Car Seat Ramblings

This was originally posted on my wifes site, but since this is very important I wanted to repost it here. If you have kids you should read this.

This is really a rant about using car seats but if you have questions about if your kid should still be in a car seat, or how to put them in. Check out one of these great sites. So don't just take our word for it.

http://www.car-safety.org
http://www.carseat.org This one I believe has a forum staffed by certified car seat technicians who will answer questions
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/aftermarket.aspx
http://www.carsafety4kids.com/aftermarket.html
http://www.safekids.org
http://www.car-seat.org


As I see children when we are out and about or see pictures of kids here and there, I have to stop and ask a simple question. Why on earth do so many parents not use car seats properly? I will admit that around here we are a bit strict about car seat use. Until a child is 4 feet 10 inches, they will remain in a booster seat no matter what the law says. Until they can be trusted to sit still in their seat without constant squirming and goofing off, they will stay in a 5 point harness. Until they are 30 lbs, they will remain rear facing. What this means is that only our oldest is out of car seats/boosters. The almost 10 year-old is still in a booster seat because he is too short for seat belts to provide adequate protection. The 7 year-old is still in a 5 point harness because he likes to try to move around in his seat and if he were to move out of the seat belt path, he would put himself and everyone else in the car in danger. The almost 3 year-old and the 1 year-old are still rear facing because they are under 30 lbs. This way if we are in a collision, the impact will be taken by their car seat, rather than by their bodies. Small children simply do not have the strength in their bones yet to withstand the impact of most collisions without injury. Keeping them rear facing longer provides them with added protection and if you can do one small thing to keep your child safer, why not do it? Yes, this means we will have 3 children rear facing in a few weeks. Yes, this means we will have 7 children to check and double check car seats and seat belts on. Yes, this means extra time when we get in and out of the van. Yes, it means every few weeks we need to go around and make sure no one has knocked a car seat loose and every day it means checking that chest clips are actually at arm pit level and the straps are nice and tight.

I will admit that I don't expect every one to take things as seriously as we do. I understand that we are a bit over the top as far as most people are concerned. But my big question is why not take the time to make sure the straps are at least tightened properly? Your child should not be able to lean forward and pick up things they dropped or lean over the edge of the seat. They should not be allowed total freedom of movement in their car seat. If they can do those things and you are in an accident or your car flips, your child can slip out of the restraint. They will then not only likely be injured, but could also become a projectile and injure other people. You should not be able to get more than a finger or possibly 2 between your child and the straps of their seat. And you should NEVER put a child in a car seat in bulky clothing. This includes heavy winter jackets and such. And any child under 4 ft 10 inches should not ride in the front seat of a car with air bags unless you can turn them off. I know emergencies arise and sometimes you don't have a choice. But many times you do. It is worth your child's safety to take two cars or postpone a shopping trip. Ideally no one under 12 should be in the front of a car unless the car is not equipped with air bags or the air bags can be turned off.

Please folks do some more research. Read the manuals that come with your car seats. Read the manuals that come with your car. It's not about the law because many states have incredibly pathetic car seat laws. It is about safety. It's not about how things used to be done and the number of kids who survived before all of these inventions. Those who did not survive are not here to tell us about it. Putting your child in your car is one of the most dangerous things you will do with them on a regular basis. Take the time to make it as safe as possible.

Great Hites Prompt # 46

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This weeks prompt comes from my Laurence Simon:

"Cloud storage"


All Stories for this prompt are due by Midnight Tuesday March 24 th. Email the text of the story and a recording if you would like me to include it in the podcast to jeffrey dot hite at gmail dot com.

good luck. And don't forget to come out to the site and vote for your Favorite stories this week.

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