Common questions about car seats
"What if my baby is premature?"
Use a car safety seat without a shield. Shields often are too high and too far from the body to fit correctly. A small baby's face could hit a shield in a crash. While still in the hospital, your baby should be observed in her car safety seat to make sure the semi-reclined position does not cause low heart rate, low oxygen, or other breathing problems. If your baby needs to lie flat during travel, use a crash-tested car bed. If possible, an adult should ride in the back seat next to your baby to watch him closely.
"What if my baby weighs more than 20 pounds but is not 1 year of age yet?"
There are now several infant-only and convertible seats that can be used rear-facing for children weighing more than 20 pounds. See the product listing below for specific seats.
"What if my child has special health care needs?"
Children with special health problems may need other restraint systems. Discuss this with your pediatrician. Easter Seals, Inc offers programs about car seat safety for children with special health care needs in the following states: California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Kentucky, New Mexico, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. More information is available from Easter Seals, Inc at 800/221-6827.
For more information and a list of car safety seats available for children with special needs, see the AAP brochure, "Safe Transportation of Children with Special Needs: A Guide for Families."
"What if my car has air bags?"
Most new cars have air bags. When used with seat belts, air bags work very well to protect older children and adults. However, air bags are very dangerous when used with rear-facing car safety seats. If your car has a passenger air bag, infants in rear-facing seats must ride in the back seat. Even in a low-speed crash, the air bag can inflate, strike the car safety seat, and cause serious brain injury and death.
Toddlers who ride in forward-facing car safety seats also are at risk from air bag injuries. All children, even through school age, are safest in the back seat. If you must put an older child in the front seat, slide the vehicle seat back as far as it will go. Make sure your child is buckled and stays in the proper position at all times. This will help prevent the air bag from striking your child.
For most families, air bag on/off switches are not necessary. Air bags that are turned off cannot protect other passengers riding in the front seat. Air bag on/off switches only should be used if all of the following are true:
Your child has special health care needs.
Your pediatrician recommends constant supervision of your child during travel.
No other adult is available to 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.
"What if my car has side air bags?"
Side air bags improve safety for adults in side impact crashes. However, children who are seated near a front or rear side air bag can be at risk for serious injury. Refer to your vehicle owner's manual for recommendations that apply to your vehicle.
"What if my car only has lap belts in the back seat?"
Lap belts work fine with infant-only, convertible, and forward-facing seats. They cannot be used with belt-positioning boosters (which are safest for children who weigh more than 40 pounds and who are not big enough to fit in adult seat belts). If your car only has lap belts, use a forward-facing seat with a harness approved for use to higher weights, or check with your dealer or the manufacturer of your car to see if shoulder harnesses can be installed. Some travel vests can be used with lap belts. Another thing you can do is buy another car with lap/shoulder belts in the back seat.
"What if I drive more children than can be buckled safely in the back seat?"
Avoid this situation, especially if your car has passenger air bags. However, in an emergency, place the child most likely to sit in the proper forward-facing position in the front seat, with the vehicle seat moved as far back as possible. A child in a forward-facing car seat may be the best choice because a child who is in a booster seat or using a regular seat belt can more easily move out of position and be at greater risk for injuries from the air bag.
"What if I lose my instructions to my car safety seat?"
Call the manufacturer and ask for a new set of instructions.
"What if my car safety seat was in a crash?"
A seat that was in a crash may have been weakened and should not be used even if it looks fine. Call the car seat manufacturer if you have questions about the safety of your seat.
"Can I use a car safety seat on an airplane?"
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the AAP recommend that children be securely fastened in child safety seats until 4 years of age, then 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 seat and call the airline before you travel to be sure your seat meets current FAA regulations.
Oregon's Child Passenger Safety Law Changed
Oregon law assists drivers in the decision of how to properly restrain and protect children in motor vehicles. When children are properly restrained it significantly decreases the severity of injuries and number of fatalities that occur in a crash. The recent amendments to Oregon's law now reflect national best practice.
Changes to the law include:
Infants must ride rear facing until they are one year old and twenty pounds. Before children can ride forward facing, they must meet both of these benchmarks.
Once a child has reached a minimum of forty pounds they must be properly secured in a booster seat until they are eight years old or are taller than four feet nine inches.
After a child is age eight or older, or they are at least four feet nine inches they must be secured properly with the safety belt system.
The law continues to require:
Children over one year old and between twenty and forty pounds must be properly secured with a forward facing child restraint up to a minimum of forty pounds or the upper weight limit of the seat.
When my children were young a booster seat was a couple of Sears Catalogs stacked in the car so they could see out the window. An infant riding in a seat all by itself was not heard of. We held our infants, after all what could be safer for a newborn child than in a mother's arms
Seat belts were an option not a mandate.
That was 27 years ago, and thank goodness we have learned how important it is to protect our precious cargo.... the safe way. :o)
Educate yourself on the subject for our little ones life depends on your knowledge.
If your not sure if you have your seat in correctly? Tammy is a trained technician that will look to see if your car seat is properly installed and show you how to fasten the babies in.. :o)
Need to get trained on proper car seat installation and fitting of the child? Please call Tammy (SSA) to set up an appointment as eveyone should have the latest safety information. You will get education credit for completing this training.
Tammy Babad can be reached at (503) 366-8345.
Thank you Tammy for all you do for us!
Also there are classes available through ACTS
ACTS Oregon
The Mission of ACTS Oregon is to reduce fatalities, injuries and the severity of injuries resulting from vehicle crashes throughout Oregon. Our Vision is to motivate individuals and communities throughout Oregon to solve their traffic safety problems by providing resources, technical training, and education.
All seven flyers can be printed using Adobe Acrobat®.
To download, click on the flyer image.
Each flyer is approximately 1megabyte in size.
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
Child Passenger Safety
This site provides a list of new child restraints and features; new vehicle and Child Safety features; proper tips for installing and using safety restraints.
SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. Safe Ride Helpline Online
California based organization with valuable information on child passenger safety including educational materials, recall information and answers to technical questions.
Daimler Chrysler Fit For A Kids Program
Daimler Chrysler Child Safety Seat Service
American Association of Pediatrics
Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families 2002
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
The national organization dedicated to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury has information on a variety of issues, including traffic safety, drowning, burns, falls, poisoning, firearms, sports, and toys.
Oregon Department of Transportation - Transportation Safety Division
Home page for the Transportation Safety Division with information on Safe Communities, Bicyclist Safety, Commercial Vehicles, Drivers Education, Impaired Driving, Occupant Protection and much more.
CAR SEAT SAFETY
