How And When To Use A Car Seat This Summer

6/13/2008
When traveling with an infant or small child this summer, Britax, a leading child seat manufacturer, offers this advice on how and when to use a child seat when traveling by car or airplane.

On the Road Again
Whether they’re riding in the family mini-van, grandma’s car, a bus, or rental car, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants and children who weigh 40 pounds or less be restrained in safety seats.

Experts recommend that travelers use their own child seats whenever possible because the best child seat is one that fits the child, fits the vehicle and is the easiest to install correctly, each and every time. Familiarity with the fit of a child seat and its installation process can bring piece of mind to everyone.

If bringing along the family child seat isn’t possible, most car rental companies offer child seats for an additional cost. Reservations are recommended well in advance because many car rental companies have only a limited number of child seats available.

When traveling by land, Britax offers this advice:
• The safest place for a child is in the back seat of the vehicle, safely secured in a child seat.
• Always use the appropriate child seat for the age, weight and height of the child, and adjust the harnesses correctly for the child every time the seat is used.
• To ensure that a child seat is installed properly:
• Make sure that the child seat moves no more than one inch forward or side to side in the vehicle.
• Adjust the harness so that the straps are threaded through the slots at or below the child’s shoulders on a rear-facing child seat and at or above the child’s shoulders in a forward-facing convertible child seat.
• Check to make sure the harness is comfortable for the child but tight enough that the webbing cannot be pinched between the fingers. A snug strap should not allow any slack and should lie in a relatively straight line without sagging.
• Adjust the chest clip so that it is positioned at the child’s armpit level.

Up, Up and Away
Although U.S. air travel regulations allow infants (24 months and under) to sit on an adult’s lap during travel, the use of an approved child seat is the only way to make sure children under 40 pounds are safe in the event of turbulence or an emergency landing.

Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides the following safety information for air travel with infants or children:
• All children up to 40 pounds should be restrained in a child seat during flight.
• On an aircraft, children under 20 pounds are safest in a rear-facing child seat and children 20 - 40 pounds are safest in a forward-facing child seat.
• Children over 40 pounds should be strapped directly into an airline seat.
• Parents should check to make sure that their child seats meet FAA guidelines by looking for a label that says, “This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft.”
• Parents also should measure their child seats because those wider than 16 inches may not fit in a coach seat on an airplane.
• Child seats are permitted only in window seats.
• Booster seats cannot be used on airplanes during taxing, take-off and landing.
• For a particular airline’s rules and regulations, it’s best to contact the airline directly before traveling with infants or children.