Swim Lessons

My little L just started swim lessons this month at 4.5 years old. Like I said before, she's fearless, and we experienced that the first time we went to the beach with her at around 18 - 20 months. She would run headstrong into the ocean.



L at around 19 months.



However, I've heard from the swim instructor on a few occasions this month that L sinks like a deadweight in the water. She said she's never seen anything like it. L will even sink with her floaty thing strapped around her waist. She really is a pretty muscular little girl with zero body fat. I know she'll get the hang of it eventually, but I hope sooner than later, with summer around the corner.



That's my L with the braids sticking out.




I didn't even know I captured this sad picture until it was already taken. She had just gone under the water so quickly and sucked in the water, even with her floaty device on. This Mama's heart was so sad to see this from behind the glass wall from where I was watching the lesson. I kept telling myself that I had to trust the instructor, but you better BELIEVE I was still watching and ready to dive if L went down when the instructor ever turned her back. :)




But she recovered so quickly, as she always does, and was smiling ear to ear again.

 Our YMCA started giving free swim lessons for children five years and older this Spring due to so many children drowning as of late.  I don't know about you, but that grips my heart like nothing else, because these deaths could possibly have been prevented through swim lessons.  I did a little research on aquatic safety and drowning statistics and thought I'd share what I found from the CDC, Poseidon , National Drowning Statistics , and Drowning Prevention websites. Here are just a few, so please check out those links above to raise your awareness:

- In 2004, of all children 1-4 years old who died, 26% died from drowning (CDC 2006). Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years (CDC 2005)

-19% of drowning deaths involving children occur in public pools with certified lifeguards present.
(Drowning Prevention Foundation)

-In 2004, there were 3,308 unintentional drownings in the United States, an average of nine people per day.(CDC 2006)

-An estimated 5,000 children ages 14 and under are hospitalized due to unintentional drowning-related incidents each year; 15 percent die in the hospital and as many as 20 percent suffer severe, permanent neurological disability. (National Safety Council)

-Of all preschoolers who drown, 70 percent are in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning and 75 percent are missing from sight for five minutes or less.(Orange County, CA, Fire Authority)

-Children under five and adolescents between the ages of 15-24 have the highest drowning rates.
(U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Do those stats not make you GASP and your blood pressure rise? How about a terrible pit in your stomach?Whew. I just can't believe the reality of those stats, but they ARE true. Swim safety has got to be one area where I'm always having to be super attentive to the kids while at the beach or a local pool. No relaxing or reading for this Mama! And this is one area where I am hesitant to drop the kids off at a person's house who has even a blow up pool out back.  In an instant, drownings can happen.

When L was around 18 months or so, we would go up the the Southeastern Seminary Campus for her to run around. She LOVED going to the fountain to see the water shoot out. Watch this little clip so you can see what I'm talking about before I proceed with my story.

One day, she leaned forward, lost her balance and went in face first into about 4" deep water, head wedged in a little gap/corner, with her feet sticking up in the air. FOUR INCHES people. Not a lot of water we're talking about here. Completely helpless. You saw how much taller she was than the edge and one would think that she wouldn't get herself in that kind of situation, but it happened so fast. I was RIGHT beside her thankfully, not talking on the phone, not digging for my camera from the stroller, not talking to another Mama, but RIGHT there and snatched her up faster than you can even blink. Her whole face was under water.  I had to take a breather once I calmed her down and knew she was okay. I kept asking myself, what if I had been a few feet away with my back to her? What if I had been tending to another child just around the shrub that surrounded the fountain? Even when talking about a few inches of water, you cannot for one second walk away from children who are playing near water.

Now, I have a few questions for you:

-Have you had any frightening experiences concerning water and your children?

-When did your child first take swim lessons?

-Where do you take your swim lessons?

-Given your child's love of water and trust in the instructor in teaching her to swim, how quickly did your child progress from one swim class to the next? (For example, at the YMCA the beginner class is called Perfect Pikes, the next class is called Eels, etc..)

Safe swimming to all this Summer!

Will and Adeline's Top Picks

This is probably the most requested video at the moment. Toy Story and Toy Story 2! With the upcoming release of Toy Story 3 (on June 18th, just ask Will...he's counting down) - we upgraded to DVD copies of the movies for a very good price thanks to good deals and coupons! Will especially LOVES Woody and Buzz right now. As far as Disney movies go, we're ok with this one.

(There are others we aren't ok with - including Princess and the Frog. But I only know this because my friend Rebecca share with me their concerns about the voodoo in the movie!)

I am actually SO EXCITED about Toy Story 3 and can't wait to see it! I feel like Buzz Lightyear is a third child in our house sometimes...


Special Agent Oso is a playhouse Disney show. Jacob really likes this one because all of the episodes are named after Bond movies. The premise of the show is that Oso is given a special assignment to help a kid learn a certain skill. They learn three special steps and master the skill (learning to play hopscotch, tying the shoe, washing the dishes, etc.) I think its really cute and Will loves it!

The other day, I told Will we were going strawberry picking. He told me he was going to "twist and pull" the strawberries!? Apparently, there an Oso episode where they learned how to pick strawberries.

The Wiggles are still going strong in our house - nearly three years after Will first discovered them. (Even having seen them LIVE when some friends won tickets two years ago!) Adeline is really the most into Wiggles right now, but both kids love them. The Wiggles show comes on a channel that we have "on demand" so we have a few shorter episodes to watch in addition to some DVDs we've collected.

Franklin is the first on my list of what we don't watch! The bottom line is that I think Franklin whines and doesn't always have a good attitude. He used to come on Noggin (now Nick Jr.) which is a channel we prefer because of the no commercials. But, I don't let Will watch Franklin and he knows why.

Max and Ruby is another one we avoid. Ruby is a little bossy to Max and seems to be in charge. The parents are almost never seen. The bottom line is that we're not going to be able to shelter Will from all "bad examples" - but there are plenty of options that don't include characters like these.

(Word World and the Leap Frog videos were also mentioned by Leah and these are other favorites of ours as well.)

A few others that have cycled through as favorites include:

Hide 'em in your heart DVD

Cedarmont Kids Bible Songs

Little People DVDs from Fisher Price (given free with toys or through online promotion)

Jonah the Veggie Tales movie (though I can't convince them to watch any other Veggie Tales)

Dinosaur Train on PBS

I'm saying this as a reminder to myself as well - but its so easy to assume that all preschool programming (and videos) is "safe" when there may be themes and examples we don't agree with. There are a couple of websites to use when trying to get an idea of the movie or tv show and what it might include. They are:

Plugged In - a Focus on the Family ministry

Kids In Mind

Screen It

Any final thoughts on tv/video viewing for our little ones? Thanks for the comments this week!

Securing Furniture to Wall

Christina did a great job in her post on safety in the home, so much so that I really don't have much to offer, concerning what our family did to baby proof our home. I do, however, have a story about one way to secure furniture to the wall.

My parents came up one week when I was pregnant with our second daughter.
I was definitely nesting, and since my husband was at work, I asked for their help in moving some furniture. A dream come true, right? All the pictures hung, heavy items moved, and things organized! I loved it! We had a leaning Pottery Barn shelf that could be secured to the wall using nails, but my dad wasn't very confident that the shelf would stay up (of course, what Grandfather would?) if one of the girls was standing on or climbing the shelf. UNBEKNOWNST TO ME, on one of his trips to Lowes, he picked up a little something to secure to shelf to the wall. I caught him in the act of screwing this into MY POTTERY BARN SHELF. Take a look:

No, you're not seeing things. My dad bought a CHAIN LOCK and screwed it into my PB shelf and then into a stud in the wall. WHAT?! I about had a cow! I mean, I definitely have confidence that it will hold even ME now, if I decide I want to do a little wall scaling. I might not have been so against it had he screwed it on the BACK of the shelf where no one could see, but no, it's on the front shining in all its glory and will now and forever have to be covered up by a picture frame or vase. So, if you want to secure a heavy piece of furniture to the wall, consider a chain lock. Just be sure to hide it! :)

Childproofing or Sanityproofing?

Have you been down the childproofing aisle at Babies R' Us lately!? I hadn't for at least a year and it seems to have EXPLODED! Compared to the products available - we use very little physical barriers for childproofing. What I do use is more often for MY OWN SANITY than my children's safety. Not ashamed to admit that, the childproofing products work great for that purpose too. :)

When we first had Will, I did the typical baby gate to block the steps and outlet covers. But that was it! When I first started keeping Ava, she was 8 months old and Adeline was 6 months old. Will was not even 2.5 yet. So, I did add a few extra baby gates and cabinet locks. Mostly to block everyone in the living room and specifically OUT of the kitchen (and food!) - otherwise I was tripping over babies while trying to cook.

Over time, the only things I've added have been for sanity not safety. But again, they work great! The following pictures were taken 10 minutes ago and truly show exactly how we use these products in our home currently:

Adeline's door is on the left and Will's on the right. The door knob cover over Adeline's door was initially to keep Will out. Prior to our slight modification to his doorknob (look closely - the lock is on the outside) we would find him wandering and sometimes in his sister's room while she was asleep! He's since figured out how to open doors with knob covers although its not easy and he often gives up.

About Will's door knob...we had a short phase of Will getting out of bed and wandering. While we nipped it in the bud with some discipline, it scared me to DEATH. I would turn around and he would be there when I was LEAST expecting it. So to save me from a heart attack, we decided to turn the lock around. (Not to mention keep him from falling down the stairs in the middle of the night...) We rarely lock it now, especially as we're working REALLY hard to encourage him to get up on his own and use the bathroom when necessary at night or first thing in the morning.

We only have a sprinkling of outlet covers left in our house. Honestly, I've only ever seen Will even think about playing with one but we also nipped that in the bud and it hasn't happened since.

BUT...part of the reason it hasn't happened since is that I added these outlet covers to the visible outlets in Will's room. They are the kind you have to slide to the right to insert the plug. When the plug is removed it slides back to the left automatically. I got them off Amazon when we were having a problem with Will obeying and plugging/unplugging his humidifier. The next battle came with his small Christmas tree we had in his room. So with these, he is safe should he choose to disobey. We also put one on the outlet where we had our big Christmas tree plugged in. All of the kids liked that plug because it turned the lights on!

I do have these cabinet locks in my kitchen and bathrooms. Obviously to keep cleaning products "locked" up - but again, Will can get past them now and has been able to for a while. They are really just a visual reminder that he is not allowed in those cabinets. The cabinet on the left that is undone is for food. Again a visual reminder that they have to ask first - otherwise my kids would help themselves to snacks all day!

The last item we use most right now really is the monitor. I still use this for both of my kids and I can hear (and usually be able to tell) exactly what they are doing when out of my sight in their rooms. I use the Fisher Price Sound and Lights monitor and when Adeline came along, we bought a second set at a consignment sale. Each kid is on a different channel and it works great. (At night - our room is so close to theirs - I can hear either without the monitor.)

I usually know which child I need to listen for at which time. For example, I listen for Will at the beginning of nap time until I know he's asleep as this is the most likely time he would get up and get in trouble! Once he's asleep - I switch to Adeline as she's the most likely to wake up crying and wake the others! Again, the monitor is more about my sanity than their safety.

The bottom line is (in my opinion) - don't go overboard with safety items. Teach your child what is off limits and why (if they are old enough - like Will). Add safety barriers as needed. Some may not have the same laid back attitude we do - or maybe I'm kidding myself and I'm not laid back at all!?

Any other interesting tips for childproofing or sanityproofing your home?

Amby Bed Recall

Just wanted to let everyone know that we're going to postpone this week's topic (book reviews) until the first of our next schedule. So, we're sort of taking this week off aside from a few unrelated posts. Next week is a "rewind" week and the following week is the Christmas Tour of Homes! Come back and see our decorations and be ready to share yours with us as well!



In the meantime, we wanted to share a recall with you. This product has been recommended on Prayer of Hannah before, so we felt it was a good idea to let you know of the recall.


The Amby Baby Motion Bed has been recalled. I first learned of the recall at the Baby Bargains Blog. The CPSC reports two infant suffocation deaths while using this product. You can find more information on the recall HERE.

BIG Maclaren Stroller Recall

I follow a blog on my reader that is written by the authors of this book:



The book is a great resource rating different brands of baby items and really giving tips for getting the most for your money. The authors keep up to date info on the blog concerning recalls and problems with companies they recommend in their books. I've heard about many recalls through this blog! You can visit the Baby Bargains Book Blog here.



Yesterday, I read about a massive recall of Maclaren strollers. You can read Baby Bargain's post here. In short, ALL Maclaren strollers sold from 1999 to 2009 are being recalled after reports of 12 children having their fingers amputated by the side hinge! Wow. The company is going to provide owners with a cover for the hinge in order to protect little fingers.


You can visit Maclaren's website here to request a cover. At least it is an easy fix and you don't have to return your strollers. They do recommend you stop using the stroller until you cover the hinge just to be safe. I know Maclaren strollers are very popular and I'd bet a large percentage of our readers use one. (Believe it or not, I have never had one myself!)

Keeping Kids Safe in the Car

Carseats are a big soapbox, passion, obsession - whatever you want to call it - of mine. Lately, I've seen a lot of carseats being used improperly. A while ago, I posted this on Prayer of Hannah about carseats. I wanted to do another post that highlighted common mistakes parents make. This list comes from an article I first read in Parents magazine, April 2009. I thought it was VERY well written and I was able to find a copy online here.

I've added the RED to show what I think to be THE MOST common mistakes that I see amongst my friends. I also added some italics. Please, check and recheck how you're using your carseat. Even experienced parents need to be reminded of these things. Jacob and I still get our carseat manual out almost everytime we have to move a carseat.

And for those wondering - yes, Adeline is still rear facing at almost 20 months. Will was rear facing until about 20 months as well. Most commonly, I get suggestions from folks worried that they will break their legs in a crash. I simply reply with - I would rather have broken legs than broken necks. There is no evidence to show an increased likelihood of breaking limbs during a collision. There IS evidence showing that children under 2 are more likely to suffer spinal cord injuries when forward facing versus rear facing. Here is a great summary of the evidence on rear-facing.

Feel free to ask me any questions about car seats. I have spent an enormous (bordering on too much!) amount of time reading about and researching car seats. And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not think I am judging you or your recent blog post including a picture of your new car seat. :) I simply want to help spread information to parents in order to keep our babies as safe as possible!

TOP CAR SEAT MISTAKES

Harnessing your INFANT:

1. Placing your baby in the front seat.
The force generated by a deployed front airbag can severely injure or kill a child. Buckle her into the safest spot in your car: the center of the rear seat. A recent study conducted at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found that kids seated there were 43 percent less likely to be injured in a crash than those who rode in the side seats. However, any position in the rear is safer than in the front.

2. Using the wrong anchors.
The LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system allows you to attach the seat to metal rings in some cars' rear seats without using the seat belt. But not all cars have anchors in the middle. To install your car seat in the center, make sure you're not using the anchors for a window seat by mistake. If yours doesn't have center anchors, use the seat belt instead.

3. Not getting a tight-enough fit.
The seat shouldn't be able to move more than an inch from side to side. When tightening the LATCH straps or seat belt, put your knee in the car seat and push down to help you pull them as tight as possible. You should adjust the harness straps so that you can't pinch a fold in the fabric. "If your child can move forward at all, there is a risk that he could whip forward during a crash and injure his head or spinal cord," says Dr. Durbin.

4. Positioning the harness straps too high.
When your baby is rear-facing, adjust the straps so they're threaded through the slots at or below his shoulder level, says Jennifer Stockburger, vehicle and child-safety program manager at Consumer Reports' Auto Test Center, in East Haddam, Connecticut. Otherwise, she could be injured or ejected in a crash. (Although not included in this list; the opposite is also often overlooked. Positioning the harness straps too low when foward facing. Forward facing children should have the shoulder straps AT or ABOVE shoulder level. If they are below, the child will not be secure in a collision. If the child's shoulders are above the last strap slot - then they have outgrown the carseat.)

5. Adding padding.
You can't tighten straps snugly if you cover them with cushy pads, wrap your baby in a blanket or a thick coat, or use seat pads that aren't designed for the seat.


Harnessing your TODDLER:

1. Turning the seat too early.
If you have a convertible seat, your child should ride rear facing until he's reached the maximum rear-facing limit of the seat (generally 30 to 35 pounds). (The AAP recently stated a new minimum of two years should be used for rear facing. The previous recommendation was 1 year or 20 pounds.)

2. Not cinching the harness tightly.
The fit should be so snug that you can't slip a finger between your child's shoulder and the strap (or pinch the fabric of the straps).

3. Using the LATCH system and a seat belt.
You're not getting double the protection. "The two have never been tested together, and it's possible that using both could injure your child in an accident," says Walker.

4. Skipping the tether.
Fifty-five percent of parents make this dangerous mistake, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The tether secures the top of the car seat so it's installed tightly enough.

5. Securing the chest clip in the wrong spot.
It should cross your child's chest at his armpit level. If it's too low, the straps might slip off; when it's too high, the clip could injure his neck.


BOOSTERS:

1. Giving up the booster too soon.
NHTSA surveys show that only 37 percent of children ages 4 to 7 were riding in a booster seat in 2007. Most states have booster-seat laws (which parents often ignore), but many only cover kids up to age 7. (Likewise, I would add "Giving up the 5-point harness too soon." 5-point harnesses are much safer than booster seats and there is no reason to rush into a booster seat other than convenience.)

2. Using the lap belt only.
If you skip the shoulder belt, your child's upper body could jerk forward so violently in a crash that her head may strike her knees or she may suffer severe internal injuries.

Tough Conversations

It’s my turn to start off our week with a new topic. This week’s topic is Keeping Kids Safe. When I was assigned this topic I thought I really wouldn’t be able to post on things that would relate to moms in the states because our “safety” where we live is much different than in the states. Actually, on a day to day basis in our country I feel my kids are much safer than in America. But that’s not what I am going to post about. I decided I would post a little on other types of safety measures we can take as our children grow older in this ever changing sinful world.

I am going to break this safety post into two categories:
1. Movies/TV
2. Friends

Movies/TV- We do watch TV and we do watch movies in our household. But we do have a safety guard for both. I don’t know if you know this or not but just because a show is a cartoon or just because a movie is advertised as a children’s movie does NOT mean that is true! :)

TV…Know what your children are watching! I am sure many of you have had the experience of walking in the room while a cartoon was playing and hearing cuss words, rude language, or even back talking children to their parents. We watch a show with our kids several times to make sure there are not attitudes, words or actions that we would not want them to mimic. If something does come up, we talk about it. We say things like, “Oh wow! That little girl is not respecting her mom and dad. We don’t act like that at our house, do we?” And then, we don’t make a huge deal about NEVER watching that show. We just find something else for our kids to do during that time…a fun chore is always an option. :) (side note: Don’t just leave emergency numbers with your babysitter. Make sure any babysitter you have is aware of what you allow your children to watch.)

Movies…This gets more complicated as children get older. Our oldest is 13 now and there is always a fine line about what she can and cannot see. We use a website called www.pluggedinonline.com to screen movies before we allow her to go and see them. Now, this is where it gets tricky. By the time our children are 13 they are not under us at all times…sometimes they are at parties and sleepovers. There have been times when our daughter has informed us when she got home about what movies she watched. These have not always been my choice of movie for her but we talk about it and deal with the issues that came up in the movie. (side note: Don’t panic or go bananas when your child tells you they saw something you wouldn’t necessarily approve of (unless you have specifically told them not to watch something)…calmly talk about it and use the conversation as a teaching time just like when they were little.)

Friends…When I was in the 3rd grade a friend of mine gave me a picture of a naked girl lying on top of a van. I took that picture home to my mom. She said, “Where did you get this picture?” I told her who gave it to me. She said these words that I will never forget, “Stacey, this little girl is going to be trouble as she gets older. You can be nice to her at school but you will not go to her house and she will not come here. This is not someone that you are going to be good friends with. Do you understand me?” That girl did turn out to be BIG trouble and as I grew up I was so glad my mom didn’t let me “hang out” with her.

KNOW your child’s friends and their families! We teach our children to be a friend to all but they know there are boundaries to each friendship and we are very open about the why’s and why not’s. Open conversations about details such as sexual touching, inappropriate language, disrespectful words and actions to adults, drinking and unapproved TV/movies are important in our house. We try not to sugar coat things and try to keep it real with our kids. That doesn’t mean we have the same conversation with our 13 year old and our 7 year old. We have learned we have to tweak these conversations for the age differences.

For example, our middle daughter has a friend who always demands her way with her parents. We talk to Madison about this attitude. We say, “Madison, we don’t talk like ________. That is not how Jesus would have us treat our parents.” Again, as they get older the conversations get “stickier” and more complicated and might I add, HARDER! Our 13 year old traveled to the states without us this past summer. Before she left we had some real “heart to hearts” with her. She’s a great kid and loves Jesus so much but we knew she would be confronted with many things. We were very open about topics such as sexual touching, revealing clothing, movies, etc….They were tough conversations to have but we felt it was necessary and it was what God desires for us to do with our children….”Train them in the way they should go…” All in all, we try not to lay down legalistic rules with our children. We tell them daily to “just love Jesus with all your heart in all you do and say.”

Many times it makes me mad to have to have these conversations with my kids. But we live in a fallen/sinful world and we are sinful people, so it is what we must do. Jesus desires to be glorified in all we do…let’s glorify HIM in how we choose to keep our kids safe in the sinful world in which we live.

What about you? Do you have open conversations with your kids? Did your parents keep a tight lip with you and allow you to figure things out on your own? Give us your wisdom on the kinds of conversations that go on at your house!

Making Use of the CPSC Website

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission hosts an excellent website full of very helpful safety information for parents. Check them out here.

The CPSC maintains a "Most Wanted List" of the biggest safety threats. The list currently includes:

1. Simplicity Cribs
2. Toy Tool Benches
3. Kolcraft Playards
4. Soccer Goals
5. Lane Cedar Chests

The CPSC also gives the following as "The Top Five Hidden Home Hazards":

1. Magnets
2. Recalled Products
3. Tip Overs
4. Windows & Coverings
5. Pool & Spa Drains

And finally, here are two key recalls from the past few months that affected items we have in our home:

1. Bumbo Seats - the company is issuing new warnings for the seat. Do not leave your child unattended in the Bumbo seat on an elevated surface. If you do put your baby in the Bumbo on a table top or bed, keep your eyes on him/her AT ALL TIMES. To be safest, always use the Bumbo on the floor.

2. Baby Einstein Blocks - the blue one is in violation of lead paint limits. I think this is a pretty popular toy - 4 plush blocks in primary colors. I just tossed my blue one.

Car Seat Safety

This week's topic is "Safety." There are so many safety issues to consider as a parent. We are bombarded with recommendations, warnings and recalls daily. Car seat safety is one that is often taken for granted.

According the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 38,588 fatal crashes in 2006. The likelihood of your family being involved in a serious car accident is high enough to warrant paying close attention to car seat safety. The following post will hopefully give you a summary of important points, along with links to equip you with the facts necessary to be sure your child is as safe as possible when riding in the car.

The following points were taken from the NHTSA's website about Child Passenger Safety. I have added the bold type to emphasize points that are often overlooked. I have also added some comments of my own in RED type.

Child Safety Seats Save Lives

• Child seats reduce the likelihood of an infant (under 1 year old) being killed in a vehicle crash by 71 percent and toddlers (1-4 years old) by 54 percent.

• Children ages 4 to 7 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a seat belt, according to a study by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

• While 98 percent of America’s infants and 89 percent of children ages 1 to 3 are now regularly restrained, not enough children ages 4 through 7 are restrained properly for their size and age. Restraint use among 4-7 year olds is 78 percent.

• The National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS) found that only 41 percent of children ages 4 to 8 are riding in booster seats; NHTSA recommends that children who have outgrown their child safety seats should ride in booster seats until they are at least eight years old, unless they are 4’9” tall.

• Child restraints work best if you use them correctly. Failure to read the child safety seat instructions, in addition to vehicle owner manual instructions regarding installation, could result in serious injury or death as a result of a failure of the child safety seat to be securely and/or properly restrained.
  

• The three most common mistakes in installing a child safety seat are (1) not attaching the seat correctly and tightly to the car or truck, (2) not fastening the harness tightly enough, and (3) not using the chest clip or using it incorrectly. Keep in mind that you should check your car seats installation every so often as well. They can loosen over time!

• All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws requiring children to be restrained in cars. Make sure you know the laws of your state and make it the law of your car. Please remember laws are usually the minimum requirements for safety.

Child Restraint Tips

1. For the best possible protection keep infants in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. At a minimum, keep infants rear-facing until a minimum of age 1 and at least 20 pounds. There are rear-facing car seats available to allow children to rear face up to 33 pounds, maybe even higher.

2. When children outgrow their rear-facing seats (at a minimum age 1 and at least 20 pounds) they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds). Again, there are car seats available to allow children to remain in 5 point harnesses forward facing well beyond 40 pounds. Ours goes to 65 pounds. I know of at least another one that goes to 85 pounds!
   

3. Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats (usually around age 4 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, (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9” tall) they can use the adult seat belt in the back seat, if it fits properly (lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest).

I want to point out that there are SAFE car seat options at every price range to meet the recommendations above. That said, we currently rear face at 17 months old, less than 20 pounds and using a Britax Marathon as our main seat. We will evaluate our rear facing situation at 2 years old depending on his weight at that time.


Here are some videos that show the importance of REAR FACING.





Another video with more crash tests



Family of a three year old killed because he was in a booster too early (I do think this accident was less preventable because the seat belt itself failed. Not just the fact that he was in a booster too early.) This family has formed the Kyle David Miller Foundation.




I realize that some may think these videos are using emotions to convince viewers. But I think when there is a simple way to help prevent tragedies like these- why not? Yes - the video is sad, but I truly think they are legitimate and the parents made them in order to educate other parents like us.

Lastly, some links to more information. Feel free to post any additional questions, recommendations or experiences you might have as well!

CPS Safety website - good summary of information

NHTSA's ease of use ratings - they rate each car seat in several areas.

Child Safety Seat Inspection Stations - Search by zip code for locations to get these checked! Keep in mind most fire stations (not all though!) do this, but there are other locations as well.

American Academy of Pediatrics Car Seat Guide - Despite the fact that many pediatricians often give misleading car seat advice (mine included), the American Academy recommends rear facing as long as possible. This is a great link!