Rear-Facing Car Seats

 

 

This graphic shows how the bones fuse over time:

 

From CarSeat.se — http://www.carseat.se/rearfacing/safety-benefits/

 

With a very weak spinal column due to the make up of the vertebrae, small children could be severely injured if put in a forward-facing car seat too soon.

• All provincial rules vary, please check your laws as to what seat your child needs and what position it should be installed.

Infant Only

• Infant-only seats
  • most seats have a maximum weight limit between 22lbs to 35lbs
  • the higher the weight the longer you’ll be able to use that seat before the child outgrows it
  • most come with a base that can stay in the vehicle to make putting the seat into the car each time easier
  • these seats can be installed without the base, but more steps need to be take each time the seat is used in a vehicle

• Infant-Child seats

Infant-Child

• these are larger than infant seats and installation can be a bit trickier
• many manufacturers are starting to make seats with higher weigh limits for rear-facing
  • some up to 35lbs
• these seats can be used forward facing as well
  • I will talk about forward-facing installations tomorrow

Position of the seat when rear-facing:

• most car seats MUST BE AT 45 DEGREES (and don’t assume that the leveler on the side of the seat or base is correct – they are not always accurate)
  • the 45 degree angle helps baby to keep their head back and able to breath.  If your babies head falls forward and looks uncomfortable, there’s a good change that your seat is not at 45 degrees
  • there are a few car seats that have a range of angles that they can use but you must read the instruction manual for the car seat to know what is acceptable for your seat
  • to help get this angle, the seat may have a built-in adjustable foot and/or you may need to use pool noodles

• not all cars allow for the child seat to be installed rear facing in the middle position
  • this can be due to a fold down arm rest
  • you must read your car owners manual to know where in the vehicle you can put the seat

• The child seat CANNOT touch the passenger seat in front of it
  • if it touches the seat, then then child will be absorbing the force of the collision rather than letting the seat work the way it was designed to work
  • you need to remember this when picking a spot for the seat
    • ie. don’t put it behind the driver’s seat if the driver is tall

Use of the LATCH system:

• child car seats come with the LATCH system which allows you to clip the seat into the vehicle and then tighten the LATCH belt

• use of the LATCH system is also determined by your car owners manual
  • most vehicles have the LATCH anchors for the two outboard (closest to door) positions
  • the middle seat, unless specified in the vehicle owners manual CANNOT borrow the LATCH anchors from the outboard positions.  This means that if you are installing a seat in the middle, you must use the vehicles seat belt

Putting the child in the seat:

• the harness must be at or below the infants shoulders
  • this will hold the child down in the seat, not allowing them to be forced upwards in a collision

• You must be able to get no more than one finger width between the strap and your infant’s collar bone

• DO NOT put your child in bulky clothing (ie. heavy or puffy sweaters, snow suits)
  • this will not allow the harness to be tightened properly
  • don’t kid yourself either – if you think that it’s tight with the snow suit on, take the snow suit off and put the child back in and you’ll see how loose those straps are when the snow suit compresses under the force of the collision

• The chest clip must be at their arm pits

Photo: carseatsite.com

• DO NOT use any 3rd party add-ons that did not cone with the seat
  • no protectors on the harness
  • no snuggle bags
  • no head protectors
  • many manufactures are starting to have these come as part of the seat
    • this means that they were crash tested with the seat and are safe to use
  • If you need more support for the babies head and your seat did not come with a head support, simply take 2 receiving blankets and make two rolls and place one on each side of the babies head

Putting the infant seat into the car when used with a base:

• Read your car seat’s owner’s manual to see if the carrying handle can be left up (most cannot)
  • it is recommended to always put the handle down as if it was to break during a collision it would be  projectile aimed right at your child’s face

• Make sure it is clipped into the base tightly
  • you don’t want it to come loose in a collision

• I’m going to stay this again: the child seat CANNOT touch the passenger seat in front of it 
  • read above under “Position of the seat when rear-facing” for more info

• we know all the tips and tricks to get your car seat in correctly and tight enough
• we’ve installed many different seats in many different cars
• we know when to use a locking clip
• because you can be fined $240 and 2 demit points (in Ontario) if your child is not in a properly installed and properly used car seat
• but even more important, because you can keep your child as safe as possible should be be in a collision

More info about rear-facing seats

• Snuggle Bugz — Rear-Facing Car Seats, Why Do We Do This?
• Transport Canada — Stage 1: Rear-facing Seats
• MTO – Choose the right seat for your child: Infants
• Safe Kids Canada – Installation Videos