Did you know that 73 percent of all child restraints are not used properly? Did you know that car crashes are the number one killer of children in the United States?

Well you do now! This week is Child Passenger Safety Week, and from now through Friday, Twiniversity has teamed up with Britax bringing you information that will ensure your twinnies are the safest passengers around.

The CDC’s #1 piece of advice is, “Know The Stages.” (see below)

  • UNTIL AGE 1/20 LBS – For the best possible protection keep infants in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible up to the height or weight limit of their particular seat. At a minimum, keep infants rear-facing until at least age 1 year and at least 20 pounds.

  • UNTIL AGE 4/40 LBS – When children outgrow their rear-facing seats (at least age 1 year and at least 20 pounds) they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds).
  • UNTIL AGE 8 OR 4’9″ TALL – Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds), they should ride in booster seats, in the back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit properly. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest (usually at age 8 or when the children are 4’9″ tall).

 

  • AFTER AGE 8 OR 4’9″ TALL – When children outgrow their booster seats (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9″ tall), they can use the adult seat belts in the back seat, if they fit properly (lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest).
Still not sure which seat is best for your child? Check out Britax’s “Fit My Child” Car Seat Calculator.

To acknowledge this very special week, we have partnered with Britax, the leaders in children’s passenger safety, to bring you not only information, but a prize incentive for knowing your stuff!

From now through Friday, we will be giving away several of Britax’s award winning seats to the families who know all about their child’s passenger safety.

Today, we have two BRITAX infant car seats to give away to one lucky family. These seats can be used rear facing only from 4 to 30 pounds, and are compatible with the BRITAX CHAPERONE and B-READY strollers and other major brands with the BRITAX adapter strap. You can choose either the B-
Safe or the Chaperone in your color choice.

These seats have received world wide recognition for their strides towards safety and comfort. Also, being that are some of the only seats on the market that can hold a child from 4lbs up, it’s been a clear choice of twin moms since it came off the production line.

 

 

 

Today we proudly give away TWO infant car seats for your twinnies to the family that can tell us:

“When should your children be able to sit in the front seat of your car?”

Please reply to this POST below with your answer. One winner will be randomly chosen on Saturday.

We will announce the winners on Monday, but please note, all potential winners MUST be a member of Twiniversity; have a valid EMAIL address on file; and HAVE multiples living in their home, right now. Unfortunately, there is no separate prize for Gold Members this week.

 

ALERT: ALERT: ALERT: ALERT: ALERT: ALERT: ALERT

After posting this I got a very concerned email from The Car Seat Lady, who is a long time friend, colleague and Twiniversity fan.  So of course I opened it immediately…she is The Car Seat Lady of course!

Here were her bits of wisdom:

– Kids should ride rear-facing until a minimum of 2 years of age – and ideally even longer (per the latest recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and also NHTSA)  Please see this tip sheet I created for more info – along with a reference list which includes the full text to the medical journal articles on this topic.
– Kids should ride in a 5 point harness as long as possible – well beyond 4/40 if possible (especially since you have teamed up with Britax – whose Frontier 85 accommodates most 8 year olds in a harness!)
– Kids should ride in boosters until they pass the 5 step test.  Studies show that 50% of kids still need boosters at the age of 10 (and 4’9″ is irrelevant – it all depends on how the child fits the car and how the child is proportioned).  The reason our 4-10 year olds get hurt and killed the most in car crashes is that they are riding in seat belts which are not an appropriate restraint for them (they need boosters to help the seat belt work properly).
PLUS she gave us this great five step test to see if your kiddos are ready for a standard seat:

The 5-Step Test ©SafetyBeltSafe USA

  1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
  2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
  3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
  4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
  5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

If you answer  “no” to any of these questions, your child STILL needs a booster seat to make both the shoulder belt and the lap belt fit right and to keep them safest.

She also pointed us in the direction of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s site which you should check out.

Thanks for following along today, and thank you Alisa for setting us straight!

Congratulations!!! The winner of the first installment from our Britax giveaway is, Tara Telford, of Elk Grove, CA!!! Tara will receive her choice/color of two car seats, from either the B-Safe or Chaperone Britax collections.