Okay. Car seats. My group in my medical assisting class had to put up two bulletin boards this semester. For the second one (about two weeks ago) we put one up on car seat safety. I don't know exactly why I've become so passionate about this, but I have.
When I was prego with Via, I would spend time on a public forum-type-thing with others that were due the same month I was. There are some car seat enthusiasts on there! I guess they just reeled me in, too ;) Anyway, I realized there is A LOT of stuff I didn't know about car seats, for example:
They expire! I had no idea a car seat could expire! It turns out that the plastic warps over time, especially if you live in a drastically changing climate like we do. It also becomes brittle and is therefore much more likely to snap if in a car wreck. It's hard to see in this picture, but the bottom line states the expiration date on Via's car seat. (It is generally about 6 years after the manufacture date.)
Ah, the chest clip. I've become a chest clip fanatic! It MUST be at armpit level or I go nuts :) Obviously, in this picture, it's not. The straps are also too loose and are inserted too high above his shoulders. He's making weird faces because it was hard to get him to sit still. He's fine in the car seat if it's in the car; but this was in the house. He knew something was up ;)
Much better... Chest clip on the chest! He's slumping his shoulders in this picture, so it still looks like the straps are too high, but I promise, they're right at his shoulders if he's sitting right. They should be at the shoulders or just a little bit below. This is hard with Via right now, actually, because she's right in between two of them. The straps are also pretty stinkin tight (even though it may not look like it from his shoulder!) You should only be able to fit one to two fingers between the collar bone and strap. It's tight!
I also didn't know that you can put newborns in a car seat other than the bucket/carrier seats! I thought that's just what they went in! We actually didn't have a car seat yet for Via when she came home from the NICU (that's a whole other story), so we actually brought her home in Lucas's (straps adjusted, of course). The infant carriers are just soooo much more convenient, especially when the weather is cold, which it was in November in Idaho!
So, here is Via the day we brought her home! She was 4 lbs 9 oz, and the seat technically went down to 5 lbs. I've actually only heard of the Chicco infant carrier seats going down to 4 lbs. She was allowed to come home in it, though, because she did pass the car seat test in it; however, she did have to have a rolled up pillowcase between the leg strap and her little legs!
Okay, who knows what this is for??? I didn't! It's a locking clip used to prevent movement. Our car is an oldie, so the seat belts don't lock until impact, which means our seats were moving around like crazy before I found out we needed to use this little nifty thing! The seat shouldn't move more than 1 in in each direction when installed correctly. I put the locking clips on the belts for each seat and BAM! they're in place! It's amazing!
And I just love this picture with the water noodles behind the seat to also prevent movement of the seat! So clever!
Okay, I realize it's getting long, sorry... I told you, there is a TON I didn't know! More fun facts (yay!):
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children remain rear-facing until AT LEAST age 2, preferably longer given they don't exceed the rear-facing height and weight limits.
You can have your seat inspected and installed, usually at your local police station.
You can register your car seat with NHTSA to receive defects and recalls.
And last, but definitely not least... Car seats should NOT sit on top of shopping carts! It sounds like I'm screaming, but I promise it's a nice scream ;) They are only designed to clip into their respective bases, not shopping carts. Here are a few articles:
http://www.woai.com/content/troubleshooters/story/Car-seats-in-shopping-carts-become-a-dangerous/r8L5T6EXd0mw29A5OjCsaw.cspx
(This happened in San Antonio, where I'm from. I know where this Sam's Club is. Kind of hits home...)
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=94954
(This article explains why it is dangerous and reinstates the chances of brain bleeds from falls like this.)
Stepping off soap box now ;)
Well if you have any recommendations for a brand let us know! We're trying to figure things out!
ReplyDeleteJoelle, I have heard that the safest infant carrier types are Chicco (about $180) and Graco SnugRide (about $100-130). We only use the carriers for about 6 or 7 months until they can sit up, then switch to convertibles. So, we actually just bought an Evenflo for like $60 for Via this time. (Lucas's infant carrier was expired... because I had no idea they expired!) So, I guess if you plan on using it for a while, I would have spent the money on a "better" one, although they are all approved. I'm just too weak to carry them in an infant seat after a certain point lol!
ReplyDeleteFor convertibles, we had a Graco MyRide for Lucas at first and liked it, but it is a bit bulky if you have a small car. We bought a convertible Evenflo that he is using right now just because it was on clearance (new stock came into wal-mart). So we are saving his old one for Via now (it seems the safer of the two for a smaller baby).