Q: What if my baby is born prematurely?
A: Premature infants should be observed by a health care professional in their car safety seats while still in the hospital to make sure the reclined position does not cause low heart rate, low oxygen, or breathing problems. If your baby needs to lie flat during travel, use a crash-tested car bed. Otherwise, use a rear-facing car safety seat without a tray shield. Shields often are too big and too far from the body to fit correctly. A small baby’s face could hit the tray in a crash. If possible, an adult should ride in the back seat next to your baby to watch him closely.

Q: What if my baby weighs more than 9 kilos but is not 1 year old yet?
A: Many babies reach 9 kilos well before their first birthday. However, just because your baby weighs more than 9 kilos does not make her ready to ride facing forward. Use a convertible or infant-only seat that can be used rear-facing by children who weigh more than 9 kilos and keep your baby rear-facing at least until she has reached her first birthday.

Q: What if my child has special health care needs?
A: Children with special health needs may have to use special restraint systems. Talk about this with your pediatrician. Information about transporting your child with special needs is available from www.preventinjury.org. For more information and a list of car safety seats available for children with special needs, visit www.aap.org/healthtopics/carseatsafety.cfm.

Q: What if my car has air bags?
A: All new cars come with air bags. When used with seat belts, air bags work very well to protect teenagers and adults. However, air bags are very dangerous to children, particularly those riding in rear-facing car safety seats and to child passengers who are not properly positioned. If your car has a passenger air bag, infants in rear-facing seats must ride in the back seat. Even in a relatively low-speed crash, the air bag can inflate, strike the car safety seat, and cause serious brain and neck injury and death.

Toddlers who ride in forward-facing car safety seats also are at risk from air bag injuries. All children up to age 13 years are safest in the back seat. If you must put a child in the front seat, slide the vehicle seat back as far as it will go. Make sure your child is properly restrained for his age and size and stays in the proper position at all times. This will help prevent the air bag from striking your child.

Air bag on/off switches can be used in the few cases in which an infant must ride in the front seat. Most families don’t need to use the air bag on/off switch. Air bags that are turned off cannot protect other passengers riding in the front seat. Air bag on/off switches should only be used if all of the following are true:

• Your child has special heath care needs.
• Your pediatrician recommends constant supervision of your child during travel.
• No other adult can ride in the back seat with your child.

On/off switches also must be used if you have a vehicle with no back seat or a back seat that is not made for passengers.

Q: What if my car has side air bags?
A: Side air bags improve safety for adults in side impact crashes. However, children who are seated near a side air bag may be at risk for serious injury. Read your vehicle owner’s manual for recommendations that apply to your vehicle.

Q: What if my car only has lap belts in the back seat?
A: Lap belts work fine when installing infant-only, convertible, and forward-facing car safety seats. They cannot be used with booster seats, and they are not the safest way to buckle older children. If your car only has lap belts, use a forward-facing car safety seat with a harness and higher weight limits. Other options are

• Check with a car dealer or the manufacturer to see if shoulder belts can be installed.
• Use a travel vest (some can be used with lap belts).
• Consider buying another car with lap and shoulder belts in the back seat.

Q. What if I drive more children than can be buckled safely in the back seat?
A: Avoid having to drive more children than can be buckled safely in the back seat, especially if your car has passenger air bags. However, if necessary, a child in a forward-facing car safety seat with a harness may be the best choice to ride in front. This is because a child who is in a booster seat or using a regular seat belt can easily move out of position and be at greater risk for injuries from the air bag.

Q: What do I need to know if my child will be driven by someone else, such as for child care or school?
A: If your child is being driven by someone else, make sure

• The car safety seat your child will be using (whether supplied by you or by the school) is appropriate for your child and the vehicle used for transport.
• The person responsible for transporting your child knows how to install the car safety seat correctly.

Child care programs and schools should have written guidelines for transporting children. These guidelines should include the following:

• All drivers must have a valid driver’s license. In some states, school bus drivers need to have a special type of license.
• Child-to-staff ratios for transport should meet or exceed those required for the classroom.
• Every child should be supervised during transport, either by school staff or a parent volunteer. This allows the driver to focus entirely on driving.
• School staff, teachers, and drivers should be knowledgeable about what to do in an emergency, proper use of car safety seats and seat belts, and other safety requirements.

Q: Can I use a car safety seat on an airplane?
A: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the AAP recommend that when flying, children should be securely fastened in car safety seats until 4 years of age, and then should be secured with the airplane seat belts. This will help keep them safe during takeoff and landing or in case of turbulence. Most infant, convertible, and forward-facing seats are certified to be used on airplanes. Booster seats and travel vests are not. Check the label on your car safety seat and call the car safety seat manufacturer before you travel to be sure your seat is certified for use on an airplane. You can also consider using a restraint made only for use on airplanes and approved by the FAA.

Q: Can I use a car safety seat that was in a crash?
A: If the car safety seat was in a moderate or severe crash, it needs to be replaced. If the crash was minor, the seat does not automatically need to be replaced. The NHTSA considers a crash minor if all of the following are true:

• The vehicle could be driven away from the crash.
• The vehicle door closest to the car safety seat was not damaged.
• No one in the vehicle was injured. The air bags did not go off.
• You can’t see any damage to the car safety seat.

Q: What about using a used car safety seat?
A: Avoid used car safety seats, especially if bought from a yard sale or a thrift shop because you won’t know the seat’s history.

Never use a car seat that:

• Is too old. Look on the label for the date it was made. Many manufacturers recommend that car safety seats only be used for a certain number of years. Check with the manufacturer to find out how long the company recommends using their seat.
• Has any visible cracks in the frame of the seat.
• Does not have a label with the date of manufacture and model number. Without these, you cannot check to see if the seat has been recalled.
• Does not come with instructions. You need them to know how to use the seat. You can get a copy of the instruction manual by contacting the manufacturer or looking on the Internet.
• Is missing parts. Used car safety seats often come without important parts. Check with the manufacturer to make sure you can get the right parts.
• Was recalled. You can find out by calling the manufacturer. If the seat has been recalled, be sure to follow the instructions to fix it or to get the parts you need.

BOOSTER SEAT
You should then purchase a high back booster seat and put your child in that using a lap/shoulder belt only and keep him in that until you exceed the weight limit or your child is able to sit properly in an adult seatbelt. This usually does not happen until around 8 years of age, depending on their size.

When can child move out of booster?
When your child can sit with his or her bottom against the seat crack, not slouching, knees bent over the edge of the seat, feet on the floor with the lap belt low on the hips and the shoulder belt not across the neck, then he is ok to use a lap/shoulder belt.

All you have to do is hold your newborn baby (or anybody’s baby for that matter) to get an idea that you are dealing with something fragile. Protecting and preparing an infant to endure an accident safely takes great care.

The infant’s head and neck are at most risk, but it doesn’t take much to cause injury to any part of the body. The idea behind the seat you buy is that if a collision does occur, the force will not be directed toward one specific area or limb, but rather evenly across the whole body.

Most parents don’t realize the extreme importance of installing their child’s car seat properly. The statistics for improperly installed seats are overwhelming! Amazingly, research shows that as many as

82 percent of all car seats are improperly installed (1) and used. Eighty-two percent. It’s a significant factor in why automobile accidents are the number-one killer of children under 14 (1) .

The best child safety seat is the one that:

• Fits your child properly
• Is easy to use, and
• Fits in your vehicle correctly

The best way to ensure a proper fit in your vehicle is to try installing the child seat before purchasing. Don’t just buy based on liking the seat, MAKE SURE IT FITS FIRST!

I recommend either having the seat installed professionally or installing yourself then have your install double checked by a professional if you are not 100% sure you’ve done it correctly. I highly recommend doing this PRIOR to the arrival of your little so from the ride home from hospital you know your bub is as safe as they can possibly be while travelling. Click here for a list of all RTA Authorised Child Restraint Fitting Stations around Australia.

With so many vehicle and safety seat models available, you may be confused about installing a child safety seat correctly. That’s why it’s so important to carefully read your vehicle owner’s manual and your safety seat instruction manual.

Here are some tips on how to install your infant car seat:

SECURING YOUR CHILD’S SAFETY SEAT

Get a Tight Fit:
Installing a car seat too loosely is one of the most common mistakes parents make.

Always install the seat tightly, using your body weight to tighten and fasten the seatbelt. There should be no more than 2.5 cm (1″) of movement of the seat from side to side or forward. Each time you place your child in the car safety seat, give it a tug to make sure it is still secure.

Using Locking Clips:
The seat belt must be locked to insure that your safety seat stays tight. Some vehicles made before 1997 may need a locking clip to lock the seat belt. Newer vehicles have belt systems with built in locks. Be sure to read your vehicle owner’s manual to learn how to use your seat belts correctly with your child safety seat.

Sometimes locking clips may be required to safely secure a child car safety seat in a vehicle. Consult your owner’s manual to see if you need one. If so, install the locking clip on the seatbelt within 13 mm (1/2 inch) of the latch plate.

Put your knee in the seat and push down on it while you tighten the belt.

Angle Is Important:
Check your seats instruction manual for the correct installation angle. Some safety seats have angle adjusters built into the seat. When rear-facing, a seat should be angled no more than 45-degrees from vertical. If it is too flat, your baby may slide out between the straps. If the seat is too upright, his head may flop forward, making breathing difficult.

Some seats have adjustable bases that allow you to change the angle. If not, you may need to put a tightly rolled towel or a piece of a swimming pool noodle under the “foot end” of the safety seat.

Best Spot To Install The Seat:
Where possible, install your child restraint in the centre of your back seat, except in the case of a booster seat with a lap-only seat belt.

Tether Strap:
Make sure the top tether strap and the adult seat belt that keeps the restraint in position are properly adjusted – they shouldn’t have any slack.

Not Too Much Bulk:
Never put a blanket between your child and the harness straps, or underneath or behind him. For car travel, don’t dress your infant in bulky outerwear. It can interfere with the harness’s tightness. Instead, place a warm blanket over your child and harness.

Fill the Head Space:
You can now buy wonderful, soft head support products which ensure your baby’s head won’t flop from side to side. Another option is to use rolled towels or receiving blankets on each side (but never under the head) of your infant’s head to keep her head from flopping.

Handle Position:
For most infant seats, the carrying handle should be down when your child is in your vehicle. Be sure to check your safety seat instruction manual.

Using Harness Slots Correctly:
Your child car safety seat’s harness straps must be positioned correctly by ensuring they pass through the correct slots.

• Rear-facing child car safety seat harness straps should sit at or below the child’s shoulders.
• Forward-facing child car safety seat harness straps should sit at or above the child’s shoulders.

Securing Your Child in the Harness:
Ensure that the harness system is snug enough on your child’s chest to allow only one finger width between the strap and the child’s collarbone.

Ensure that harness straps lie flat and they do not twist or fold. Harnesses need to be straightened out each time the child is secured in the seat.

How Do You Know If You’ve Installed Seat Securely?
Holding the seat at the belt path, you should not be able to move the car seat more than 2cms from side-to-side or toward the front of your vehicle.

Tips For a Safer Ride

• Purchase a baby car seat mirror which allows for a full view if your rear-ward facing baby. This takes the stress and anxiety out of driving as you can quickly check on bub and have a better idea of why they are crying or being quiet. I recommend a mirror large enough to easily see your baby as opposed to the smaller ones which take a minute to focus in on your baby and may shift while driving.
• Provide only soft toys and books for your child to play with while travelling. Your baby could be hurt by a hard object if you were involved in a crash.

References:
1. From the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
2. Partners for Child Passenger Safety, a research partnership of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm®, to help parents and caregivers learn more about child safety seats, booster seats and seatbelts. Since 1997, doctors and scientists at Children’s Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania have studied more than 300,000 motor vehicle crashes to learn more about child safety. The information on this site, and in our videos, follows current safety recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.