Attached at the Hip

5-Steps for Safety

My oldest son is almost 8, and up until a couple of weeks ago, has ridden in a 5-point harnessed safety seat his entire life.  He started using a booster in his grandma's car a few months ago, but it wasn't until our 2-year-old needed a bigger seat that the car-seat-shuffle required us to move G out of the harness and into a high-back booster.  At his age, I'm pretty comfortable with this, and I like that his booster has deep side-wings for added upper-body support and side-impact protection.  The trickiest transition, though, is the one yet to come - when is he ready for an adult belt, only?

The answer to that lies in 5 Steps (aka, The 5-Step Test), a simple, easy to learn test to evaluate a child's fit in every vehicle they ride in.  It's necessary to evaluate each time in each vehicle because, as counter to modern myths and state safety laws as it may be, age and weight have nothing to do with appropriate fit in an adult belt.  The 5 Step Test takes into account the size of the child, vehicle dimensions, and belt geometry, all of which are essential to make a good fit.

So, as I re-learn these 5-Steps and teach them to my son, I'd like to also share them with you.  I found an excellent blog post with not only the 5-Step Test but also pictures of several children in both belts and boosters.  The pictures are a great aid to help you evaluate fit, and demonstrate the difference between belt-only fit and fit with a booster seat.  Check out the CarSeatBlog to see the 5-Step Test and learn how to use it!

Remember, motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of children in the United States.  Keeping children well-protected is the single biggest factor we can control in minimizing harm and saving lives.  For more statistics, see the CDC's Fact Sheet on Child Passenger Safety.

Keeping Kids Safe

I became interested in child passenger safety when my first son was born. As most parents do, we selected a child restraint (mostly on its appearance), read the manual, and installed it before the baby was born.  We did our best to keep him properly restrained in every vehicle and on every trip.  It wasn't until he outgrew his infant seat and we purchased a convertible (both rear- and forward-facing) seat that we realized we might need help.  Sure enough, when I took the car to the local police station where they have Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians, our seat was installed wrong!  We kept the harness straps snug on the baby, but the seat wasn't nearly tight enough in the car.  Looking back, even in his infant days we were making mistakes - despite our efforts to do it all right and keep our baby safe.

I set out to learn as much as I could about child passenger safety, and in early 2004 took a 32-hour course to become a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.  While my certification has since lapsed, I remain an avid child passenger safety advocate.  

More than 80% of child restraints nationwide are used improperly.  Common mistakes include:

- a loose installation
- loose harness straps
- chest clip at the wrong position
- harness straps in the wrong slot position
- using after-market products
- using the wrong seat for the child's age or size

Because the world of cars and child restraints is so complicated, the best thing a parent can do is consult a Certified Technician to get hands-on instruction on installing and using the seat.  Websites such as SeatCheck.org can help you find a local technician.  There are also some good videos available to help those who can't get to an inspection station right away.

And, speaking of videos, this an excellent one that I think every parent should see.  It includes real crash-test footage of both forward-facing seats and rear-facing seats.  Convertible seats these days can be used rear-facing until the child is 30-35 pounds, depending on the seat.  Here, you can see just why we recommend using them rear-facing as long as possible.