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.

(First) Adventures in Lobbying

Yesterday, my three boys and I were up before dawn to join a group from Texans for Midwifery at the Texas State Capitol in Austin.  There, we visited with lawmakers (or their aides/assistants), even taking the little ones into the offices for a rare chance to see democracy in action.  We capped off the day with plenty of play on the Capitol lawns, lunch, and a visit to a well-renowned coffee shop.

Texans for Midwifery organizes these visiting days every two years, and this year is especially important with midwifery legislation on the table.  House Bill 1107 proposes that Advanced Practice Nurses be allowed to write prescriptions under their own license.  Currently, Advanced Practice Nurses such as Certified Nurse Midwives must work with a physician to have prescriptions, even for routine items such as prenatal vitamins, written.  If approved, the new law would take an extra step and extra work (not to mention potential for error) out of the system, giving CNMs the ability to order needed items for their patients.

The Austin media covered the event.  The Statesman has a video filled with cute babies (too bad we had already gone out to play when they got there!), and KVUE did an interview with the woman the boys and I partnered with for our meetings.  Of course, the KVUE article makes it sound like midwives only provide care where there are no other options.  In reality, they're an excellent choice for all normal, healthy pregnancies, AND are a low-cost, oft-used option in low-income and rural areas.

My boys really enjoyed our day in Austin, and I was happy to have the opportunity to take them to such an important event.  I hope that the group of over 150 adults and 100 children made a positive impact on how our State government will support midwifery both in this session, and in the future.

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.