*Your baby should ride in a rear-facing infant seat or convertible seat until she is one year old and weighs over 20 pounds.

*Don’t wrap your baby up before you put on the harness. Adjust the harness straps snugly, then put on the blankets. If you put the blankets on first, the harness may not fit correctly. Dress your baby in clothes that allow the straps to go between the legs.

*When your is child older than one year and weighs more than 20 pounds, he should ride face forward in a convertible seat, or in a forward facing seat designed for older children.

*If your child is between 40 and 80 pounds she should sit in a belt-positioning booster seat that uses your car's lap and shoulder belts.

*Vehicle seats and seat belts are not made to correctly secure a child car seat. Therefore, some seat belts need a different buckle or a special locking clip to safety secure your child’s seat. Also, some child car seats cannot be used safety in certain seating positions. Be sure to read the manual carefully.

*If your child weighs more than 80 pounds and is at least 4'9" tall, he may be ready for an adult safety belt. He must be tall enough to sit without slouching, feet on the floor and knees bent at the edge of the seat. The lap belt must fit low and tight across his upper thighs, and the shoulder belt should rest over his shoulder and across his chest.

*A rear-facing infant seat should never be placed in a seat with an air bag. In a crash, the bag would inflate very rapidly and hit the infant seat hard enough to seriously injure or kill the baby.

*Air bags can also be dangerous for children 12 years old and younger who ride facing forward in the front seat.

*The safest place for all children under 12 is the back seat of the car.

Tips complied from:
The Partners for Child Passenger Safety Interim Report
Quick Safety Seat Checkup
Where Should Your Child Ride?
An illustrated guide for the safe way to use and install seat belts to use for young children
1999 Family Shopping Guide to Car Seats Safety and Product Information from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Car Seat Informational Sites

Car Seat Safety Tips Web Site
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/newtips/index.html

This is the index page to a set of 14 groups of tips about car seat safety. Each section has illustrations of the points discussed and links to the other sections.

Sections include
How to Protect Your New Baby in the Car
What Safety Seat To Use For A Big Baby Or Toddler?
How Should Pre-School and School Children Ride Safely?

Copyright 2000 by Donna Zelzer, all rights reserved.
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