Car seat safety tips
You'd never drive around town without making sure your child was safely fastened into a child safety seat. But that's exactly what you're doing if your child safety seat isn't installed correctly or doesn't fit the car you drive. And it's easier to make a mistake than you think.
Some installation advice
Give bigger kids a boost
The LATCH system
Learn more
Some installation advice
Many small factors can add up to an "unsafe" safety seat. Small back seats, deep bucket seats and splits in bench seats can create problems with some child safety seats. Make sure to read both the seat's instruction manual and your car's owner's manual before you install a child safety seat.
When installing the seat, place your knee in the seat and lean forward while tightening the belt. Once the belt is fastened, check it by firmly pulling the base of the seat from side to side and forward. It shouldn't move more than an inch in any direction. If it does, re-read the instructions and try it again, or have it inspected by a certified child safety seat inspector. If it still doesn't fit, return it for a different model.
Virtua offers child safety-seat fitting stations conducted by certified technicians at its hospitals in Mount Holly and Voorhees. For an appointment, call toll-free 1-888-Virtua-3 (1-888-847-8823).
Give bigger kids a boost
If you're like most parents, you probably haven't thought much about the need for booster seats for older children. "Many parents assume that once children outgrow forward-facing car seats they can be restrained safely in regular adult seats and seat belts. But, this isn't true," says Jeanne Marie Stewart, RN, manager of family health services and coordinator of Virtua's child-safety-seat fitting service.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for children ages 6 to 14. This is partly because children in this age group are often unrestrained or improperly restrained when riding in cars.
Children who cannot sit with their backs straight against the seat cushion and their knees bent over the vehicle's seat edge — without slouching — are not big enough for adult seat belts.
"Don't make the mistake of moving children up to adult seats too quickly," says Stewart, who was recently named to the New Jersey Child Passenger Safety Coalition. "After children outgrow child seats at around 40 pounds, they should use booster seats until they are 8 years old or weigh 80 pounds." And that's not just good advice; this New Jersey law safeguarding children went into effect last year.
The LATCH system
A relatively new standardized child safety seat system, known as LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children), is designed to simplify seat installation and enhance children's safety.
In September 1999, car manufacturers began equipping most passenger cars with upper tether anchors. Most forward-facing child safety seats now come with straps that attach to these anchors. New cars also have two anchors between the vehicle's seat cushion and seat back. Child safety seats will be manufactured with lower attachments that attach to these points. That means child safety seats will be more secure and a lot easier to install.
But don't worry if you drive an older model car. Even without LATCH, the seats in these cars are considered safe as long as the child safety seat is properly installed.
Learn more
Virtua's Car Seat Basics class teaches you what to look for when shopping for safety and booster seats. Learn basic car seat installation and receive hands-on practice so you can correctly install a seat yourself. Taught by a certified child passenger safety technician, this class is $10 per family. Classes are held from 7 to 8:30 pm and will be offered on March 19, 2003 at Virtua Memorial Hospital Burlington County and April 9, 2003 at the Barry D. Brown Health Education Center at Virtua Voorhees. For more information or to register, call toll-free 1-888-Virtua-3 (1-888-847-8823).