How To Place A Newborn In A Car Seat

How To Place A Newborn In A Car Seat – Installing the car seat and putting your baby in it is probably one of the most confusing things you will do after leaving with your new baby. And you’re bound to make mistakes – even if it’s not your first rodeo.

Only 5% of families installed car seats and put their newborns in without making major mistakes in a recent study of nearly 300 parents, more than half of whom had older children. Even worse, half of families who make mistakes actually have at least 5 or more mistakes in their child’s arrangements. Only one in five families managed to make a mistake.

How To Place A Newborn In A Car Seat

“As a pediatrician, I am amazed to see so many children unrestrained in cars, as well as children who are seriously injured in car accidents,” said study author Benjamin Hoffman, MD, medical director of the Child Safety Center. Tom Sargent of OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, and professor of pediatrics at OHSU School of Medicine.

Car Seat Accessories For Newborns

“Mistakes are normal because car seats can be hard,” Hoffman said. “The manual for car seats explains all the recommendations, but it can be difficult to understand, and many people may not read it for various reasons.”

Hoffman, a certified car seat technician since 1997, created a program to help families keep their children safe in cars. He noticed that families with newborns make more mistakes than other families, so he decided to study. Specifically, she wants to identify the mistakes parents make, which families are most at risk for them and what can help families improve their car seat habits. The data, published today in the Journal of Pediatrics, may also help develop programs and policies that improve infant safety while traveling.

Hoffman and colleagues surveyed 291 mothers and had certified child passenger safety technicians observe mothers or caregivers installing and placing their infants in car seats. More than half of the mothers have other children, more than half have private insurance, and 60% of them are between 25 and 34 years old. Technicians spend between 20 and 85 minutes on each car seat, looking for more than two dozen defects or “misuses” based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommendations. Almost all families use only rear-facing seats with removable bases (5% use convertible car seats).

Overall, 95% of families made at least one mistake, with 86% of families incorrectly positioning their newborn and 77% making a mistake installing the seat. In addition, 89% are “significant” based on NHTSA recommendations, which means that the fault may increase the risk of injury to children in an accident. Fewer parents (91%) made “serious” mistakes, which Hoffman’s team defines as mistakes that could cause harm even during a normal trip.

Car Seat Safety And Installation Has Changed A Lot; Here’s The Latest

“Several studies have shown that the wrong angle of lying can hurt the baby, especially if it is too upright, because the baby’s head can get forward and block the passage,” says Hoffman. “A chest section that is too low can allow the baby to suffocate, and there have been cases of strangulation as a result.”

More than a third have seat belts that are too low, 69% of babies have belts that are too loose, and two out of five seats have an incorrect vertical angle. Almost a third use the wrong seat belt, and one in five families use an unapproved product. Additionally, 44% of the seats moved more than an inch when tested.

“If there is more than 1 inch, the seat moves, allowing the force of the crash to be transmitted to the child, not the car or the seat itself, causing injury,” Hoffman said.

Each car seat may have different recommendations for proper installation and use, such as this… [+] Graco one. Photo by Chris Wiegand

Should You Bring A Car Seat When You Travel With Kids? #travel

More than half of seats that use seat belts do not have seat belt retractors, and of those that use lower anchors, less than a third have seats that are too tight to drop the anchors. Improper seat belt routing and the use of a lower center castor are other common mistakes. Only 11% of families have a braided harness, but this is usually not a big concern unless the child is in a major accident, in which case the harness could theoretically (though unlikely) fail, Hoffman said. Each line reduces the strength of the rope (about 6,000 pounds) by 10%.

The probability of families making more mistakes increases as their income or education level decreases. Mothers who do not speak English also tend to make more mistakes. Hospitals and health systems need to do more to educate and support families before and after birth to ensure their newborns have a safe journey, Hoffman said.

“It is unacceptable to address the safety of newborns with the attitude that we cannot provide resources,” he said. “If we know that 95% of babies who come home from the hospital have a dangerous journey, how do we do that?”

Be sure to read the manufacturer’s recommendations in the manual or work with a certified car seat technician, which can be found at www.seatcheck.org or www.safekids.org. Another useful website is http://www.safercar.gov/parents/CarSeats/Car-Seat-Safety.htm

When Do I Switch To A Convertible Car Seat?

– Every car safety seat must be installed in the car either with a belt or with a lower cast. If the seat belt is not fastened, the car seat will move excessively in the event of an accident and cause injury.

– All rear-facing seats have openings in the back where the belt connector goes. For rear-facing children, we want to fasten the seat belt in the space between their shoulders or under them. It must be related to the force vectors. In the event of an accident, the child will be pushed into the seat and appear to slide backwards. If the belt is higher than the shoulder, or if it is too loose, this position allows the child to accelerate and get caught in the belt, which can cause injury. (Hold your hand 3 inches from your face and push hard—the slap will hurt.) If the belt is snug and under the shoulder, the child will touch the belt before it accelerates, and the risk of injury is minimal. (Put your hand on your cheek, and push it with the same force, it won’t hurt.)

My book, Informed Parenting, co-authored by Emily Willingham, is available for pre-order. Find me on Twitter here. Dear maternity and newborn photographer, business coach and educator. I have a heart for helping busy moms save more time to spend more time with their families. As a homeschooler and business owner, I understand how valuable your time is. My goal is to help you build the business, and life, of your dreams.

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Three Reasons Why You Should Never Leave Your Baby In A Car Seat

If you missed my last post on how to put a baby in a car seat, you can read it here. Today I want to share with you how to use your child’s car seat safely and correctly when you are not driving.?

Many parents and caregivers choose to use only rear-facing seats (also called baby seats or bucket seats) for newborns and toddlers. This seat is suitable to be removed from the car so that it does not disturb the child’s sleep. However, it is important to remember that children can be injured if car seats are not used carefully. Here are some tips for keeping children safe in car seats even when you’re not driving.?

1. Make sure your child is secure in the car seat wherever you are. Do not unbuckle the seat belt or lower the chest strap. Children can fall or become entangled in the seat belt.?

2. Home. Many parents move sleeping children’s car seats at home. If you do, be careful that the car seat? always need to put on the ground and it never? a high place. The child’s car seat is at a 45 degree angle when attached to the base of the car but when placed on the ground the angle changes. It is slightly vertical and, for babies or without neck control, it means that the chin can fall on the chest and cause asphyxiation in the position. Spending too much time in an upright position can also put pressure on a child’s spine. Allowing the baby to sleep in the car seat for a while may be normal. But it does not happen every day for hours at a time and do not leave the side of the child.?

Newborn Car Seat Safety: Infant Vs. Convertible Car Seats

3. When shopping. The only safe place for a car seat in a stroller is the bottom basket. Never place the car seat on top of the trolley or swing it vertically

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