fhjmom Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 I just wanted to post a reminder to everyone to check their car seats to be sure they are installed correctly and keep your child properly restrained in an appropriate car seat as long as possible. We are sitting in the local children's hospital with our new grandson, who is five-days old. Yesterday (Friday), he and his mommy and daddy were in a one vehicle roll-over car wreck. Thank the Lord I went on Thursday and checked the base of the infant seat for them and reinstalled it correctly (it was extremely loose and not at the correct angle at all). I don't blame the new parents, almost no car seats are installed 100% correctly. I took the Child Passenger Safety Training course several years ago to become a car seat tech but didn't keep up with my certification CEU's, so I am extremely anal about how our car seats are installed & used. Anyway, both the first responders, ER staff and the nurses at the hospital have said that the secure car seat installation probably saved our precious new grandson's life. As it is, he was in PICU last night and now we are in a room where they are observing him for some minor bleeding in the brain, but the neurologist feels he will be able to heal on his his own. Had his car seat not been secure, he would have been shaken much more violently with much more devastating results. I do not take the credit for this, but thank God that He planned for me to take that training 9 years ago and that I was able to fix the seat before the wreck. So, please, hug your babies of all ages tight! Then go check their seats! Make them wear their seat belts if they are out of car seats (and pass the 5-step test, if not, put 'em back in a booster)! If you are at all unsure (and even if you think you have them installed corectly) consider taking the time to have your seats checked by a CPS technician. For more info about car seats check out http://www.carseat.org/. Rear-facing as long as possible! Five-point harness as long as possible! Booster until they can pass the "5 Step test"! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bassoon Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Tamara - thank you SO much for this! For those of us who don't know, and probably should - What is the "5-Step Test"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Wow!!!! What a scary experience. I'm so sorry for your grandchild. I've not been certified, but I'm a stickler about car seats. My dd. was JUST turned around to forward facing at 4.5 years old. My 9.5 yo was JUST allowed out of his booster seat. I was the weird one. Another thing I'm a stickler on is HELMETS!!!!! Last year, a friend of ds's (then-9), was in skiing accident. He had life-threatening head injury and was life-flighted where they had a NICU for peds. It was horrible. I make my kids wear helmets whenever they are on wheels or ice skates. Please. Think about the alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fhjmom Posted June 20, 2010 Author Share Posted June 20, 2010 Here's the info from teh link on the 5-step test; there are pics there for a better explaination: The 5-Step Test. 1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat? 2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat? 3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm? 4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs? 5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip? If you answered "no" to any of these questions, your child needs a booster seat to make both the shoulder belt and the lap belt fit right for the best crash protection. Your child will be more comfortable, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Praise God. :grouphug: I will pray for his swift recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 How scary! Thank you for sharing with us! Praise God that things were not worse and that you took the time to check the seat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Mouse Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Thank you so much for sharing your story. I am so sorry this happened to your grandbaby :grouphug:. Around here there are car seat technicians at most of the fire stations. They are more than happy to teach new (and not so new) parents how to properly install their car seats. They also keep up on all the recall information to make sure that the seat you have is still safe to use. This is such an important reminder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Wow, thanks for the reminder! I'm so glad your grandson (and his parents) are okay! Carseats are one thing I am NOT willing to bend on. Both of my kids are in 5 point harnesses and will stay that way until they outgrow them (DD is 6 right now and we have purchased the largest 5 point harness out there), which will be a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisamarie Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 I am the carseat freak in my neck of the woods. I have been known to tighten infant seat straps when the parents aren't looking. I almost always check my sister's carseats when she's in town visiting "just to be sure." When I install it, it doesn't even wiggle or it's not installed right. It was very hard for me to allow my 6 yr old, 52 in, 63 lb DS out of his 5 pt harness and into a booster seat, but it was time. He no longer fit our Nautilus. His shoulders were above the top slot. And I am also the parent who when I walked by my cousin's car last night and noticed they had a backless booster for their just-turned-2 very petite little girl, I wanted to give them one of our carseats. After smacking some sense into them. :tongue_smilie: WTH are they thinking? She can't be much over 23 lbs. For sure no where near meeting the 30lb minimum requirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 My dd who will be 12 next week just got out of her booster a month ago. She finally hit 4'9", before which I won't even attempt the 5-pt test. :tongue_smilie: Her twin sister got out of her booster about two years ago - but she's about 5" taller and 30 lbs. heavier. My 9.5 yo will be in her booster a while yet. And I won't let anyone under 4'9" in my car without a booster, no matter what their parents say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 :grouphug: Thanks for the post. You have my prayers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Praise God everyone is safe and/or on their way to being safe. My MIL used to give me so much H-E-double hockey sticks about RF so long. DD is 2 1/2 and she just got turned recently. My aunt used to have her son (5 months older than dd) in a carseat so loose he could get his shoulders and entire upper body out of the harness. Whenever I tried to tighten it she would get upset and tell me it was too tight and would loosen it up again. Though this is also the aunt who would let her son ride in the front seat around the block last month (will be 3 in July). It scares me so much what I see in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smrtmama Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 And please, please rear-face your children as long as possible. Keeping your child rear-facing to age 2 (and beyond) significantly reduces a child's risk of being injured in a car accident! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganClassicalPrep Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 I have a friend who lets her almost three year old unbuckle the top part of the carseat and put her arms and shoulders out of the straps. This is the same friend who actually took her 2 year old (same kid) out of the carseat entirely when we were on the way home from dinner one night. I can barely stand it, it makes me so nervous! My 4.5 year old, 45 pound child is still harnessed, and will be until she reaches the limits on her seat (and I bought a Frontier, to be sure that would be awhile!) I take my friends girls out sometimes and the two year old gets MAD at me when I tighten the straps and make her stay in them. (Oh, and up until a couple weeks ago, the 6 year old wasn't in a booster, and the baby's car seat straps are ridiculously loose. :glare:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Thank you for the reminder. PTL your grandson is going to be Ok. How are his parents? Just a question, how do you keep a child from unbuckling themselves? My 3 yo dd is in a 5-point harness but she knows how to unbuckle and she does it incessantly. I pull over and buckle her up, etc. but it's just not working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Thank you for the reminder. PTL your grandson is going to be Ok. How are his parents? Just a question, how do you keep a child from unbuckling themselves? My 3 yo dd is in a 5-point harness but she knows how to unbuckle and she does it incessantly. I pull over and buckle her up, etc. but it's just not working. my 2 1/2 year old can undo her chest clip and when I notice I will either pull over (rarely do I notice that she has it undone til we get somewhere but I really think she does it when we arrive somewhere) or correct it when we get there. I will literally make her sit in her seat for 5 minutes after she does it without me driving or letting her out (or even touching the harness). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 I drive a mini van and I worry about rollovers. I am so glad your GS is safe! Were your children driving a mini van? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2jjka Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Thank you SO MUCH for your post! Praise God that your grandbaby is safe! I was a CPST until just a couple of months ago (my certification lapsed, so I am currently awaiting a local re-certification class) but, like you, I cannot stress enough how important child passenger safety is!!! I have a blog solely dedicated to carseat safety and I wrote a post on booster seats if anyone is interested. http://homeschoolblogger.com/cpstblog/511023/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 oh and i want to tout this website...lots of carseat techs from around the world: http://www.car-seat.org This website is awesome, they have tons of links, great information, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnitaMcC Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 I am so glad that all are okay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are so right about making sure kids seats are installed correctly. When our twins were born I went to firehouse to make sure I was installing the seats correctly. When Ds#2 was born 4 yrs later... I went to firehouse to make sure I didn't forget anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Care Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Just a question, how do you keep a child from unbuckling themselves? My 3 yo dd is in a 5-point harness but she knows how to unbuckle and she does it incessantly. I pull over and buckle her up, etc. but it's just not working. A friend of mine has the same problem - she made a little snap-shut cover for both the lap lock and the chest clip - the kids aren't able to unbuckle the snap, and so the clip stays locked. Extra step, but it keeps the kiddo in the 5-point. As I understand it, the cover is simply a piece of flannel that snaps closed over the chest clip (with a snap on each side) or around the lap-lock (angled so there is no cut in the fabric, and also two snaps). Mercifully I haven't had to deal with that one myself - yet. My DS is RF and will be for as long as he can be - he's going to outgrow his seat by height well before he does by weight. His cousin, on the other hand, was in a bucket until his 1st birthday (despite outgrowing it), and went straight to a FF seat as a "present." I twitch every time I see him get into the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnitaMcC Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Thank you for the reminder. PTL your grandson is going to be Ok. How are his parents? Just a question, how do you keep a child from unbuckling themselves? My 3 yo dd is in a 5-point harness but she knows how to unbuckle and she does it incessantly. I pull over and buckle her up, etc. but it's just not working. Our Ds#2 was like this too. We ended up duct tapeing the buckles. It was a hassle but it was the only way we could keep him in the car seat. He was about a year old at the time and he was a Houdini that young-LOL. When it came to safety... we resorted to whatever we had to do to keep them safe if all other attempts failed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 I'm so glad that it looks like your gs is on the road to recovery! I have a question for those posters who keep kids rear-facing as long as possible. Don't their legs get in the way? I would think that after the initial rear facing seat has been outgrown, their legs would be all sqooshed up against the seat.. that can't be good. What am I missing here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 I'm so glad that it looks like your gs is on the road to recovery! I have a question for those posters who keep kids rear-facing as long as possible. Don't their legs get in the way? I would think that after the initial rear facing seat has been outgrown' date=' their legs would be all sqooshed up against the seat.. that can't be good. What am I missing here?[/quote'] You can fold your legs and sit with them curled up. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2J112903 Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 I'm so glad that it looks like your gs is on the road to recovery! I have a question for those posters who keep kids rear-facing as long as possible. Don't their legs get in the way? I would think that after the initial rear facing seat has been outgrown' date=' their legs would be all sqooshed up against the seat.. that can't be good. What am I missing here?[/quote'] You can fix broken legs, which there has never been a case of while RFing, but broken necks lead to paralysis and death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2J112903 Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Our Ds#2 was like this too. We ended up duct tapeing the buckles. It was a hassle but it was the only way we could keep him in the car seat. He was about a year old at the time and he was a Houdini that young-LOL. When it came to safety... we resorted to whatever we had to do to keep them safe if all other attempts failed. Duct taping the harness buckle is actually very un-safe. In the event of an accident, you would not be able to get your son out quickly. Please head over to car-seat.org where there are wonderful techs. They can help you with the un-buckling of a harness and what to do in the event this happens again. Chest clips are PRE-crash positioning devices, nothing more. If the harness is "snug as a hug" and the chest clip positioned at arm pit level, the HARNESS will do its job upon impact. Many countries do not even have chest clips on thier seats. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2J112903 Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 J is still in his booster, a Sunshine Kids Monterey and will be for some time to come. :) My personal goal, once I learned the safety benefits of ERF, is to RF to booster age. For us that would be age 5 in the secondary car and age 6 in the primary car. So very happy that the LO is on his way to recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 I'm so glad that it looks like your gs is on the road to recovery! I have a question for those posters who keep kids rear-facing as long as possible. Don't their legs get in the way? I would think that after the initial rear facing seat has been outgrown' date=' their legs would be all sqooshed up against the seat.. that can't be good. What am I missing here?[/quote'] My dd. had to fold her legs up a bit. But she never complained about being uncomfortable. We switched her to FF just about a month ago (she's 4.5). We just let our nearly-10 year old out of his booster. He finally hit the height requirement for the seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 I'm so glad that it looks like your gs is on the road to recovery! I have a question for those posters who keep kids rear-facing as long as possible. Don't their legs get in the way? I would think that after the initial rear facing seat has been outgrown' date=' their legs would be all sqooshed up against the seat.. that can't be good. What am I missing here?[/quote'] dd's feet touched the back of the seat at 4 months. she just pulled them up and tucked them cross legged. when she got bigger she would drape them over the sides of the seat, put them straight up the back of the seat. she still does it today and she's FF now. and one more thing****PLEASE check the EXPIRATION on your seats. if they have EXPIRED please cut the straps out before putting it out for the trash that way no one can steal it****** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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