Impact to the chest can result in a large compression of the chest wall onto the heart and lungs, and some of the abdominal organs.
The infant pelvis is unstable and cannot withstand the forces from an adult restraint system. Infants require their own special seats designed to cradle them in a crash and provide protection from many types of crashes. Like adult seatbelts, child restraints in cars are intended to keep a child firmly secured in their seat so that in the event of sudden braking or collision the child is not thrown against the car interior or ejected from the vehicle. The restraint must absorb kinetic energy created by the motion of the child during the crash without itself injuring the child and must be easy to use.
Older children who are above the height and weight specifications for using child restraints require a properly fitting three-point lap and diagonal seatbelt when riding in a vehicle.
It is also important that child restraints be used correctly - If a child is restrained in the wrong system for its age or weight, or the straps or harnesses are not adequately secured or entirely left undone, it will place the child at an increased risk of both fatal and non-fatal injuries.
When you buy a restraint you need to consider:. The child should be kept in the most appropriate restraint suitable for his or her size and age and only be moved to the next category of restraint when he or she no longer physically fits. Never carry your child in your arms or share your seat belt with your child. In a crash, you won't be able to hold on to your child. He or she may be thrown around the vehicle or thrown out of the vehicle.
The safest way for an infant to travel in a vehicle is in the rear-facing position. Keep them in this position for as long as possible and only move them to a forward-facing child seat when they no longer fit in the rear-facing position. A restraint system needs to limit forward head movement in a frontal impact and provide protection from intrusion in a side impact. A child restraint should therefore distribute the crash forces over as wide an area as possible.
Belts and harnesses need to fit well and be properly positioned as designed by the manufacturer. The restraint system should also provide protection from contact with the vehicle interior in both front and side impacts. The best type of child restraint for young children is the child safety seat.
The integral harness secures the child and spreads the crash forces over a wide area. This seat will last them until either their weight exceeds 18 kg or they grow too tall for the height of the adjustable harness. Booster seats are best used only when a child has outgrown a safety seat. They are designed for weights from 15 kg to 25 kg. Children should continue to ride in a booster seat until the lap and diagonal belts in the car fit properly, typically when they are approximately centimetres cm tall.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the child so that the adult seatbelt lies properly across the chest, crossing diagonally at the child's shoulder rather than the neck, and low across the pelvis. If the adult belt is too high across the stomach, in a crash serious internal injury could result, or the child could submarine under the seatbelt. The booster seat has a back and can provide some protection in a side impact. A booster seat can improve the seat belt fit when your child is too big for a forward-facing child seat and too small for an adult belt.
As a general guide, buy a rigid booster seat with a back, side wings and a sash guide to keep the seat belt in place. Booster cushions without backs are designed for weights from 22 kg to 36 kg, but manufacturers are now producing booster cushions with backs that cover the full 15 kg to 36 kg range. Shield booster seats, which have a plastic shield in front of the child, offer less protection and should not be used.
It should also be noted that although children are best protected when secured in age-appropriate child restraints if such restraints are not available, it is still better to use an adult seatbelt on the child than leave the child unrestrained on the back seat.
The seat belt, however, must fit your child correctly; ie the lap belt is low over the bony part of the hips not the stomach and the sash does not touch their face or neck when all slack is removed. When using an adult belt, either alone or in conjunction with a booster seat, do not allow your child to place the sash portion of the belt under their arms or behind their back. Never use a booster seat with a lap-only belt alone. Only use restraint when you know its history or if it has been obtained from a reliable source.
Do not buy or use it if it has been involved in a crash, has worn straps, bent or worn buckles, or the attachment points in the plastic shell are cracked or discoloured, for example from age or overexposure to the sun.
In countries where car use is rising most rapidly, the use of seatbelts and child restraints is low. As child restraints are not installed within vehicles like seatbelts but must be purchased and fitted by parents it is more challenging to achieve high usage rates, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Comprehensive programmes of legislation, law enforcement, public education and publicity are needed to promote the benefits of seatbelt and child restraint use and to ensure compliance once legislation is in place.
Such campaigns may focus on young people and can be used both to increase awareness and to help make wearing seatbelts a social norm. Community projects can also employ parents and peers to encourage young people to wear seatbelts.
Home Services Documents. National Government. General Publication Create forms, guidelines, manuals, instructions, policies, public information pages, reports and research. Western Cape Government. Child Car Seat Safety. For the best protection, keep your baby in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible — at least until about 2 years old look for the exact height and weight limit on the side or back of your car seat.
If your vehicle has a front passenger airbag, infants in rear-facing seats must ride in the back seat. Even in a relatively low-speed crash, the airbag can inflate, strike the car safety seat, and cause serious brain injury and death. Vehicles with no back seat or a back seat that is not made for passengers are not the best choice for traveling with small children; however, the airbag can be turned off in some of these vehicles if the front seat is needed for a child passenger. Side airbags are available in most new cars.
Side airbags improve safety for adults in side-impact crashes. Child care programs and schools should have written guidelines for transporting children, including. This will help keep them safe during takeoff and landing or in case of turbulence. Remember that your child will need an appropriate car safety seat to use at your destination.
If you have questions or need help with installing your car safety seat, find a certified child passenger safety technician CPST or CPS technician. Lists of certified CPSTs and child seat—fitting stations are available on the following websites:. Be a good role model. Make sure you always wear your seat belt. This will help your child form a lifelong habit of buckling up.
Make sure that everyone who transports your child uses the correct car safety seat or seat belt on every trip, every time. Being consistent with car safety seat use is good parenting, reduces fussing and complaints, and is safest for your child.
Never leave your child alone in or around cars, and lock your vehicle when it is not in use. Any of the following situations can happen when a child is left alone in or around a vehicle. A child can. Always read and follow the manufacturer's instructions for your car safety seat. If you do not have those, write or call the company's customer service department. Staff will ask you for the model number, name of seat, and date of manufacture.
The manufacturer's address and phone number are on a label on the seat. Also, be sure to follow the instructions in your vehicle owner's manual about using car safety seats. Some manufacturers' instructions may be available on their websites. Remember to fill out and mail in the registration card that comes with the car safety seat. You can also register your seat on the manufacturer's website.
It will be important in case the seat is recalled. Follow manufacturer directions for cleaning car seats. Cleaning but not disinfecting is usually permitted. That's because disinfectant products may decrease the protection provided by the seat and harness.
Although the AAP is not a testing or standard-setting organization, this article sets forth the AAP recommendations based on the peer-reviewed literature available at the time of its publication and sets forth some of the factors that parents should consider before selecting and using a car seat. DOT HS publication Safe transportation of preterm and low birth weight infants at hospital discharge. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Please enable scripts and reload this page.
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Text Size. Page Content. Types of car seats at a glance: This chart is a quick guide on where to start your search. Types of rear-facing seats Three types of rear-facing seats are available: rear-facing—only , convertible, and all-in-one.
Rear-facing—only seats Are used for infants up to 22 to 35 pounds and 26 to 35 inches, depending on the model. Are small and have carrying handles. Usually come with a base that can be left in the car. Parents can buy more than one base for additional vehicles. This means the seat can be used longer by your child. Convertible seats are bulkier than infant seats, however, and they do not come with carrying handles or separate bases and are designed to stay in the car.
Many have higher limits in rear-facing weight up to 40—50 pounds and height than those of rear-facing— only seats, a feature that makes convertible seats ideal for bigger babies and toddlers. Have a 5-point harness that attaches at the shoulders, at the hips, and between the legs. Should be used only for a child's travel not sleeping, feeding, or any other use outside the vehicle.
All-in-one seats used rear facing Can be used rear facing, forward facing, or as a belt- positioning booster. This means the seat may be used longer by your child as your child grows. Are often bigger in size, so it is important to check that they fit in the vehicle while they are rear facing.
Do not have the convenience of a carrying handle or separate base; however, they may have higher limits in rear-facing weight up to 40—50 pounds and height than those of rear-facing—only seats, a feature that makes all-in-one seats ideal for bigger babies and toddlers.
Installation tips for rear-facing seats Always read the vehicle owner's manual and the car safety seat manual before installing the seat. When using a rear-facing seat, keep the following tips in mind: Place the harnesses in your rear-facing seat in slots that are at or below your child's shoulders. Ensure that the harness is snug you cannot pinch any slack between your fingers when testing the harness straps over the child's shoulders and that the chest clip is placed at the center of the chest, even with your child's armpits.
Make sure the car safety seat is installed tightly in the vehicle with either lower anchors or a locked seat belt.
Many car safety seats have an integrated lock-off system to keep the seat belt locked. If your seat has one, follow the manufacturer's recommendations on how to use it. If you can move the seat at the belt path more than an inch side to side or front to back, it's not tight enough. Never place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle that has an active front passenger airbag. If the airbag inflates, it will hit the back of the car safety seat, right against your child's head, and could cause serious injury or death.
If you are using a convertible or all-in-one seat in the rear-facing position, make sure the seat belt or lower anchor webbing is routed through the correct belt path.
Check the instructions that came with the car safety seat to be sure. Make sure the seat is at the correct angle so your child's head does not flop forward. Check the instructions to find out the correct angle for your seat and how to adjust the angle if needed. All rear-facing seats have built-in recline indicators. Check the car safety seat instructions and vehicle owner's manual about whether the car safety seat may contact the back of the vehicle seat in front of it.
Still having trouble? Check with a certified CPST in your area who can help. Common questions What if my child's feet touch the back of the vehicle seat?
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