Sunday, May 15, 2005

Car Seat Sharing Safety

Car Seat Sharing Safety
Can I pass my child's car seat on to a friend?
By Kay Green, www.MyPreciousKid.com
Copyright 2005

Your daughter has outgrown her car seat. What can you do with it? A friend is in need of a car seat. Can you safely pass it along? What things should you look for? How can I make sure it is safe to pass along my seat.

"Always ask if it has ever been in a car when there was an accident (sudden force can damage the plastic even though it is not noticeable to the naked eye) and is it less than 6 years old. The plastic does deteriorate over time, and 6 years is the longest you can use a car seat. We had car seats for my oldest granddaughter, who would have been 7 last Sept., and we couldn't use them for the newest baby because they were too old." Says Anita of http://www.blessedenterprises.org/

"If the car seat was made in the last 7-8 years, there should be an expiration date on it. My daughter will be 6 in May, and her car seat expires in October of 2005. That was the date imprinted on the car seat." says Cris of http://phoenixcandlelites.com/cimfundraiser.htm

THE TEST - These are both valid points. Before passing on a car seat I like to do the following:1. Be certain the seat was never in a car accident2. Check the age of the seat3. Check with the seat manufacturer for recalls4. Check for any breakage or tearingIf the car seat is free from accident, recalls, and breakage and the seat belts are strong then you can pass the car seat onto a friend. If your seat does not pass the test then please do not pass the car seat along.

RIGHT SIZE - Be sure your child is in the RIGHT size car seat. Every car seat comes with weight and height requirements for that seat. Please follow them. I have often seen children riding in car seats clearly not the right size for them. I saw a 15 month old child in an infant carrier car seat. The mother insisted that because he was under 20 pounds she could not move him to a front facing. She was right. BUT what he needed was a rear facing convertible car seat made for a child of his height and weight. His head was all the way to the top of the car seat. It needed to be no less than one inch from the top of the seat.

IN AN ACCIDENT - If you own a car seat that is ever in a car accident please mark the plastic of the frame with a permanent marker "IN ACCIDENT - DESTROY" then break it down and put it in the garbage. Your own car insurance will almost always pay for a replacement car seat after a car accident. Call them to request this. Do not risk putting your child in a car seat that could have underlying damage that puts your child at risk.

CAR SEAT ID CARD - Always have an car seat ID card attached to your child's car seat. This card should have your child's name, age, weight, height, medical info, 5 contact numbers for family members and a medical release signature. This card can make the difference in getting quick care or finding a family member to come get your child in an accident where you can not care for your child.We as moms love to share our baby items with friends. With car seats it is very important that we carefully look at all the criteria before passing along car seats to be certain the child we want to share with is safe as well.

Get yours at http://www.mypreciouskid.com/car-seat-ID-card-kit.html or use the Luggage Tag ID card on Booster Seats. Get 10% off your first order with voucher #112054422

Car Seat Safety Guide. Find out what the weight and height limits are for the car seat you own or are considering buying.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

another tip is to check with the State Child Restraint Requirement before choosing the car seat.

jacob said...

Hello
Thank you for share informative post.