Take my four and a half year old for example. She is off the charts for her height and for her height has average weight. She only weighs 35 pounds. Most 4 and a half year old weigh less than she does. So that means that many kids her age may not qualify for a booster seat at 4 and a half, but they've been in a booster since they turned THREE YEARS OLD! This is such a hazard to their health!!!
Even when they do weigh the recommended 40 pounds, relying on a seat belt is not enough to protect them. They make seats that go up to 85 pounds, and they are secured through the LATCH system to the seat in such a way that they cannot be budged. Ruby is in her seat that can hold her securely until she weighs 65 pounds. She will remain there until she weighs 66 pounds, as will Alice.
Here is a video from an organization started by parents of a three year old who died when the seat belt he relied on to save his life failed during a roll over. He is one of many victims of poor car seat safety. This little guy even weighed over 40 pounds, but he is dead because he was in a booster seat that relied on a seat belt. A 5-point harness properly installed using LATCH would have saved his life.
I know for a fact that most people who read this will be aware after this that their child is unsafe in his/her car seat, and still not change anything! Don't be that person!
The Importance of a 5 point harness car seat from Laura Bower on Vimeo.
6 comments:
I whole heartedly AGREE! Better safe than sorry right?! I am having a hard time with the transition of Mason to a forward facing car seat and my sister just said to get one that still faces backwards and to do it when he completely meets ALL the requirements for a forward facing one, not just when he turns one (which some people do even though the child is too small). Rebecca, I appreciate that you are such a good mom and truly care about those cute kiddies of yours!
And don't forget that the forward-facing 5-point harness seats can only be installed with LATCH until the child reaches 40 or 48 pounds (varies by car manufacturer - check your owner's manual). After that, the seats MUST be secured to the car with a seatbelt. LATCH systems are not designed to hold over 40-48 lbs. in a collision. This is really important, and a lot of people don't realize they must change their installation method once the child reaches a certain size.
The weight limit for lower LATCH is actually really controversial, I am a believer that the failure of seatbelts for children 40 lbs in weight is greater than the failure of lower LATCH, but it really is a highly debated subject. There is no issue that I see to secure a 5-point harness using both the LATCH and a seatbelt. I know mine can use both at the same time.
Still, it is good to know that the rules aren't black and white and everyone should make an informed choice...why does it always come back to that? Couldn't parenting just be black and white SOMETIMES!?
I blogged about David too in this post:
http://theforneyfive.blogspot.com/2007/01/gavins-new-ride.html
Your post is much more informative and I enjoyed it. It wasn't too long after we put Gavin back in his 5 point when we were rear ended. Wasn't major, but I felt good that he was better protected nonetheless.
Thanks for the reminder!
You're not alone. Matthew (age 10!) Just finally met the height requirement to not be in a booster. That was ALWAYS a fun conversation and argument when his friends rode with us.
I heard recently that there is talk about extending the age/weight recommendation for rear-facing seats. If this is the case, I only hope they can address the issue of tall babies in these seats. I have a large carrier (can go to 35 lbs), but my kids legs are so long, it seems like they'll jam into the seat in an accident! When we switched Ella to a bigger seat, we bought a mid-priced one and some of the foam broke off the back during normal use (we'd only had it a short time). We took it back and bought a Britax and I think it's worth the cost. Thanks for this information. Very informative.
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