Keep you pre-schooler in a 5 point harness carseat!

[Serap]

Very good posts, EEgirl and happymommy. I have a story to add to that:

My first pregnancy was a model pregnancy. Ideal prenatal care, no risks, no complications, perfect ultrasound, good health for mother and baby. We took Lamaze classes. We delivered in one of the top teaching hospitals in the nation, with the head of Obstetrics and Gynecology as our doctor. We had fetal monitoring, through the whole thing.

Many parents agree this is the safest scenario for having a baby. I certainly thought so. However…

My daughter, while monitored and delivered by supposedly one of the best and most qualified physicians there are, was born severely brain injured due to loss of oxygen and circulation. Complications toward the end of labor. Forceps delivery. She is now seven years old, drinking from a bottle, wearing diapers, drools constantly, cannot use her hands, and will be dependent upon us for the rest of her life.

The very best precautions do not equal no bad things happening to our kids. We entrust them to their guardian angels, we pray for them, and we take the best reasonable precautions. Whatever happens then is in God’s hands.

Peace of Christ,

Mary

I am so so sorry to hear about this!!! You’re absolutely right…we could all live in a bubble.

 

[sanctareparata]

I don’t like the Nautilus too much b/c it’s not re-inforced with steal the way the Frontier.

The Nautilus is steel reinforced.

 

[Serap]

I saw humor in your post b/c you said you were a “happy mommy”

We didn’t go with a Honda Oddessey. My husband didn’t want to fork out the dough. It’s a great vehicle…safest mini-van in the market.

 

[surfinpure]

I am so so sorry to hear about this!!! You’re absolutely right…we could all live in a bubble.

Thank you. I suppose that as a result I’m ironically less disposed to take every possible precaution now. I do, however, try to do all that I reasonably can to keep the kids safe. And I leave the rest up to God, or else I’d never get any sleep at night!

 

[sanctareparata]

I just don’t see that. What I do see is that the test car doesn’t have working seatbelts. If the belt had worked properly, it wouldn’t have given the way it did. The belts in my Dodge minivan always lock up if you so much as pull on them too quickly. Meaning, my 5- and 7-year-old would be locked into place the way that 5-point kid was (who, by the way, is incredibly hard to see in the video).

So again, IMHO, this is a false test. Anybody have a video of a kid in a Dodge?

Seat belts stretch in accidents, up to as much as 17%. That’s why they must be replaced after an accident.

A car seat would stretch that much, too, which is why it’s so important to make sure car seats are installed with less than one inch of movement at the belt path…any more they will crash into things in an accident once the belts stretch.

 

[Serap]

Thank you. I suppose that as a result I’m ironically less disposed to take every possible precaution now. I do, however, try to do all that I reasonably can to keep the kids safe. And I leave the rest up to God, or else I’d never get any sleep at night!

We all draw from our own personal experiences when giving our opinions. It’s very sad that you experienced what you did. I can only imagine what that must have been like.

Having my children under the best of circumstances proved to be very challenging. :hug1:

 

[Serap]

Seat belts stretch in accidents, up to as much as 17%. That’s why they must be replaced after an accident.

A car seat would stretch that much, too, which is why it’s so important to make sure car seats are installed with less than one inch of movement at the belt path…any more they will crash into things in an accident once the belts stretch.

You are so knowledgable!!! You are an amazing addition to this thread. I am learning so much from you!!!

 

[sanctareparata]

Last comment…

For a child who can sit properly in a booster, and who can achieve the proper fit of the belt in a booster, there is no proof that a harnessed seat would be safer. FWIW, in Sweden, a country with some of the best crash data statistics, children rear face to ages 4 or 5 and then go directly into boosters.

So long as the seatbelt crosses the child’s collarbone without cutting into the neck or being too close to the edge of the shoulders, AND so long as the lap portion of the belt sits snugly across the child’s THIGHS and does not ride up into the belly (soft tissue) area, then a booster is a safe option.

My dd (6) has been in a booster since 5.5, and DS (5) will be in a booster once he learns to sit still and quit slumping while he sleeps.

 

[Serap]

Seat belts stretch in accidents, up to as much as 17%. That’s why they must be replaced after an accident.

A car seat would stretch that much, too, which is why it’s so important to make sure car seats are installed with less than one inch of movement at the belt path…any more they will crash into things in an accident once the belts stretch.

can I please ask you a question.

sometimes my husband allows the 5 point harness to be a little lose. what could happen as a result. he thinks it’s more comfortable and I keep tightening them back up. I always have to check the kids after he’s put them in their carseats.

they say you should only be able to put in one finger right?

as for my son, is he in danger b/c the straps are a bit over his shoulder? he’s RFing.

thanks!

so, I guess I should go with the Fontier eh, since it’s higher in the 5 point harness? I want my DD in it for as long as possible. I can always buy DS one in a couple of years if DD is still not ready for a booster.

 

[Serap]

Last comment…

For a child who can sit properly in a booster, and who can achieve the proper fit of the belt in a booster, there is no proof that a harnessed seat would be safer. FWIW, in Sweden, a country with some of the best crash data statistics, children rear face to ages 4 or 5 and then go directly into boosters.

So long as the seatbelt crosses the child’s collarbone without cutting into the neck or being too close to the edge of the shoulders, AND so long as the lap portion of the belt sits snugly across the child’s THIGHS and does not ride up into the belly (soft tissue) area, then a booster is a safe option.

My dd (6) has been in a booster since 5.5, and DS (5) will be in a booster once he learns to sit still and quit slumping while he sleeps.

HA! You just answered one of my questions. Keep the info coming!!!

 

[sanctareparata]

You are so knowledgable!!! You are an amazing addition to this thread. I am learning so much from you!!!

Aw, thanks!

 

[surfinpure]

So long as the seatbelt crosses the child’s collarbone without cutting into the neck or being too close to the edge of the shoulders, AND so long as the lap portion of the belt sits snugly across the child’s THIGHS and does not ride up into the belly (soft tissue) area, then a booster is a safe option.

I’m confused about the seatbelt across the thighs. Not even my lap belt fits across my thighs. It pretty sure it hugs my hips. I’ll have to check to see what my kids’ belts do. This one really stumps me.

Thanks for all your (name removed by moderator)ut, sancta!

 

[Serap]

I’m confused about the seatbelt across the thighs. Not even my lap belt fits across my thighs. It pretty sure it hugs my hips. I’ll have to check to see what my kids’ belts do. This one really stumps me.

Thanks for all your (name removed by moderator)ut, sancta!

here we all were gettin’ all pumped up with eachother about our kids…and then Sancta walks in remains neutral and mature and starts correcting our information with valid info.

 

[sanctareparata]

can I please ask you a question.

sometimes my husband allows the 5 point harness to be a little lose. what could happen as a result. he thinks it’s more comfortable and I keep tightening them back up. I always have to check the kids after he’s put them in their carseats.

The benefit of having the harnesses tight is so the child’s body is “anchored” to the car seat, which in turn is anchored to the car, and the seat helps the child ride down the crash forces better, over the child’s body.

Considering that the harness will stretch, if it’s too loose it can cause the child to undergo something like a “second” collision, in which the body slams into the harness. And of course, worse case scenario would be the child could be ejected.

Keep in mind that the chest clip does NOT help hold a child in. It is merely a pre-crash positioner, and is designed to break in an accident (one of the reasons you want it on the bony breastbone and not over the stomach and soft tissue areas where it could damage them).

So if there’s slack in the harness, what might not appear to look like a lot might actually be a lot more once the chest clip is out of the picture.

they say you should only be able to put in one finger right?

A better rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t be able to pinch a horiztonal fold in the harness.

as for my son, is he in danger b/c the straps are a bit over his shoulder? he’s RFing.

A tiny bit, probably not, but I would move them down anyway. The reason is because, for a rear facing child, the body will ramp up in the seat if the harnesses aren’t low enough to hold them down. This can create a tug on the spine since the thighs are strapped down but the rest of the body is allowed to fly up. Make sense?

 

[surfinpure]

here we all were gettin’ all pumped up with eachother about our kids…and then Sancta walks in remains neutral and mature and starts correcting our information with valid info.

LOL!

 

[Serap]

The benefit of having the harnesses tight is so the child’s body is “anchored” to the car seat, which in turn is anchored to the car, and the seat helps the child ride down the crash forces better, over the child’s body.

Considering that the harness will stretch, if it’s too loose it can cause the child to undergo something like a “second” collision, in which the body slams into the harness. And of course, worse case scenario would be the child could be ejected.

Keep in mind that the chest clip does NOT help hold a child in. It is merely a pre-crash positioner, and is designed to break in an accident (one of the reasons you want it on the bony breastbone and not over the stomach and soft tissue areas where it could damage them).

I didn’t know this!!

So if there’s slack in the harness, what might not appear to look like a lot might actually be a lot more once the chest clip is out of the picture.



A better rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t be able to pinch a horiztonal fold in the harness.



A tiny bit, probably not, but I would move them down anyway. The reason is because, for a rear facing child, the body will ramp up in the seat if the harnesses aren’t low enough to hold them down. This can create a tug on the spine since the thighs are strapped down but the rest of the body is allowed to fly up. Make sense?

Moderator, cover your ears…

HOLY ****!!!

This is very good information you are sharing!!! Thanks so much.

 

[sanctareparata]

I’m confused about the seatbelt across the thighs. Not even my lap belt fits across my thighs. It pretty sure it hugs my hips. I’ll have to check to see what my kids’ belts do. This one really stumps me.

Thanks for all your (name removed by moderator)ut, sancta!

Hips, top of thighs, same thing.

Kids don’t have protruding bony hips, which is what booster seats create (artificial hips ) along with making sure the belt crosses the right areas.

Here is the side by side comparison of proper lap belt positioning. Adult belts should fit this way, too. Unfortunately, lots of car manufacturers seem to think only tall people drive.

 

[pnewton]

I don’t understand why parents fail to see the importance of maximizing their child’s safety Am I missing something here?

There is not always agreement on what is safest. For me, I was glad to transition to a front seat booster this year (kindergarten) as I always was uncomfortable with the idea of having to turn around and looking in the rear mirror to keep a check on a child. I believe that safety begins at avoiding accidents and then goes to surviving them. I also do not drive with a cell phone on, hands free or not, when I have my son. This not only makes accidents less likely now, but teaches by example the importance of paying intense attention to driving.

 

[Serap]

There is not always agreement on what is safest. For me, I was glad to transition to a front seat booster this year (kindergarten) as I always was uncomfortable with the idea of having to turn around and looking in the rear mirror to keep a check on a child. I believe that safety begins at avoiding accidents and then goes to surviving them. I also do not drive with a cell phone on, hands free or not, when I have my son. This not only makes accidents less likely now, but teaches by example the importance of paying intense attention to driving.

I just see it differently and perhaps I’m too black and white on this subject. I just know for me, that my kids would definitely not be allowed in the front seat until age 12. Those airbags are pretty powerful and can kill a kindergarten aged child if the child is not positioned high enough by the booster.

 

[StJudePray4Me]

Just popping in to point out, if your older child has a seat like the one linked to in this thread…it is important to take the 5 point harness off and use the seat belt according to the weight indicated in the manufacturers.

The seat linked to says it’s apprpriate up to 100+ pounds, but notice it says to use the harness to 65 pounds., then the car,s seatbelt after that.

If your child is heavier, the harness will not hold them properly in a crash.