Just recently, I've "volunteered" to help my younger sister with the responsibility of taking my almost two-year-old nephew to daycare for her in the mornings. This has opened an whole new world of questions about safety, proper use, what to do's and what-the-heck-do-I-do-with-this kinds of questions I wasn't prepared for, on top of yucky, poopy diapers.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is gearing up for Child Passenger Safety Week set for September 21-27, 2008. NHTSA has set up locations nationwide Saturday, September 20, where you can learn more on how to properly install the child seats from certified child passenger safety technicians and learn what seat your child should occupy.
Luckily, the Internet is filled with places and sites that can teach "us" first-timers what we need to know in order to make sure our little ones are safe. After researching which seat I should get for my MINI Cooper, (yes, you can easily fit two child seats in the back seat of a MINI. I'm lucky my sister didn't have twins), I found the RECARO Young Sport toddler car seat to fit our needs. One: My nephew is growing like a weed. Two: Safety and reliability. And Three: As a car tuner, If I had to put a baby seat in my tuned German-rocket, it has to look good!
My nephew may only be 21 months right now, but he's all ready wearing size 4T shirts and nearly stands at my hips. The RECARO Young Sport works as a harness seat from 20 to 40 lb (up to 40 in. tall) and turns in to a booster seat for 30 to 80 lb (from 37 to 59 in. tall). The toddler seat is sporty-looking and doesn't make your vehicle look like it's overrun with baby stuff. As the child grows, the Young Sport's headrest adjusts to five different height positions. The padded seat features super-soft, washable microfiber-fabric, padded and contoured harness straps, and it reclines.
Unlike most of the hook straps used on many of the seats sold at your local stores, the RECARO uses hooks similar to the push-button locking mechanisms used for the standard seat belt. One easy click in, one easy click out. This makes it super-uncomplicated to install and take out when I'm jumping between our long-term Toyota Tundra, Honda CR-v, and Nissan Sentra.
All RECARO car seats are fully FMVSS 213 certified. Even though it has a stiff price, it exceeds my expectations and makes my nephew happy on his way to daycare.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued the fallowing press-release about Child Passenger Safety Week:
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Child Safety Seats: Choosing and Using Them Right
WASHINGTON, July 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Did you know that a seat belt alone is not enough to protect your young child in a car crash?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that child safety seats reduce the risk of being killed in a car crash by 71 percent for an infant and by 54 percent for a toddler. This is why all 50 states have laws that require the use of child safety restraints.
But at the time of buying a child safety seat, the wide range of makes and models on the market today has left more than a few parents confused. A recent NHTSA study reveals that 72 percent of parents (close to 3 out of 4!) don't know how to use child safety restraints properly.
Choose It Right
To help parents keep their children safer on the road, NHTSA developed the "4 Steps for Kids" guidelines:
1. For the best possible protection keep infants in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats. Do this until the child has reached the height or weight limit of the particular seat (at a minimum 1 year of age and at least 20 pounds).
2. Once children outgrow their rear-facing seats (at least 1 year of age and at least 20 pounds), they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in the back seat. Do this until the child reaches the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds).
3. Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats (at least 4 years of age and 40 pounds), they should ride in booster seats, in the back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit properly. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest (usually at age 8 or when they are 4'9" tall).
4. When children outgrow their booster seats (once children reach 8 years of age or when they are 4'9" tall), they can use the adult seat belts in the back seat, if they fit properly (lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest).
(For additional information in English visit: http://www.boosterseat.gov/4StepsFlyer.pdf)
National Seat Check Saturday
On Saturday, September 20, 2008, communities nationwide will offer free child safety seat checks! Stop by a local event to have a certified child passenger safety technician check your child's safety seat to ensure it's properly installed and provide tips for how to secure your child in the seat for optimal protection.
Child Passenger Safety Week
Child Passenger Safety Week (September 21-27, 2008) is an annual event that focuses on keeping America's child passengers safer on the road. For more information, visit the Child Passenger Safety Week campaign headquarters at www.nhtsa.gov.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, www.recarochildseat.com,