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Car Seat Misconceptions
Get the facts to protect your child's safety.

Think you're using your child's car seat correctly? Maybe. A 2000 DaimlerChrysler survey found that although 96 percent of the parents interviewed believed they were using car seats correctly, fewer than 20 percent actually were.
There is a huge knowledge gap, partly because friends, car seat manufacturers, and even pediatricians are giving confusing or erroneous advice, says Michael Aberlich, spokesperson for Fit for a Kid, DaimlerChrysler's child passenger-safety program. With this in mind, we've rounded up common misconceptions that even the most savvy parents have, and gone to the nation's best experts for the bottom line on them all.

Front vs. Back
Misconception: Once my baby turns age 1 and weighs 20 pounds, I should turn the seat around so she's facing forward.

The Truth: A child should stay rear-facing for as long as possible, says Flaura Koplin Winston, MD, PhD, principal investigator of Partners for Child Passenger Safety, a research collaboration between The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance Company.

If the infant is facing forward in a frontal crash--which is the most common and most severe type--the body is held back by the car seat's straps, but the head is not, explains Kathleen Weber, director of the Child Passenger Protection Research Program at the University of Michigan Medical School. While older children and adults wearing safety belts may end up with temporary neck injuries, a baby's immature neck bones and pliable ligaments can allow the spine to separate and the spinal cord to rip, says Weber.

Though most new convertible car seats available in the U.S. are made to hold babies up to 30 pounds in the rear-facing position (one model goes up to 35 pounds), many parents still resist the idea.

Solution: Once your child graduates from his infant-only car seat, select a convertible car seat with a minimum 30-pound rear-facing capacity. Make sure it fits securely in your car in both the rear- and forward-facing positions. Keep your child rear-facing until his weight reaches the car seat's maximum rear-facing capacity or until his head is within an inch of the top of the seat, whichever comes first.

One for All?
Misconception: One type of car seat is okay for all families.

The Truth: Shoppers often pick out a car seat because they like the way it looks, or their neighbor recommended it, or because some old issue of Consumer Reports gave it a high rating. None of these are good enough reasons on their own.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), all new car seats meet the same minimum safety standards when they are used correctly. So parents must consider which model will fit their car and lifestyle best and be the easiest to use correctly every time their child rides in it. The answer essentially comes down to trying out the seat before you commit to buying it. For instance, a larger-model child seat might fit fine in a friend's Chevy Suburban, but parents will have a hard time installing it correctly into the back of their Dodge Stratus, says Fit for a Kid inspector Barb Matejka.

Solutions:

Ask other parents for their recommendations.
Research car seats that accommodate your family's budget needs.
Make sure the seat is appropriate for your child's age, weight, and height. You can find this data on the American Association of Pediatrics Web site (www.aap.org).
Try out as many floor models as possible in your car while it's in the parking lot.
Be sure to follow the instructions that come with the car seat and with your automobile.
Once you've purchased a seat, make a point of scheduling a car seat inspection.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (800-843-4227) has a list of law-enforcement agencies nationwide that are trained to inspect child safety seats and advise parents on their purchases.

One for All?
Misconception: One type of car seat is okay for all families.

Solutions:

Top Tethers
Misconception: Those new top tethers don't work in older cars.

The Truth: Nearly all car seats made after September 1999 must be equipped with top tethers, and cars made after this date must be outfitted with corresponding anchors to help ensure that car seats are installed as tightly as possible, according to NHTSA spokesperson Lori Miller. Unfortunately, too many tethers never get used because parents suspect it will be impossible or too expensive to retrofit their older vehicles to accommodate them. Many automakers, including Ford, DaimlerChrysler, and General Motors, now have a policy of installing anchors in older cars.

Solution: There's a good chance that your car's manufacturer will retrofit for free. But don't call the local dealership, which may not yet be familiar with corporate anchor-installation policy. Instead, contact your car manufacturer's main customer relations department to get the location of a dealership that is trained to retrofit your car.

The tether and anchor systems are a great help in getting your car seat installed tightly enough and reducing how far forward a child's head goes in the event of a collision. By 2002, all new car seats and child restraints will also have fixed lower attachments that snap into corresponding fixtures on the car, making it unnecessary to strap the car seat in with a safety belt.

Seat Belt Readiness
Misconception: My child is old enough to use a grown-up seat belt.

The Truth: Age is not a definitive gauge when it comes to children's readiness to ride with an adult belt.

According to a study conducted by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 83 percent of children between 4 and 8 who should still be in car seats or belt-positioning boosters are inappropriately moved to safety belts. While some sources may offer age guidelines, it really comes down to the height, and to a lesser degree the weight, of your child.

Solution: Children who have outgrown their car seats (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds) should move into a belt-positioning booster seat until they are tall enough, which is usually not until they are at least 8 years old. Their knees must be long enough to bend at the front of the seat cushion while their back is touching the back of the seat, so they don't slouch out of position, says Weber. SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A (800-745-SAFE or log on at www.carseat.org) offers an excellent five-point guide to help parents determine if their child is ready for a safety belt.

Distance of Travel
Misconception: If we're driving a short distance, it's okay to skip the car seat.

The Truth: People think that highways are the most dangerous place to drive, but most crashes occur within a short distance of home, says Janet Dewey-Kollen, executive director of the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign. Unrestrained children have died when cars were driving as slowly as 15 miles per hour, she says.

Dewey-Kollen also warns parents to avoid any temptation to remove their child from the restraint while they are in a moving car, no matter how much the child is fussing.

Solution: Lay down the law that your child will never ride in a vehicle unless he is properly restrained; make no exceptions. Educate caregivers about the proper use of child safety restraints. Also let friends know that your child may not ride in their car without the proper restraint under any circumstances.

Your should know:

The information on this Web site is designed for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your pediatrician or family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have regarding your or your child's condition.