SAFETY SQUAD: Empowing Your Family

A Unified Car Seat Message: Our Mission

One of the reasons we created Safety Squad was to create an independent voice for parents. We sit in a position to see all facets of the industry and form opinions free of influence. Our only loyalty is to parents. We give them a birds eye view, so that they can make informed decisions regarding safety for their family. This is the first in a series of comments on unifying the car seat message.

Before we talk about what is being said, we must first identify who is talking.
In no particular order:

• NHTSA (National Highway Traffic & Safety Administration)
• Safe Kids (Local, National, Worldwide)
• State legislators (Individual State law)
• Car Seat Manufacturers
• Retailers
• Vehicle Manufacturers
• Public Safety Agencies
• Watchdog Groups
• Non-Profits
• Individual CPS Techs
• JPMA (Juvenile Product Manufactures Association)
• Researchers (Consumer Reports, etc)
• Hospitals and Medical Associations (Specializing in Child Safety)
• Media
• Parents (Forums, Blogs, Websites)

Everyone has their own message. Some are similar, while others are quite different. Either way, the end product is a confusing and conflicted message about how parents should address car seats. It is our mission to create unified message, while allowing individual opinion and enterprise.

Do you have specific car seat questions?

We tend to blog about challenges or trends we see, but what about all those questions you have? Post a comment with your question and we'll do our best to answer it :)

30 lb booster seats: It's time for a change

The booster issue is fraught with mixed & conflicting messages. Not only do different parties have different messages, but often one party will contradict itself (see our previous booster post). One inconsistency makes us cringe: Lower-weight booster seats. While most agencies and organizations are pushing for parents to keep their children in higher-weight 5-point harnesses, the manufacturers of booster seats are promoting booster seat use starting at thirty pounds.  This is not new, but it needed to be said. Why are parents still being given this message?

Infant Carrier Handles: Up, Down or Somewhere in Between?

There are certain pieces of information parents or expectant parents often know, but just as often the information is not always accurate. For whatever reason, the information has been distorted... the old game of telephone. Here are some examples.

1. Center position is the safest! Most often, that's true.
2. LATCH is easier! Sometimes, but often has it's own set of problems
3. When my infant carrier is in the car, the handle must not be up in the carrying position. Well, it depends...

We're going to talk about #3 right now. We constantly hear from clients that they have been told that the handle on their Graco SnugRide must not be up while in the vehicle. This happens to be false. Like most car seat issues, the truth is often found lumped in with misinformation. People are well-meaning and fallible... this is why we always recommend reading your instructions.

Is it time to go forward-facing? Read this first.

Determining the appropriate time to move baby from a rear-facing to a forward-facing installation can be confusing for parents.  There are specific requirements governing when this can occur.  Your baby must be BOTH 1 year old and 20 pounds before they can turn be turned forward. However, the safest thing a parent can do is keep their child rear-facing in a convertible seat until the maximum weight that the seat allows for rear-facing. For most convertible seats this is around 30-35 pounds.

Here are three common myths we hear from parents.  We've explained why each is wrong and what a parent should do.

MYTH: "My baby is too tall for her current seat.  Her feet touch the back of the vehicle seat.  She is ready to turn around in a new car seat."

FACT: Your baby's feet touching the vehicle's rear seat back is not an indication that your baby is too tall for her current car seat. Your baby's legs may look uncomfortable touching the rear seat, but their bodies are much more flexible than adults.   The key concern is that the car seat protect their developing spine, neck and back while supporting their airway as they develop. This is accomplished with a rear-facing installation. 

A baby is probably too tall for a seat if her head is less than 1 inch from the top of the seat. Check with the car seat manufacturer's instructions to check the exact height limit for your baby's seat. But remember that this fact does not mean it's time to turn around.   

MYTH: "My baby is 1 year old and 18 pounds. I should buy a new seat and turn him forward-facing."

FACT: Remember, the rule is 1 year and 20 pounds before a parent should consider turning him around. You could actually keep your current car seat until your baby reaches the weight limit for his infant seat. This is around 22 pounds on many models.  You could buy a new convertible seat if you wanted. However, you must keep him rear-facing until at least 20 pounds. Additionally, keeping him rear-facing until the seat's rear-facing maximum is still the safest choice.

MYTH: "My 10 month old is 23 pounds.  My infant only seat's max weight is 22 pounds.  I need to buy a new seat and turn her around." 

FACT: You are right it is time to buy a new seat.  But, make sure the new seat is a convertible that will accommodate her until she is the proper age to turn around.  And remember your baby is the safest when she stays rear facing until the maximum rear-facing weight of her new seat.

Hopefully, this entry has helped clear up some confusion. It's short for simplicity's sake.  Please post if you would like to hear about something in more detail. We also invite readers to post their questions about moving from rear-facing to forward-facing.  Actually, that goes for any material on this site. The more scenarios we can discuss here the more likely we are to address a parent's specific concern.

Why do car seats have expiration dates?

You may have heard that car seats have expiration dates.  It's true, they do.  There are concrete and important reasons why we must retire our trusty seats after a certain time.

Take some time to look through the galleries on the left. We have provided photos of some popular car seats and where to look for the date of manufacture and expiration dates. These labels also may include model, serial and batch numbers. The companies don't always make this process easy. This is especially true when the date is found molded into the plastic.  We did our best to help you find the appropriate information for certain child seats. If you need more guidance finding this information on your particular model, contact your manufacturer or post your question and we'll try and assist you.  We will grow our photo library over time to address additional seats.

If you've looked at the photos, you understand that there are indeed manufacturer expiration dates. We found that dates can be as many as 8 years and in some cases as little as 5. Parents should know that NHTSA instructs its techs and both Safe Kids and the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association agree that no seat should be used for more than a period of 6 years from its date of manufacture.  What should the public take from this?  They should note both experts and seat manufacturers agree that seats do have a finite lifespan. Best practice would be to retire that seat after 6 years.  That is of course unless your car seat manufacturer states that its lifespan is 5 years.  Always consult your seat markings, labels and manual for this information.

Let's say you're on board so far. Now, you need to know the reasons why they expire.

Technology changes 

Car seat technology is always evolving, as are vehicles' ability to secure seats properly and consistently. Before 2002, Lower Anchor & Tethers for Children (LATCH) did not exist.  Now it's a common system by which car seats are installed.  The same is true of top tethers on car seats and tether anchors in cars. A skilled technician would never think to bypass tether usage if it is an option. This technology exists to make our children safer.

Materials wear out

Plastic stresses and warps. Straps and fabrics fray and rip. Instruction manuals get lost or destroyed. Important instructional labels fade, tear or fall off completely.

Manufacturing landscapes change

Your manufacturer may no longer stock replacement manuals and parts. Maybe the company has gone out of business entirely.

The bottom line is this: Know how to check your car seat's expiration date and vital information. Retire that old car seat and get a new one if necessary. As always, ask for help. Contact a CPS technician for some curb-side instruction.

Check out Part 2 on Expired Car Seats

82% Wrong?....Really?, Yes Really.

In the NHTSA technician training curriculum, it is clearly stated that over 81% of Car Seats are incorrectly installed with an average of 3 misuses per seat. This statistic comes from a 2001 report conducted by Safe Kids USA.

In the recent Chicago Tribune article, the authors referenced a misuse rate of 72%. This statistic was taken from a 2004 NHTSA report of six states (Illinois was not included).

If we look closely at that report, 76.9% of the CRS checked involved the first 4 car seats parents can use from birth through toddler age. These systems, Infant through Forward-facing only averaged a misuse rate of 82.15%

This is the information that really matters. Very simply, if we can educate parents early enough, those parents are more likely to view proper CRS use as a priority throughout the life of the child, and by default, will value proper installation in the remaining types of restraints.

So what about 2007?

These studies reference statistics from 3 years ago, but despite lengthy efforts the numbers may be getting worse. Many technicians and instructors in the Chicagoland area experience misuse rates in the nineties.

Safety Squad works with many parents before the child arrives, but in cases where seats are already installed...98% have been incorrect. This is not a problem created by parents, but it can be solved in your family.

As always, the answer is to ask for help. 

What communities do we serve?

We serve anyone interested in keeping kids safe by including useful content on our site. However, our in-home car seat service is currently  focused on the near north-side of Chicago. For us, that means the Loop to Irving Park and the Lake to Western. If you are out of that area, but in the city… please give us a call and we’ll talk about options.

You might also consider Safety Squad Event Services. These can be contracted for groups and corporations anywhere around Chicagoland they might be needed. This will allow us to provide personal car seat education and training to a greater area.

As Safety Squad continues to grow, so will our response area.

Can I get my car seat installed at the firehouse?

This may be true in many suburbs, but in Chicago.. this is not true. While the CFD does have a limited number of certified technicians at specific administrative facilities, firefighters at your local firehouse are not trained, insured or permitted to install car seats.

You Don't have to be an Acrobat

You don’t need to be an acrobat to get it right, but you do need to be flexible when deciding on who should help you install your child’s car seat. The right knowledge and instruction from a “Pro” can take you from “hoping your seat installation is okay” to “knowing its right”.

We tend to keep up with the stories about car seats in the media and we have recognized a trend. We’re not sure how many instances make a trend, but we do know this… in an effort to communicate in words how certified technicians install car seats, some authors describe the process too ambitiously. Often, technicians are described climbing about and contorting their bodies in all directions to install a seat properly.

Some readers may be left with the belief that only a certified technician can get it right. The reality is that only a certified technician will teach you to get it right.

Ultimately, the media exposure is priceless to the cause we are a part of, so by no means are we being critical. The dilemma at its root is that we have a national problem, that is bigger than its local solution. This is why we exist. We hope to make an impact through a free-market model, while assisting our local non-profit counterparts. But that’s another story.

In truth, I guess it does look a little over the top, but we are just installing seats the proper way.

Learning how to properly install your child’s car seat could be the greatest investment you make for your child. More importantly, we can teach you…so you don’t have to perform without a net.