accident. You do not have to get a new one if it was only a minor wreck...

Minor crashes are those that meet ALL of the following criteria:

• The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site;
• The vehicle door nearest the safety seat was undamaged;
• There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants;
• The air bags (if present) did not deploy; AND
• There is no visible damage to the safety seat.

If ALL of these criteria are not met, then a new car seat is needed.

For both of these reasons above (the expiration dates and wrecks), it is not recommended that you buy a used car seat. If you do not know for certain that the seat was never involved in a wreck, and/or you do not know the car seat's expiration date, then do NOT buy it. I know it's tempting because car seats are not cheap, but it's not worth it if the seat could jeopardize your baby's safety. 

If you truly cannot afford a new car seat, call your local health department. Many of them have a program where you can receive a free car seat for your child. 

Three children survived this wreck because their car seats were being used properly! Car seat safety IS IMPORTANT!

References:
- http://safetysquad.typepad.com/safety_squad/2007/08/why-do-car-seat.html
- http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/childps/childrestraints/reuse/restraintreuse.htm

Car seat safety: Puffy coats

Around here, it doesn't get that cold during the winter, but it still gets cold enough to need a coat, so I see many people trying to cram their children in their car seats with big puffy coats on.

There are several reasons why this is not a good idea.

I'll start off with a couple of pictures...

This is Farrah Abraham's daughter Sophia. The coat was so big that she decided she just wouldn't buckle the bottom buckle I suppose. She did the same thing with the bottom buckle in last week's Teen Mom episode. Farrah is terrible with car seat safety, but sadly, she is not the worst I've seen :(

Here is another picture that I got off of a car seat safety Facebook page.

Again, the coats prevent the straps from being properly placed.

This is what happens when you try to squeeze your child in their car seat with the puffy coat. 

Some parents are aware that this is obviously not safe, so instead, they loosen the straps. They straps would then be properly placed, and could even pass the pinch test, but the coat creates the "deceitful snugness" I talked about before. In a crash, the coat would compress, and the straps would no longer pass the pinch test, which leaves your child vulnerable to injury or even ejection from the seat during a crash. 

Here is a link to a video that demonstrates everything I have just talked about...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5AwtaQnNO8

The basics of the video is showing you how to test if your child's coat is too puffy. Put your child's coat on, strap your child into her car seat, and make sure the straps are snug. Then, don't adjust the straps at all, remove you child and remove her coat, place her back in her car seat. If the straps are too lose now, the coat is too big. 

Now, a lot of people complain that their child will be too cold without a coat. There are several solutions for this. 

1. Let your car warm up before you leave. I'm not to fond of this one. I know someone who was doing this, and their car was stolen, so I don't typically do this, but it's an option. 

2. A thin jacket like fleece. As long as it passes the test I just talked about, then your child can wear it. 

3. Blankets. Keep a nice warm blanket in your car to cover your child with. This is my favorite method. I know that some kids won't keep a blanket on though, so that is why I listed the other methods. Also, make sure the blanket covers the child and the straps. Do not have the straps over the blanket.

*** For taking your children to the car, either put them in the big coat and remove it when putting them in the seat or wrap them in a blanket. 

Also, I would like to point out that keeping your child in a heavy coat in the car can cause them to become too hot once the car has warmed up. With a blanket, the child can throw it off or you can pull it off once the child has warmed up. 

Car seat safety: Rear-facing

As I stated in a previous post, it is the law to have your child rear-facing until 1-year-old AND 20 lbs.
While this is the law, it is outdated. The recommendation is now that you rear-face your child as long as your child's car seat allows it, or at least until 2-years-old. There are even movements in some states toward changing the laws to 2-years-old.

I cannot tell you how many times I have been called a "rear-facing nazi" for this. People always say, "It's just a recommendation." Well, yes it is just a recommendation, but it is a recommendation for a reason!

We need to remember that cars have really not even been around for a century, and car seats are a relatively new thing. When our parents were kids, car seats were non-existent. When we were kids the movement towards using car seats really began, and since then, more and more tests have been done on how they can be most efficient and safe.

The more that is learned about car seats, the more the recommendations change.

Unfortunately, many doctors are not up to date on the recommendations. I was told I could turn Grace around at one (she was already over 20 lbs) by her pediatrician. So, (hangs head in shame), I did it. I got pregnant with Brentley about a month after she turned one, and I started researching car seat safety then. It was actually an accident that I started and just kept reading more and more. It never occurred to me before that her doctors could be wrong. We eventually turned her back to rear-facing. I'm not sure what she weighs now, but if she is under 40 lbs, then we will be rear-facing her again in the SUV once we get it (next month!!). Her car seat is too tall to fit rear-facing in my car. I hate having her forward-facing even now that she is almost three :(

Anyway, the reason that it is recommended to rear-face until at least two is because it has been found that children's necks muscles and bones are not yet strong enough to withstand the force of a crash. Thus, they can end up with a broken neck or even internal decapitation.

Now, I am going to address the common reasons I see that people don't rear-face their children even when they know the risks...

"My child doesn't want to watch the world pass him by."
- For starters, if you have never forward-faced your child, then he or she is not going to know the difference. If this is your excuse for not turning your child back to rear-facing, then I guess when your child doesn't want to go to sleep you should just let him stay up all night. Or when he doesn't want to stop running after the ball when you tell him to that you should just let him run out into the street. You are the parent. Sometimes, you have to do things in the interest of your child's safety that your child doesn't want or like. That just comes with being a parent.

"My child can't see as much."
- The child can still see out of the side windows, and in my car, the kids can see more out of the rear-window than they can the windshield. Not to mention that how much they can see is not going to protect them in a crash.

"My child is too tall."/"It's uncomfortable for my child."
- Children are extremely flexible. Most actually prefer to sit "Indian style" or with their legs up rather than having their legs hang down. If children can fall asleep, then they are comfortable.

"My child's legs will break in a crash."
- I literally cannot find a documented case of a child's leg being broken in a crash due to the fact that the child was rear-facing. I have heard stories, but nothing proven. However, there are way too many documented cases of a child's neck being broken or a child being internally decapitated in a crash due to the fact that their muscles and bones were not yet strong enough to be forward-facing :( Now, would you rather your child have a broken leg(s), or be paralyzed/dead? I think that question answers itself.

"I can't properly install the seat."
- Now, I realize that I have said Grace can't rear-facing because her seat doesn't fit. In my case, this is not an excuse. Chris is 6'2. He has to have the driver's seat pushed all the way back to fit in our tiny car. This means that Grace's seat is too tall to fit at the right angle rear-facing. I realize that this is not always an excuse, but sometimes it is. If the seat is not too tall to fit, then have someone at the health department or fire department install it for you.

"Forward-facing in a front end collision is the same thing as rear-facing in a rear-end collision."
- Simply put... No, it's not. I'm going to copy and paste some info on this...

• According to Crashtest.Com, frontal and frontal offset crashes combine for about 72% of severe crashes.   Side impacts are about 24%.   Rear and rear offset crashes only account for about 4%. The NHTSA FARS database shows similar numbers. The odds of being in a frontal crash with a fatality or very serious injury are many times greater than being in a severe rear-end crash. Rear-enders are more common at lower speeds, though most injuries in these crashes are not as severe - typically, whiplash injuries to adults, especially passengers lacking proper head restraint.
• Vehicle speed is very important to the energy in a crash, even more important than vehicle weight.  Frontal and frontal offset crashes are the most severe because they often happen with both vehicles traveling at high speeds in opposite directions.  Rear and rear offset crashes, on the other hand, often happen at lower speeds.   In many cases, one vehicle is stopped or nearly stopped, and the other hits it from behind at a relatively low speed.   Other times both vehicles are traveling in the same direction at similar speeds when one is bumped from behind. Either way, the difference in the speed of the vehicles is usually much lower in rear end crashes, and so the energy in the crash will also be much lower.   Lower energy means less chance of injury.

Bottom line, rear-facing is the safer option for as long as possible. And by as long as possible,I mean rear-facing to the maximum weight and height limits of your child's car seat.

References:

- http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

Car Seat Safety: Aftermarket parts

Aftermarket toys, head/body supports, strap covers, car seat covers. All of these things and more are sold at your nearest Wal-Mart, Babies-R-Us, etc. ect. Many people think that because these things are sold in stores, they are safe.

The opposite is actually true. Unless it came with your car seat (many car seats come with head supports, and some come with things like cup holders or strap covers), or was made by your car seat’s manufacturer for that specific car seat, then it is not considered safe. This is because these aftermarket things are not tested with the car seat when it is crash tested.

Toys:

I will admit that Grace had toys on her car seat. I didn’t know that they could be dangerous in a crash. The toys can come lose and act as a projectile. Granted, soft toys probably wouldn’t do much damage, but many of these toys hang, and because of that, they could potentially strangle the child. Not to mention, most car seat toys connect to the handle of an infant carrier, which, as I stated in a past post, is typically supposed to be positioned back (unless stated otherwise in your manual), so they wouldn't be able to play with the toys anyway.

Head/body supports:

This was my most recent car seat blunder. Grace and Brentley both had one of these. I thought I was doing the right thing. It seemed like their heads weren’t supported well enough to me. However, these things can create what I call “deceitful snugness.” You may have you baby strapped in with one of these, and the straps pass the pinch test, so you think everything’s fine. Well, in a crash, that body support can compress, which means that the straps would then be lose.

Strap covers:

These can also create the “deceitful snugness,” and therefore, lose straps in a crash. Another thing they do is, in babies, they almost always make it impossible to have the chest clip on the chest. Babies have such short torsos that it is not possible to have strap covers and the chest clip properly placed.

Fortunately, I have always used the chest clip properly. I was given a set of strap covers when I was pregnant with Grace. And I realized that they pushed the chest clip down, so I never used them.

Car seat covers:

By this, I mean something like this scenario...

Your child does something like spill a drink, have a poo explosion, etc. that creates a massive stain on the car seat, so you buy a new cover. If the cover was not made for that car seat, by that car seat manufacturer, it is not safe. I typically see these on websites like Etsy with incredibly cute prints. It’s like they are drawing the unknowing parents in. These can cause the straps to not come out of their slots properly and can also cause the “deceitful snugness” as well.

There are other things that are sold as well, but the four things I have mentioned are the most common ones that I see. Bottom line, aftermarket parts have not been crash tested, so there is no way to know if they are safe or not, and as the saying goes, it’s better safe than sorry. 

Here are some examples...

Aftermarket strap covers for sure, and it looks to be an aftermarket head support.

Same baby... still has aftermarket strap covers, and now an aftermarket toy.

As you can see in both pictures, the strap covers are pushing the chest clip way too far down. Even as the baby got bigger, they still pushed it down. It is basically touching the bottom buckle, and there is no room for it to move up. And that is a hard toy, so it would almost certainly be a hazard in a crash.

If your child was injured in a crash due to an aftermarket part causing the car seat to not function properly, this typically voids the car seat's warranty.

Now, as to back up my claims, here are some statements from different car seat manufacturers.


"Dorel Juvenile Group does not recommend the use of any car seat accessories except those recommended by the car seat manufacturer." -- This is the company that made the car seats Grace and Brentley have.


"The use of non-Britax Child Safety, Inc covers, inserts, toys,  accessories, or tightening devices is not approved by Britax.  Their use could cause this restraint to fail Federal Safety Standards or perform worse in a crash.  Their use automatically voids the Britax warranty." 


"DO NOT use accessories or parts other than those provided by Graco.  Their use could alter the performance of the car seat." 


"DO NOT attach additional padding, toys, or other devices not made by Evenflo to the child restraint. Items not tested with the child restraint could injure the child."


More of these statements can be found at the link below...
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/AftMarketMan.aspx

Linking post - Car seat safety!

All of these links are links to posts that I have done in the past :)

**These tips, laws, instructions, etc. are based on laws, vehicles, and car seats in the U.S.A If you are in a country other than U.S.A., your laws, vehicles, and car seats may be different.

Here is a list of 25 things you need to know about car seat safety at this link...
http://cae2392.blogspot.com/2012/07/car-seat-safety-all-in-one.html

Learn about how you can know if you have the car seat properly installed at this link...

http://cae2392.blogspot.com/2012/06/helpful-tips-car-seat-safety.html

Learn how to properly install rear-facing and forward-facing car seats at this link...

http://cae2392.blogspot.com/2012/07/car-seat-safety-proper-installation.html

Learn how to properly buckle your child into his or her car seat at this link...

http://cae2392.blogspot.com/2012/07/car-seat-safety-proper-restraining.html

Learn why aftermarket attachments should not be used on your child's car seat at this link...
http://cae2392.blogspot.com/2012/07/car-seat-safety-aftermarket-parts.html

Learn why children should continue rear-facing to the maximum weight and height limits of their car seats at this link...
http://cae2392.blogspot.com/2012/07/car-seat-safety-rear-facing.html

Learn why heavy coats shouldn't be used with car seats at this link...
http://cae2392.blogspot.com/2012/07/car-seat-safety-puffy-coats.html

Learn about car seat expiration dates and what to do in the event of a wreck at this link...
http://cae2392.blogspot.com/2012/07/car-seat-safety-wrecks-and-expiration.html

Learn why it's not safe to use infant carriers on top of shopping carts at this link...
http://cae2392.blogspot.com/2012/07/car-seat-safety-infant-carriers-and.html

Car seat safety: Proper restraining

Now that we have covered how to install the car seat, I am going to move on to properly restraining your child.

First off, know the weight limits on your car seat.
For Brentley's infant carrier, the weight limit was 5 to 22 lbs. Since my little man is a chunk, he outgrew that at around 5 months old. Grace and Brentley have the same convertible car seat now. The weight limits on it are: rear-facing up to 40 lbs, forward-facing up to 60 lbs, and high-back booster up to 100 lbs.
There are weight limits on a car seat for a reason. If the weight limit on your baby's infant carrier is 22 lbs, do not place your 25 lb baby in it.
I am all for extended rear-facing, but if the rear-facing limit on your child's car seat is 40 lbs, then you cannot continue to rear-face your 45 lbs child. In the event of a crash, the seat would not function properly if the child was over the weight limit.
Most, if not all, car seats have the weight limit listed somewhere on the car seat itself. And it will also be listed in the car seat's manual. If you haven't noticed by now, that is one instruction booklet you don't want to throw away.

Now, let's move onto weight limits over-all. Most states have a law that requires children under the age of one year old AND 20 lbs to be rear-facing. THIS IS A LAW in most states. Not a choice.
In Georgia, a child who is under 4'9 and 40 lbs OR under the age of eight MUST be in a car seat per the law. If your child reaches 4'9 and 40 lbs before the age of eight, then it is legal for them to ride in a regular seat. And children under the age of twelve must be in the back seat.
If you live in another state, you can refer to this link http://babyproducts.about.com/od/statecarseatlaws/State_Car_Seat_Laws_Child_Safety_Seat_and_Seatbelt_Laws_by_State.htm to find out what your state's car seat laws are.
Now, notice that these are the law, but research suggests that these are outdated. The recommendation for rear-facing is AT LEAST two-years-old. Further recommendations suggest rear-facing as long as possible.
As for forward-facing, it is recommended that the child stays in a 5-point harness for as long as possible. I will cover how long a child should remain in a booster later in the post.

As for the straps on a 5-point harness seat, the straps should NOT be twisted. 
They MUST be tight. Not so tight that the child has indents from them, but they should be snug. The best way to test this is with the pinch test.

If you can pinch any slack, then it is not tight enough.

Now, the clip in the middle is called the CHEST clip. It goes on the child's chest, not stomach. 

It should be positioned on the sternum, about even with the armpits. 

Now, I feel that this shouldn't even have to be mentioned, but ALL clips should be fasted. 

All of that is for rear and forward facing. The only difference in rear and forward facing with a 5-point harness is...

If your child is rear-facing, then the straps should come out of the slots at or just BELOW the shoulders.

If your child is forward-facing, then the straps should come out of the slots at or just ABOVE the shoulders.

Do NOT wash the straps of a car seat. They are covered in fire retardant components. When they are submersed in water and soap, those components are stripped. To clean them, use a damp cloth (no soap).

As for boostering, children are not supposed to be in a booster until 4 years old AND 40 lbs! You do NOT have to put your child in a booster at this point. However, if you continue to keep your child in a 5-point harness after that age and weight, watch your child's height. If your child's shoulders become higher than the highest slot for the straps on the car seat, and/or your child becomes heavier than the car seat's weight limit, then it's time for your little one to move to a booster. 

High-back boosters are best to start with. They have a belt positioner on them. This positions the belt so that is not touching the child's neck. If you put your child in a regular booster, and the belt touches the child's neck, then you will need a high-back.

In a booster of any sort, the belt should be across the child's lap, not stomach, and across the child's shoulder with no contact to the child's neck. 

Do not use just a lap belt or place the shoulder belt behind your child. Neither of these things are safe.

Your child should not be moved out of the booster until the belt fits your child that same way WITHOUT the booster.

Sources:

- http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

Car seat safety: Proper installation

Tip: Proper installation.

The base (if using an infant carrier) or the seat itself should not be able to move more than one inch in any direction. This means that you cannot just slide the buckle through and the seat be safe. You MUST tighten the belt as tight as you can get it. I do this by putting my knee in the car seat, putting all my weight into it, so that the car seat sinks down into the seat, then I tighten the belt as tight as I can get it. Once I move my knee, the car seat is nice and snug. I also check the seat every time we put the kids in. Sometimes belts can loosen from a bumpy ride or rowdy little ones, so it is best to make sure the seat is still tightly positioned. 

If you are using a LATCH system, make sure that you follow the car seat manual's instructions along with your car's manual instructions. Have both of them handy when installing the seat. As I have stated before, if you do not have one or both of the manuals, then you can typically find an electronic copy on the manufacturer's website. You will need your car's manual as well because different cars have different LATCH systems. On some, the top tether will go over the head rest, on others, it will go under the headrest... different things like that.

If you are using a seat belt, make sure you place it in the proper slots. Especially if you have a convertible car seat. There will be a slot for rear facing and a slot for forward facing. If they are mixed up during installation, then the seat will not function properly in the event of a crash, which could lead to serious injury or death. Consulting your car seat's manual will help avoid any confusion. Here is an example of how NOT to install it a car seat.

This is Markai Durham and her little girl (from 16 and Pregnant). During these car seat posts I'm doing, you will probably get to see lots of babies from 16 and Pregnant featured because I see tons and tons of car seat misuse from girls on that show :( This one is just terrible. There are about 352436 things wrong with this picture, but since we are focusing on installation in this post, the seat belt has NO business being across that baby's lap!

When installing a rear-facing seat, the seat should typically be at a 45 degree angle. Many car seats are adjustable or have adjustable bases to aid in achieving this angle. Also, a lot of newer car seats will have a line that says it should be parallel to the ground in order for the seat to be installed properly, or they will have a thing on them that, when the car seat is at the correct angle, a certain color will show. I know that both of my kids' current car seats (Safety First Alpha Elite) have the line, and both of their infant car seats (they were both Graco) had the color indicator. The color indicator can be seen in the picture below. It is the the circle on the side of the car seat. 

If you cannot achieve this angle, then you can use a shortened pool noodle under the seat. This has been certified by CPS. Brentley has one under his seat because the rear seat in my vehicle actually slopes in the opposite direction, so I could not get the line parallel to the ground without it. 

When you are using an infant carrier, the handle on the infant carrier should be positioned down. Like this...

Unless the manual that came with the car seat specifically states that it can be left in the upright position.

The rear middle seat of your car is the safest place to installed the car seat. I reduces the impact of the force no matter where your car is hit. However, once you child graduates out of a 5-point harness and into a booster (whether high-back or backless), if the middle seat in your car only has a lap belt, then your child cannot sit there. A child must have a regular seat belt (shoulder and lap) to sit in a booster. 

Also, if you have more than one little one in a car seat, it may be difficult to put a seat in the middle. When we had Brentley we could no longer use the middle seat because I could not get a proper installation with the seats that close. Brent is behind the passenger's seat, and Grace is behind the driver's seat. The middle seat will not be the safest place if you cannot get the seat properly installed.

The only time a child's car seat should ever be in the front seat of a car is when it is in a truck or two seater car that has the ability to turn the air bags to the passenger's seat off. You will need to consult your car's manual before you do this to insure that you have properly positioned the seat and turned the air bags off, and it is always safer to have the child's seat in a back seat. 

References: 

- http://www.dmv.org/how-to-guides/install-child-seat.php#Proper-Installation-Techniques-
- http://children.webmd.com/news/20080507/safest-spot-for-babys-car-seat

Helpful tips: Car seat safety

Tip: Read the manual that comes with your child's car seat and follow the instructions it gives you.

I tried researching the exact percentage of car seats that are improperly installed. I found numbers ranging from 70% to 95%. Most of the numbers fell in the 80% range. No matter what the true number is, even 70% is entirely too high.

A common argument I see when people try to defend this is, "At least the kid is in a car seat." This is a moot point in my book. If the child is within the weight and height limits to need a car seat, then it should just be a given that the child be in a car seat. There should be no"at least."

Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death in children ages 1 year old to 12 years old.

Having a car seat properly installed reduces the risk of death in infants by as much as 71% and 54% in toddlers. I didn't find numbers for older children, but I am sure you can see a trend here.

No one wants to think that they are going to have a wreck, but the reality is that car crashes occur everyday. Even if you are a very defensive driver, the person next to you could be drunk, texting, and trying to eat a cheeseburger. I tried to look up numbers for how many accidents occur each day in the U.S. and again, the numbers were spread out. 16,934 seemed to be a popular number, but I couldn't find a credible source to back that up.

I do know that I live on the Tennessee boarder and there is an electronic sign you have to pass under on the interstate. It has been reporting the number of fatalities due to automobile accidents this year in Tennessee alone. The last I saw, that number was approaching 500. I did the math and that rounds out to three deaths per day in Tennessee alone so far this year! And that is surely no where near the number of crashes that actually occur each day. Surely none of those people expected to be in a crash that day. It is much better to be safe than sorry.

Each brand of car seat is different, so the only way to insure that your car seat is properly installed is to read your child's car seat manual from cover to cover, and then cross reference it with your car's manual. If, for some reason, you don't have one or both of these, you can typically find an electronic version of the manual on the manufacturer's website.

When I bought the kids' new car seats (they both got a Safety First Alpha Elite) I did read the manual cover to cover, and I was surprised to see the differences between that car seat and their old ones. They were only slight differences, but these differences could mean the difference between life and death in the event of an accident.

*Side note: never use the LATCH system and the seat belt at the same time.They are two separate methods of restraining a car seat. They are not meant to be used simultaneously. *ETA* Unless your car seat's manual states otherwise, but this is rare! So again, read the manual carefully! Older cars do not have the LATCH system, so most car seats are designed to where you use either or, not both. Car seats are designed to move slightly in an impact to reduce the force of the crash on the child. If you are using both (and not supposed to be), then they can have an effect of cancelling each other out, and cause the seat to fail. Also, neither one is superior to the other when used properly. However, it is typically considered easier to get the seat properly installed while using the LATCH system. I currently don't have any experience with the LATCH system because my car is a 1998 and does not have that feature, but I have heard that it makes getting the seat tightly installed much easier. *End of ETA*

If you do not feel confident that you can properly install the seat on your own, call your local health department or fire department. One of these places will typically have someone who will install it for you free of charge, or they can direct to someone who can. Makes sure the person who is installing it is certified. Otherwise, you may have someone who has no idea what they are doing, which can cause more harm than good.

I realize that this only puts a dent in all the car seat safety issues. I aim to cover one issue per post. I hope I have covered this one thoroughly. Future posts will address how car seats can be properly installed.

Sources:
- http://www.gahighwaysafety.org/childpassengersafety/
- http://www.safetyissues.com/site/children/securing_children_s_car_seats.html
- http://www.allstate.com/insurance-industry-news/general-safety-and-prevention-tips/car-seats-often-improperly-installed-800519160.aspx
-http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=14133