I will admit, I'm a by the book kind of girl. Rules are there for a reason, especially safety one's and it's better to be safe than sorry.
Greenie was rear facing until 18months old just because it's safer. He was only just this year moved from his convertible rear/forward facing restraint, to a forward facing restraint. Bluey is still in a forward facing restraint and will be until he is seven. I will probably then move him to a booster using the seat belt.
Neither have ridden 'shotgun' except the couple of times Bluey has travelled in the pick up truck.
I believe children should remain in a child restraint for as long as physically possible. I wouldn't hesitate to put my children in a bubble if I understood just how going to the bathroom would work in those things and I was assured it didn't mean me having to clean anything out...
Purchasing a child restraint is one of those things that you have to do, and when our car was stolen, child seats and all in 2009, we needed to get new seats quickly, and cost effectively. Those things are anything but cheap!
My first stop was Big W, where we found exactly what we were after within our budget for both kids, a six month old baby, and a three year old.
There was no fuss and we were able to get in and out before losing a child or the other one crying in protest of how boring shopping for car seats was and that what daddy really wanted to spend the money on was a trip to the day spa for mummy.
Hey, this is my story, and I can tell it how I recall it. So what if that's not what Mr Black was really thinking?
Please take a moment to watch this video from NRMA Insurance:
How long does your family spend on average in the car?
Think about it, between the school drop off and pick up, after school activities, visits with friends and family, the quick trips to the shops to pick up a couple of things for dinner. It adds up.
Does your toddler complain about being restrained and pull her arms out flailing them about? We're almost there you tell yourself and you leave her to be happy with her free arms.
Does the five year old just jump in the front because you're only going five minutes down the road and can't be bothered with the fight to get them in the back. Besides, you're only going around the corner.
Did you know that 52% of car accidents happen within 8km's of your house?
That's not very far.
That's the bulk of where you travel, daily, the same route's over and over.
And that 60% of children are incorrectly restrained?
Children must be restrained up to seven years of age, by law, with hefty fines to the driver if they are not. The right restraint for your child isn't just based on their age, but more importantly their weight and size.
A child who is properly secured in an approved child restraint is less likely to be injured or killed in a car crash than one who is not.
To be perfectly transparent the national child restraint laws state:
- Children younger than six months must be secured in a rearward facing restraint.
- Children aged six months to under four years must be secured in either a rear or forward facing restraint.
- Children aged four years to under seven years must be secured in forward facing child restraint or booster seat.
- Children younger than four years cannot travel in the front seat of a vehicle with two or more rows.
- Children aged four years to under seven years cannot travel in the front seat of a vehicle with two or more rows, unless all other back seats are occupied by children younger than seven years in a child restraint or booster seat.
Understanding just when to move a child on to the next type of restraint can be pretty confusing. We are all aware at how differently children grow and develop, so age should only be used as a rough guideline and more importantly you should refer to the manufacturer's instructions regarding weight and height, as well as looking for these indicators:
- Their shoulders no longer fit comfortably within the restraint; or
- Their eye-level is higher than the back of the restraint; or
- The top insertion slots for the shoulder straps are below the level of the child’s shoulders.
That stuff is seriously helpful right? I can see you right now thinking about how your child looks in their seat and thinking we need a new car seat (go, get one here, it's so easy).
Now can someone please tell me how a kid poops in the bubble so I can go and purchase two?
My only complaint is with the rear facing thing. In my car the seat could not be adjusted to keep my sons head from bobing onto his chest. That could not be safe, but I did it anyway cause that was the law. In retrospect I think I was stupid as
ReplyDelete1. I know it was less safe for my son to have his head floping to his chest.
2. I have been in three accidents in my life over 40 years of driving. All were my being hit from the rear! The rear facing seats are more dangerous to the child if you are rear ended!
My son is now 14 so I no longer care, but it just bugs me that we have some laws based on I think false logic by probably non-parents.
Cranky Old Man
With respect if this was 14 years ago you need to be aware how much car seats have changed since then. I have noticed that some sit a baby up higher, I have also noticed that when a carseat is installed incorrectly it will do this. Most have a lay back latch for when they're in the rear facing mode, because you're right, if they're sitting up too high when rear facing it would not be very safe.
ReplyDeleteI also think that weight and height are huge things that need to be considered with car seats. More importantly than age.
Oh yes this is an area that gets me worked right up...I have had "friends" who have put their 2 year old in a booster as "she is more comfortable" and another who put their 4 month old forward facing as "they wanted to be able to see". Thankfully no accidents for them but man it makes me a little mad.
ReplyDeleteI'm always horrified when I see parents with a child on their lap in the FRONT SEAT OF THE CAR! It blows my mind that people still do this. And I don't care if they come from countries that don't have child restraint laws. It's so completely irresponsible.
ReplyDelete