SUBMITTED By HEALTHY CHEROKEE/INJURY PREVENTION
It is very important to obey the seat belt and traffic laws for the welfare of your life, your children, and other drivers or pedestrians. To ensure the safety of you children, it always pays to ensure your child is securely fastened it a proper car seat.
Rear Facing
Infants should ride in rear facing restraints until they are one year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds, preferably until the upper weight limit of the seat is reached.
– Facing the rear of the vehicle protects a young child’s neck and spinal cord from violent crash forces.
– Never put a rear facing child in a front seat with a passenger air bag unless you can turn the air bag off.
– Recline the seat so your child’s head can rest flat against the shell, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
– Route the harness straps through harness slots that are at or slightly below shoulder level.
– Keep harness straps snug and fasten harness retainer clip at arm pit level.
– Position an infant seat’s carrying handle correctly.
Forward Facing with Harness straps
– Route the harness straps through the top slot or as specific by the manufacturer.
– Keep harness retainer clip at arm pit level.
– Most child restraints have weight limit of 40 lbs. but some restraints have higher weight limits up to 65 lbs. Refer to the car seat manual.
Forward Facing with lap and shoulder belt
Children who have outgrown the upper weight limit of their restraints (usually 40- 80 lbs.) should use booster seats or other appropriate child restraints until the lap and shoulder belt fits correctly.
– If your vehicle has a low seat back and your child’s ears are above it, you need a high back booster seat to protect the child’s neck.
– Booster must be used with both lap and shoulder belts.
– The belt positioning booster seat position the child so the lap and shoulder belt will fit properly, thus providing maximum protection in a crash.
Backless Booster
– Children less than 80 lbs. are to small for the vehicle safety belt alone to fit correctly.
– A booster seat position the lap belt snugly over hips and upper thighs and shoulder belt snugly across the chest and shoulder.
– Booster must be used with both lap and shoulder belts
Lap and Shoulder
Lap and shoulder belts should be used when vehicle safely belts fits children correctly
A child is ready for the adult safety belt when:
– Then child can sit all the way back against the vehicle seat, with his/ her knees bent over the edge.
– The shoulder belt remains positioned snugly across the chest and collarbone.
– The lap belt remains positioned snugly across the upper thighs.
– Note: Placing the shoulder belt under a child’s arm or behind the back is dangerous and illegal.
Please take time in the morning to check to see if your child is properly installed. If you have questions or concerns in regards to car seats please contact Healthy Cherokee/ Injury Prevention @ 497-7460
