Keeping Baby Safe While Driving

When you secure your baby in a car seat you expect the seat to keep your little one as safe as possible. But for those who may have seen the Consumer Reports infant seat safety report and its subsequent recall, you may be confused about what to do.

The Consumers Union, publisher of Consumers Reports, urges parents to remember that use of any child seat is safer than no child seat at all. To that end, Consumers Union offers the following car seat rules of thumb to help keep your baby safe while traveling:

The safest place for a car seat is in your vehicle’s center-rear seat. Keep a car seat in a rear-facing position until your infant is at least one year old and 20 pounds (and longer, if the seat’s manual says it can hold children at a higher weight and height). The seat should recline at an optimum 45-degree angle.
Check the fit of any car seat in your own car to ensure it’s easy to use before you buy it. And, if you’re buying a new car, take your child seats with you to ensure they fit properly.
Don’t forget to use the top tether when installing your car seat. The top tether greatly improves crash protection, according to the Consumer Reports tests.
When possible, buy new. Second-hand seats may have been recalled or involved in a crash. Don’t accept hand-me-downs with unknown histories or car seats that are more than six years old. Check for recalled models at www.nhtsa.gov.
Carefully read the owner’s manuals for both your car seat and your car to determine how to properly install the seat.
Harness straps in a rear-facing car seat should be at or slightly below your child’s shoulders. For front-facing toddlers, harness straps should be at or slightly above the toddler’s shoulders. If a harness is properly snug, you should not be able to insert more than one of your fingers behind it.
Send in your car seat’s registration card so the manufacturer can you let you know about any recalls.
Have your car seat checked by a certified child passenger safety technician once it’s installed. You can find free car seat inspection stations at www.nhtsa.gov, by calling 866.732.8243, or by contacting your local hospital, police or fire department.
When the seat is installed, try shifting it from side to side and back to front. It shouldn’t move more than an inch. If it slips on the car upholstery, especially leather seats, put a plastic mesh shelf liner under the seat for more grip.
Replace a car seat that has been involved in even a minor crash.
Protect older children. Children should be in a booster seat until they can sit in a vehicle’s rear seat with their back comfortably against the backrest, their knees bent comfortably over the edge, with the vehicle shoulder belt crossing mid-chest and the lap belt snug across the top of their thighs.


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