SAFETY SQUAD BLOG

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Alderman Wants Retailers to Carry Part of Car Seat Safety Burden

The Chicago City Council on Wednesday will consider a proposal aimed at getting parents expert help when it comes to wrestling the alligator that is a child car safety seat.

An estimated 83.9 percent of child car seats are not installed correctly, potentially exposing children to serious risk.

"The scary part about that is when parents are polled, 96 percent of parents think their car seat is in correctly," according to Steve Breden, a certified child passenger safety technician.

Those numbers inspired Ald. James Balcer (11th) to introduce an ordinance that would require any retailer selling child car seats to post an informational flyer with 20 feet of the car seat that is for sale. The flyer would provide parents with a phone number and a website where they can access a certified child passenger safety technician who can install a seat or answer questions about the process.

He said the legislation, which passed through subcommittee last week, would save frustration and lives.

"One thousand children are dying each year [and ]184,000 are injured. I felt something had to be done," he said.

But the measure is opposed by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, which said the idea would put stores on a slippery slope.

"The concern we have is that somehow the responsibility for educating consumers on the proper way to install a car seat has fallen on the retailers," said IRMA Senior Counsel Tanya Triche. "So you can imagine a certain percentage of our store being taken up with 'educational' sort of signs. So that's an issue for us."

Balcer took IRMA to task upon hearing the comments.

"Shame on them. It's a slippery slope. Fine, let it keep sliding. Whatever it takes to save the lives of children, to prevent children from being injured -- I'm all for that," he said.

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/business/chicago-car-seat-ordinance-95890004.html#ixzz0qJbfG8f9

Thoughts from Lifesavers 2010 in Philadelphia

Lifesavers 2010 is in the books.

First off, we're always thankful for the friends, colleagues and experts we spend time with at Lifesavers. You're crucial in shaping the message we deliver to parents about keeping children safe.  

Next, there were a few important themes we would like to highlight from this year's event. These represent emerging trends, needs and changes in philosophy relating to child passenger safety.  - We are starting to see real cooperation between retailers and CPS technicians in some cities.  This is important as stores are key places to capture parents' attention and deliver the much needed message of appropriate restraint usage.

Children benefit tremendously from police officers being car seat awareness trained. This is especially true in states which have laws addressing appropriate restraint use as opposed to just general use. Officers can't write tickets and save lives if they don't recognize misuse. 

Car seat law offender programs require clear goals. Appropriate measures must be enacted to achieve those goals. Car seat laws are useless if they are not enforced. Violators habits remain the same if they have no incentive to change.

Safety 1st Vantage Investigation on NBC

 As part of this NBC Report, Safety Squad's Tom McQueen Investigated the seats in question:

A Chicago father's home video that apparently shows the failure of multiple child safety seats is getting some high-level attention.

Initially, Bryan Dussault said he wasn't surprised when he took a call last fall from his mother-in-law, who reported having difficulty with one of the straps on the Safety First Vantage Booster Car Seat, made by Dorel Juvenile Group of Columbus, Indiana.

That changed when he inspected the seat himself and found that it was impossible to secure a child in the seat because the strap wouldn't hold.

"I had a little bit of a tough time with the strap. Ultimately, I got it adjusted, but then was able to pull the harness loose without touching the levers again. That told me something was really wrong," Dussault said.

Making matters worse, he was able to duplicate the problem on another car seat of the same make and model that was in his own car.

Wear Your Seat Belt.. because we don't live in a fantasy world

Maxi Cosi Recall: February 5, 2010

The Maxi Cosi Mico had been recalled again. We're well aware of this issue and will post a video soon showing you what's wrong.  Check out the recall information below. Safety Squad Home Clients being notified.

NHTSA Campaign ID Number: 10C001

Synopsis:
Dorel Juvenile Group (DJG) is recalling certain Maxi-Cosi Mico infant child restraint systems, models 22-371 HFL, JUC, LMD, PNG, and ORE; 22-372 TTH; and Maxi-Cosi Mico infant child restraint system - base only, model 22-515 BLK, produced from February 18, 2008 through June 28, 2008. Interference between the mounting bracket and the base caused by warping of the base or inadequate mating between the shell and the base mounting bracket can result in difficulty attaching or detaching the shell from the base. If the shell is improperly mounted to the base, the child could be injured in the event of a crash. DJG will notify all registered owners and will send a remedy kit consisting of two base springs, a hex wrench, and instructions for the base spring replacement. The repair kit is free of charge. The safety campaign is expected to begin on or about February 5, 2010. Owners may contact DJG at 1-877-657-9546.

For more information for this particular recall, please go to 10C001.

Previous Recall Post from July

Car Seat Saves Child in Fire: Part #1

Last week, 5 people died in a raging fire in Brooklyn, NY.  It's hard to see the positive, until we look at the lessons learned.  We will expand on this post in coming days, but wanted to focus on one aspect of the rescue.

A two-month old infant was dropped out of a 3rd floor window to the ground below and lived. In a frenzy the infant was placed in a car seat before being dropped. While the baby sustained injuries, it will survive.

In later posts, we'll discuss Smoke Detectors, Escape Ladders and the 411 on dialing 911, but first we're going to talk about that car seat.  As firefighters, we know that regardless of economic, cultural or geographical factors, parents and their children become trapped in their homes just like this family.

Lesson #1: You CAN use a car seat to lower children to safety.  Even in the most prepared household... one with fire ladders on all floors, few parents ever consider how they'll get their children (especially 2 and under) down their ladders. Climbing down escape ladders is not easy. By using an infant carrier or toddler seat w/rope attached, parents can safely lower a child to safety before they climb down the escape ladder.

Now, the car seat is not intended for this, but if you secure a baby "correctly" (more on this later) in the 5-point harness and secure the rope securely (before the fire), your family may be in a safer position.

At fires, I carry rope in my fire coat. I know that in some fires I won't have time to tie off before I jump, but having it gives me options. The same is true with a car seat and rope. Finally, this should not be your first method of escape for parents with infants/children. If you can escape another way, do that. This post will be evolving, so let us know your questions.

How should I dispose of an expired car seat?

We received an email asking us what to do with a car seat once it has expired. This is a great question and is the perfect follow-up for the "Do car seats have expiration dates?" post.  Thanks Kim B. for the question.

It's important to ensure that the seat is not reused by any parent for their child.  One effective way to do this is to remove the harness and dispose of it separately. Remove the padding, break it up and throw it out separately, as well.  Finally, use a permanent marker to write NOT SAFE FOR USE in large print in several locations on the shell. 

We have heard some people suggest that parents break up the shell with heavy tools. Safety Squad doesn't recommend this. We don't want anyone hurting themselves trying to destroy car seats. Seats can be difficult to destroy and tools can take high levels of skill to use safely. Not to mention, flying metal and plastic can cause serious injury.

Perhaps, you can drop the shell off at a recycling center in your community.  We checked in Chicago and car seats are not listed among their accepted items.  Maybe your community actually has a plan to accept retired car seats. Call your local government's information line for answers.

If you are so inclined... the best way to ensure that the seat is totally destroyed is to watch the garbage truck crush it on trash day.  Short of that, double bag it with heavy duty trash bags and tie it securely before throwing it in the garbage.  The idea is to make it hard for people picking through the trash to resurrect your dead seat.

We realize this seems like a lot of work...and it is, but your efforts can actually save a child's life. 

 

Safety Squad Advice: What infant car seat should I buy?

The easiest way to guide you into the right infant seat is to tell you the following: Most of the reviews, blogs, testing, polls, etc. you'll read rarely get you any closer to the best infant seat, than if you guessed. We actually work with car seats every day... in cars. The following is the best advice you'll get.

1. Don't buy a convertible seat for a newborn (AKA toddler seat). The harness slots are too high for almost all newborns.
2. Buy an infant seat with a built in lock-off. A lock-off will make installation in the middle easier and safer for baby.
3. Buy an infant seat with both a low starting weight and a high end weight/height.  "4 lbs to 30+ lbs".  Even full-term babies will fit better in these seats. Higher weight means staying rear-facing longer, which is good parenting.
4. Don't worry about stroller compatibility. If it happens to be compatible with your stroller, great, but don't abuse it. Babies get flat-head and breathing issues when they spend too much time in car seats.

5. Get instruction from a professional car seat technician. We are guiding you to a good seat, but it won't install itself.

Our top two picks:
1. Chicco KeyFit 30
2. Britax Chaperone

For families without a car (iGo, Zipcar, Rental, Taxi)
1. Combi Shuttle (has rebound bar built into the carrier). The Shuttle 33 will be released soon.  It only goes to 22 lbs when out of the base, but the fit is amazing while traveling.

New Car Seat Blanket for Cold Weather

We do most of our car seat business in Chicago. It shouldn't be a surprise to learn that most of the year it's very cold. There are very few infant car seats that include robust cold weather accessories (one notable exception is the Teutonia T Tario ). In response, endless aftermarket manufacturers have created solutions for keeping baby warm in the car seat. 

The problem with nearly all these products is that they solve one problem, then cause another. We don't like to see products that add padding behind the head, neck or back, restrict airflow or integrate with the harness.  At the very least, they are not tested by your car seat manufacturer. Nearly all carseats forbid use of these products.