New car seat laws involving LATCH system for 2014

[JennaDeeDooDah]

For all of you parents of children still in car seats out there, I thought that you might want to be aware of the new law/safety regulations.

Parents of many children ages 3 and up who should still be in child-safety seats will be warned not to use a federally required child-seat attachment system when a new rule takes effect in early 2014.

The rule requires child-seat makers to tell parents not to use the lower anchors required in cars since 2001 if children and their car seats have a combined weight of 65 pounds, because the strength of the anchors cannot be guaranteed.

Child seats typically weigh 15 to 33 pounds. So the new rule means some children as light as 32 pounds might not be able to use a system designed to make child seats easier to install and, therefore, safer. This child-seat system is known as LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children).

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/mone...2012-06-06/child-safety-seat-latch/55452346/1

 

[aprilchem]

This has always been the case. You need to check your particular vehicle's manual to determine the safe LATCH upper weight limit. I believe we took our daughter off LATCH when she hit 30 lbs, and I drive a Honda Odyssey.

And it's not a law that applies to individual citizens, it applies to the car seat manufacturers. It just requires them to disclose something that's always been disclosed in the car seat manual (at least in all of the ones we've had, and we've had a slew of car seats).

 

[DopeyDame]

As the PP said, this isn't new, it's just better education in response to the growing trend of keeping kids in carseats until they are in high school (only slightly exagerating.)
Car seats aren't necessarily safer or better than the car's own seatbelts for children who are large enough to sit in seats and use the car's restraints, (with or without a booster seat as needed) and high back booster's aren't inherently safer than regular boosters depending on the child's size and shape.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I just wanted to put that out there. I know a lot of parents don't keep their car seat manuals. Many I know thought that LATCH was the safest way to secure the car seat no matter what. I just wanted parents to know, in case they were't already aware.

 

[firecracker725]

This has always been the case. You need to check your particular vehicle's manual to determine the safe LATCH upper weight limit. I believe we took our daughter off LATCH when she hit 30 lbs, and I drive a Honda Odyssey.

And it's not a law that applies to individual citizens, it applies to the car seat manufacturers. It just requires them to disclose something that's always been disclosed in the car seat manual (at least in all of the ones we've had, and we've had a slew of car seats).

The thing is that most people are not diligent enough when installing car seats in their vehicles. The large majority of people don't even read the car seat manuals, much less pay attention to their vehicle specifications for car seat installation. The idea of the new law is to raise awareness and nudging the car seat manufacturers to make seats easier to install/use.

 

[kt_mom]

As the PP said, this isn't new, it's just better education in response to the growing trend of keeping kids in carseats until they are in high school (only slightly exagerating.)
Car seats aren't necessarily safer or better than the car's own seatbelts for children who are large enough to sit in seats and use the car's restraints, (with or without a booster seat as needed) and high back booster's aren't inherently safer than regular boosters depending on the child's size and shape.

I had no idea until I came to the dis that there were people that put 10 year olds in car seats.

 

[firecracker725]

I just wanted to put that out there. I know a lot of parents don't keep their car seat manuals. Many I know thought that LATCH was the safest way to secure the car seat no matter what. I just wanted parents to know, in case they were't already aware.

Absolutely. Seat belt installation is equally safe, but LATCH was supposed to be "fool-proof". It is definitely not by any means.

 

[DopeyDame]

I had no idea until I came to the dis that there were people that put 10 year olds in car seats.

I know a few 8 year olds at my son's school still in full-up carseats. And the friend I mentioned has a 5 year old, but insists he's staying in the carseat until he hits the 100 pound weight limit. She's usually pretty rational, so I'm hoping she changes her mind before she's driving her son to 8th grade graduation in a carseat.

 

[mjkacmom]

I know a few 8 year olds at my son's school still in full-up carseats. And the friend I mentioned has a 5 year old, but insists he's staying in the carseat until he hits the 100 pound weight limit. She's usually pretty rational, so I'm hoping she changes her mind before she's driving her son to 8th grade graduation in a carseat.

My dd in 7th grade is 65 pounds. I was strict with her older brother and sister, but I couldn't do it to her (they were out of boosters at 8/10, after reaching the proper height).

 

[DLgal]

I had no idea until I came to the dis that there were people that put 10 year olds in car seats.

Car shoulder belts are made to fit people 4'9" (or 57") snd up as well as at least 60lbs. Until that height is reached, kids need boosters to raise them high enough for the seatbelt to work without causing potentially fatal internal injuries in a crash.

My son will be 10 next summer. He is only 51" currently. He still needs to grow a LOT to be out of the booster. He'll keep using it until he is tall enough. It's very low profile and blends in with our car interior.

 

[firecracker725]

Car shoulder belts are made to fit people 4'9" (or 57") snd up as well as at least 60lbs. Until that height is reached, kids need boosters to raise them high enough for the seatbelt to work without causing potentially fatal internal injuries in a crash.

My son will be 10 next summer. He is only 51" currently. He still needs to grow a LOT to be out of the booster. He'll keep using it until he is tall enough. It's very low profile and blends in with our car interior.

You should check out the Incognito booster. It's perfect for your son.

http://carseatblog.com/23450/safety-1st-incognito-kid-positioning-seat-preview/

 

[DopeyDame]

Car shoulder belts are made to fit people 4'9" (or 57") snd up as well as at least 60lbs. Until that height is reached, kids need boosters to raise them high enough for the seatbelt to work without causing potentially fatal internal injuries in a crash.

My son will be 10 next summer. He is only 51" currently. He still needs to grow a LOT to be out of the booster. He'll keep using it until he is tall enough. It's very low profile and blends in with our car interior.

There is a huge difference between boosters and carseats. Which is actually the point - using a booster you are using the seatbelts integrated into the car, and your child is safe because they fit them correctly (with the help of the booster)
If you kept your 51" child in a carseat attached to a latch, they would be relying on the latch points and the carseat harness, rather than the seat belts in the car.

 

[wiigirl]

You should check out the Incognito booster. It's perfect for your son.

http://carseatblog.com/23450/safety-1st-incognito-kid-positioning-seat-preview/

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

My dd in 7th grade is 65 pounds. I was strict with her older brother and sister, but I couldn't do it to her (they were out of boosters at 8/10, after reaching the proper height).

If they didn't have the age thing in place, poor Mary Lou Retton would still be in a booster seat. At 45 years old, the former Olympic gymnast stands at only 4'8". Can you imagine?

 

[Plannin'Shannon]

If they didn't have the age thing in place, poor Mary Lou Retton would still be in a booster seat. At 45 years old, the former Olympic gymnast stands at only 4'8". Can you imagine?

My mother is 4'8". Every time I hear the booster seat PSA on the radio, I chuckle a little.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I expect that the recommendation on keeping kids in the full 5-point harness until they are 5 will be changing. There are more and more cases of kids suffering severe head and neck injuries such as internal decapitation because in a five point harness the head and neck take the whole impact. That's why race car drivers wear a device that keeps their heads from snapping forward.

 

[DLgal]

You should check out the Incognito booster. It's perfect for your son.

http://carseatblog.com/23450/safety-1st-incognito-kid-positioning-seat-preview/

That is very similar to the one we already have. He is happy with it and it actually attaches to the car with LATCH anchors so it won't become a projectile when he is not sitting in it. Our other son is almost 8 and 50". He is in a Clek Olli booster that he LOVES. No need to purchase any more seats!

 

[DLgal]

There is a huge difference between boosters and carseats. Which is actually the point - using a booster you are using the seatbelts integrated into the car, and your child is safe because they fit them correctly (with the help of the booster)
If you kept your 51" child in a carseat attached to a latch, they would be relying on the latch points and the carseat harness, rather than the seat belts in the car.

I actually do still have a car seat that could accommodate him. The Radian 80 seat can hold him until he reaches 80lbs. When he was about 5, we undid the LATCH attachment, took off the safe stop tether and installed the car seat using the vehicle shoulder belt, as directed in the manual as well as our vehicle manual. I actually read manuals. It's kind of an obsession I have.

In any event, if I felt like it, I could put that car seat back in and put my 9 year old in it, and he would be perfectly safe.

 

[DLgal]

I expect that the recommendation on keeping kids in the full 5-point harness until they are 5 will be changing. There are more and more cases of kids suffering severe head and neck injuries such as internal decapitation because in a five point harness the head and neck take the whole impact. That's why race car drivers wear a device that keeps their heads from snapping forward.

Why would a shoulder belt be any less likely to cause internal decapitation? The 5 point harness, when sufficiently SNUG (this is where most adults mess up) will prevent whiplash and neck injuries far better than just a shoulder belt, particularly when you are talking about a young child who is not always sitting in the ideal, upright position.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Why would a shoulder belt be any less likely to cause internal decapitation? The 5 point harness, when sufficiently SNUG (this is where most adults mess up) will prevent whiplash and neck injuries far better than just a shoulder belt, particularly when you are talking about a young child who is not always sitting in the ideal, upright position.

Your torso can move more in the shoulder belt, absorbing some of the impact. In a snug 5-point your torso is entirely immobile so your head is the only part that can move forward. It's is still the safest option for babies, and even 3-4 year old who can't be guaranteed to sit properly. But these older kids whose parents think they are keeping them safer by keeping them in the 5-point aren't.

It's another one of those recommendations that is likely to change, and the technology will change with it. Keep an eye on auto racing. A lot of the safety measures we have today started in race cars.