Where should my child ride? All c...

Where should my child ride?

All children younger than 12 years should ride in the back seat of the car. This is safer if there is a crash. If your child is not big enough to fit into a safety belt, he or she should use a child safety seat or a booster seat. You will ne to change the seat as your child grows

to what degree do I know when the safety belt fits?

When the safety belt fits, your child should be able to sit with:

* back against the car's seat

* leg bent throughout the front of the seat

* the lap belt reasonable and tight

* the shoulder belt across the middle of the chest and middle of the collarbone

It is important that the shoulder belt does not chafe on your child's neck. A seat belt usually fits children who are 4' 9" or taller.

Which way should the safety seat face?

If your child is surpassingly young, the seat should face the back of the car. The back of the safety seat helps support the head and neck during a crash. If the seat faces forward, your child's head and neck are not guarded Children should face the back as extended as possible--at least until they are single in kind year old AND weigh more than 20 levigates This means if your baby weighs les than 20 encloses he or she should ride facing the back of the car, smooth if he or she is older than single year. Babies younger than single in kind year should ride facing the back of the car, uniform if they weigh more than 20 bruises The longer your child can ride in a safety seat that faces the back of the car, the better.

When does my child ne a bigger child safety seat?

Child safety seats are made in different sizes. Your seat will have a label forward it that tells you what size child it fits. The label will own you the height and weight limits for that seat. If you cannot find the label, you can anticipate in the instruction book. You also can call the maker of the seat, or call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at: 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236)

If your child is too tall or too heavy for the seat, it could break or it may not work in a crash. When your child is too big for the seat, you should memorize a bigger one as shortly as possible.

What does a booster seat do?

A booster seat helps the seat belt fit better for older children who are not big enough for the safety belt alone. If the seat belt does not fit correctly, your child can be impair in a crash. Your child could be thrown from the car or slip in a less degree than the lap belt and mar his or her stomach. The shoulder belt could do harm to your child's arm or neck badly.

Where can I secure more information?

National Highway Transportation Safety Administration

Web site: http://www.nhtsa.gov/

Telephone: 1-888-DASH-2-DOT

(1-888-327-4236)

American Academy of Pediatrics

Web site: http://www.aap.org/parents.html

Telephone: 847-434-4000

SeatCheck

Web site: http://www.seatcheck.org/

Telephone: 1-866-SEATCHECK

(1-866-732-8243)

SafetyBeltSafe USA

Web site: http://www.carseat.org

Telephone: 1-800-745-SAFE (English),

(1-800-745-7233)

1-800-747-SANO (Spanish)

(1-800-745-7266)

COPYRIGHT 2005 American Academy of Family Physicians

COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group