Car seat hysteria?

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Exactly. Children don't buy SUVs that roll over and put them in danger..adults do. And they choose to take that risk, even though there are probably safer cars out there to put their kids in.

SUV's can be safe.


It was the belt, not the vehicle that killed him.

Any vehicle can roll over if the conditions of the accident are just right enough to facilitate that.

 

[jodifla]

oh--my hubby's car is like that.

My van will let me do that. I retract it when I belt her in. She is learning to belt herself (I still check it as she's still young) and knows to do that.

The thing is, when he's awake, the belt is tight against him, but when he falls asleep and slumps forward, the belt comes forward too. So he's slumped over, practically touching the seat in front of him with his head.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The thing is, when he's awake, the belt is tight against him, but when he falls asleep and slumps forward, the belt comes forward too. So he's slumped over, practically touching the seat in front of him with his head.

I understand what you are saying. My daughter is the same way in dad's car.

However since it isn't locked--that is why it is coming forward and nothing you can do if the seatbelt doesn't retract except in conditions that warrant it (hard braking/accident).


However---wouldn't the same thing happen out of the booster seat?

If he is prone to slump forward when he is asleep.

 

[jodifla]

I understand what you are saying. My daughter is the same way in dad's car.

However since it isn't locked--that is why it is coming forward and nothing you can do if the seatbelt doesn't retract except in conditions that warrant it (hard braking/accident).


However---wouldn't the same thing happen out of the booster seat?

If he is prone to slump forward when he is asleep.

Yes, I think it would. Which is why I would rather just lie him down in the back seat with a blanket and a pillow!

 

[disneysteve]

There's no way for me to retract it....I'm in the front seat, and he's in the back, way out of my reach. My belts don't seem to lock unless my brakes are on.

You can get a locking clip for the seat belt if you belts don't lock automatically. Car seats come with one of those clips. If yours didn't, you should be able to get one wherever they sell car seats. A car seat can't be properly installed without locking the seat belt.

 

[summerrluvv]

I remember our first trip to Disney back in the very early 80's my mom had a small pontiac hatchback sunbird and my two sisters and I piled in the back with the seat down with our blankets and pillows and sprawled out (if you can even call it sprawling in that small of a car LOL). No one thought about safety back then.

DS is 7 and I don't use a booster seat for him now. I just bought a new car that has adjusters on the side of the belts connected to the seat (hard to explain) and those keep the seatbelt where it needs to be. What shocks me is how many kids I see getting dropped off at school coming out of the front seat. I guess they don't know the safest place is the back seat. I know my neighbor got pulled over for driving with her 5 year old in the front seat and got a ticket. The son actually said she went to jail, but I think he was exaggerating.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

You can get a locking clip for the seat belt if you belts don't lock automatically. Car seats come with one of those clips. If yours didn't, you should be able to get one wherever they sell car seats. A car seat can't be properly installed without locking the seat belt.

I thought her son is in a booster.

If a car seat--the slack wouldn't be an issue b/c he would be harnessed into the seat and (one would assume) the seat would be properly installed.

A clip is useless for a booster.

 

[disneysteve]

A clip is useless for a booster.

My mistake. I guess I was thinking of carseats only. All of our cars have had locking seatbelts so I wasn't entirely sure how the clips worked. I just know the seats always came with one.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My mistake. I guess I was thinking of carseats only. All of our cars have had locking seatbelts so I wasn't entirely sure how the clips worked. I just know the seats always came with one.

I am surprised my hubby's car (2000 Chrysler 300M) is not retractable unless braking or a collision.

 

[grlpwrd]

Then by your logic, having an SUV prone to auto rollover is akin to not strapping in your child. After all, that's not really safe either, is it?

Hmmm, I'm not looking to debate - I'm just looking to protect children. Isn't that what it's all about?

Here are clips of what happens to a child in a carseat (using crash test dummies):

http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_...videos/test2002/frontcrash/maxicosipriori.mpg

and what happens in a booster seat:

http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seiten/kisitest_2002/videos/test2002/frontcrash/maxicosirodi.mpg

There are good sites out there like car-seat.org for even more info on carseat safety. Many of the newer carseats and boosters are made with enhanced protection including tethers, attached clips, etc. Yes, times have certainly changed - for the better!

 

[RadioNate]

I am surprised my hubby's car (2000 Chrysler 300M) is not retractable unless braking or a collision.

Chrysler is the only major manufacture who is still using lightweight chinching latchplates instead of locking belts with retractors.

Between the lightweight latchplates and the failure of the Gen 3 seat belts when used with child restraints I'll never buy another Chrysler vehicle.

Simply locking the belt (as you are doing) should prevent slumping. For kids who slump dedicated boosters with full backs and side protection are recommended. Like the Graco TurboBooster and the Britax Parkway rather than combo seats like the Evenflo Chase or Graco CarGo.

 

[jodifla]

Chrysler is the only major manufacture who is still using lightweight chinching latchplates instead of locking belts with retractors.

Between the lightweight latchplates and the failure of the Gen 3 seat belts when used with child restraints I'll never buy another Chrysler vehicle.

Simply locking the belt (as you are doing) should prevent slumping. For kids who slump dedicated boosters with full backs and side protection are recommended. Like the Graco TurboBooster and the Britax Parkway rather than combo seats like the Evenflo Chase or Graco CarGo.

Neither of our cars have seatbelts that lock. I have a Honda and a Buick.


We've got the Turbobooster, and that's when I noticed him slumped forward, asleep. Again, I think he'd be as safe asleep lying down in the back seat of the car as slumped forward in a booster seat.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We've got the Turbobooster, and that's when I noticed him slumped forward, asleep. Again, I think he'd be as safe asleep lying down in the back seat of the car as slumped forward in a booster seat.

At least slumped forward he has a chance of the seatbelt locking and protecting him. Beats being a projectile in a crash. Of course if he was in a position where he could sleep without being so slumped that would be even better--I know, not always easy, but I don't recall having too many problems with my 4 kids. My 6yo's booster can recline a little and so can our van seat. I don't recline it a lot because I don't think that's safe, but enough so he doesn't slump forward. Of course that doesn't work in cars that don't recline.

 

[DisneyPhD]

I really like the high back bosters because of the slump support and locked in seat belts. My DD is rather small and as long as it is more comfortable for her that is what we will use in our own car. Now I admit me have a backless boster we use in the 2nd car or to pass around, but it doesn't seem as safe to me. She does slump over when alseep in it and it does not look safe or comfortable.

Infact my DD is still light enough to use the 5 point harness on the high back boster, but it doesn't fit to secure between her legs anymore. As said before, weight is not the best measure of fit for carseats.

 

[RadioNate]

Neither of our cars have seatbelts that lock. I have a Honda and a Buick.


We've got the Turbobooster, and that's when I noticed him slumped forward, asleep. Again, I think he'd be as safe asleep lying down in the back seat of the car as slumped forward in a booster seat.

The Honda should lock. The only Honda I've been in that doesn't have a Switchable Retractor my FIL's 1992 accord. It became manditory starting with the 1996 model year but I'm nearly positive that Honda was compliant before that.

The Buick, unless pre 1996, should also have some sort of locking mechanism. I know my grandmothers Century does and so does my dad's LaCross.

Teach your DS to sleep with his head to the side, using the head supports. Or slightly recline the seat.

Asleep in the back seat, he'd likely fly out the front windsheild in a crash.

In college my 20 year old roomate was asleep in the backseat of a car that was in a hwy collision. She was thrown out of the car about 50 yards. She was luckly, she only suffered a broken pelvis and broken arm. My friend Chris wasn't so lucky. He flew through the sunroof and landed about 25 yards away. They think he died instantly.

ETA http://www.britax.co.uk/ has videos of unrestrained child crash test dummies. They are kinda hard to find but if you click 'think campaign' on the left hand nav bar and then GMTV test videos on the think campaign page you should get to them.

Here are the direct links, the tests simulate at 30mph crash

http://www.britax.co.uk/movies/Brit...trained_Child_Facing_Forwards_in-car_view.mpg

http://www.britax.co.uk/movies/Britax_GMTV_Check_It_Fits_Unrestrained_Child_Facing_Forwards.mpg

There are 2 more but they relate to infants in lap and old/used restraints.

 

[GEM]

My sister teaches 2nd grade and last year she lost a little girl in her class who died in car accident. She was lying down asleep in the backseat of her mom's car as they traveled down the interstate. There was a minor accident in front of them and mom slammed on the brakes but still ended up rear ending a pickup at a high speed. The little 2nd grader was thrown right threw the windshield and killed instantly. The mother, who was wearing her seatbelt, survived.

 

[jodifla]

The Honda should lock. The only Honda I've been in that doesn't have a Switchable Retractor my FIL's 1992 accord. It became manditory starting with the 1996 model year but I'm nearly positive that Honda was compliant before that.

The Buick, unless pre 1996, should also have some sort of locking mechanism. I know my grandmothers Century does and so does my dad's LaCross.

Teach your DS to sleep with his head to the side, using the head supports. Or slightly recline the seat.

Asleep in the back seat, he'd likely fly out the front windsheild in a crash.

In college my 20 year old roomate was asleep in the backseat of a car that was in a hwy collision. She was thrown out of the car about 50 yards. She was luckly, she only suffered a broken pelvis and broken arm. My friend Chris wasn't so lucky. He flew through the sunroof and landed about 25 yards away. They think he died instantly.

ETA http://www.britax.co.uk/ has videos of unrestrained child crash test dummies. They are kinda hard to find but if you click 'think campaign' on the left hand nav bar and then GMTV test videos on the think campaign page you should get to them.

Here are the direct links, the tests simulate at 30mph crash

http://www.britax.co.uk/movies/Brit...trained_Child_Facing_Forwards_in-car_view.mpg

http://www.britax.co.uk/movies/Britax_GMTV_Check_It_Fits_Unrestrained_Child_Facing_Forwards.mpg

There are 2 more but they relate to infants in lap and old/used restraints.

Our cars are older and don't have the locking seatbelts.

And I'm using a Graco Turbo booster with the back, he still slumps forward.

 

[rt2dz]

I'm going to keep most my thoughts to myself on this one--too much of a hot button issue.

I just wanted to say that I am alive today because of a properly fitting seat belt. I was in no way to blame, nor was there any way on my part that the accident could have been avoided. Knowing what I went through, having the personal experience of just how important all that is--there is no way in this world, I wouldn't do everything in my power to do what is best and safest for my kids. They are my world; the loves mof my life. I thank God for them every single day, and if any thing were to happen like that again, I don't want things on my conscience. I've been to a couple of funerals where had there simply been properly fitting restraints in the car, we would have been sending get well cards instead. It's all in the prespective.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Our cars are older and don't have the locking seatbelts.

And I'm using a Graco Turbo booster with the back, he still slumps forward.

Does it have a place to slide the seatbelt in over the sholder? Mine does and that keeps it is place so she can not slump forward. In the backless Graco one there isn't and she does "fall over". The backless really isn't much better then a seatbelt, it just adjusts where it fits on her.

I had friend (of the family) who knew someone who actually lived in a accident because he was thrown from the car. He would of been crushed and died if he had his seatbelt on. For this reason (freak accident) he would always insist on not wearing his (this was 20 years ago.) Clearly his thinking was very flawed, we know it was an one in a million chance that it was better to be with out then with a seat belt in that case.

I haven't talked to this friend in 10 years. I know he moved to Tenn and has like 6 kids now. I can only hope and pray that his ideas on seat belts and now child saftey restants has changed as he was matured.

 

[jodifla]

Does it have a place to slide the seatbelt in over the sholder? Mine does and that keeps it is place so she can not slump forward. In the backless Graco one there isn't and she does "fall over". The backless really isn't much better then a seatbelt, it just adjusts where it fits on her.

.

Yes, it has this, but when DS falls asleep and leans forward, the whole seatbelt comes forward, too.