Is your child in the right car seat? Some words from an expert...

(and that expert is not me :)

Last month a friend of mine posted a photo of her son on Facebook that shocked me. Her son, who had just turned 3 in April was asleep in the car, totally slouched over into the center of the back seat of the car. I immediately commented on the photo, asking why he wasn't strapped into his carseat. She responded that she had recently moved him to a booster so he was "strapped in." Because I am Judgy McJudgerson (of the South Florida McJudgersons) I immediately had all sorts of thoughts in my head...

He is too young!
How is that safe?
What the hell is she thinking?
This can't be legal!
I need to do something!

And then I started hearing about other friends with kids the same age as M, or older kids who are the same size as M (as she is as tall, if not taller than her boy friends who are 4), putting their kids in booster seats (some without backs) too. Should I be looking at a booster seat for M? Is she ready for one? Has she outgrown her current Britax (Boulevard) carseat? Is it safe to put someone so young in just the standard car seatbelt?

And then, as if the universe heard my questions, I was contacted by someone asking if I would like to talk to an expert at Isis Parenting to discuss Car Seat Safety. Hell yes I would. And so I was put in touch with Teresa Stewart, the Safety & Wellness Program Manager at Isis Parenting (see her bio at the
bottom of this post).

I told her about the photo I saw of my friend's son and she said told me that, "most state laws require children to be in a forward facing car seat/five-point harness system until at least the age of four. It's also what's recommended by the AAP. Four is the earliest I'd recommend moving to a booster seat; but only if the child has outgrown the car seat."

The Diono Radian RXT in action

Teresa explained to me that I should be keeping my girls in a 5-point belt car seat for as long as I possibly can as it has proven to be the utmost safest way for your child to travel in the car.

She confirmed the fact that M has actually outgrown her current car seat, as the top of her head has well passed the top of the car seat. I was under the impression (from the Britax Boulevard manual) that she could still be in this car seat until the top of her ears were at the top of the back of the car seat, but I was mistaken. Since M is still not yet 4 years of age, I immediately purchased her a Diono Radian RXT (just like her sister has) as the Radian RXT can be used forward facing, with the 5 point strap until she is 80 pounds (which at this point might be when she is 20). Also, the Radian can be used as a booster, with the car's seatbelt up to 110 pounds!

I was curious as to what car seat my Facebook friends/followers currently have their children in, and when I reached out to them I was utterly shocked by how many people still have their kids in a 5-point harness at the age of 6. One of my friends questioned why she would make her child "less safe" by putting them in a booster when she can keep her in a 5-point harness. And I asked myself that same question.

The answer of course is, I wouldn't.

So the lesson we learn today is this: Purchase a 5-point harness car seat that has a very high weight and height limit and keep your children in a 5-point safety strap car seat as long as you possibly can (no earlier than 4 years of age, says our expert).

If you are curious as to what model car seats have a higher height and weight limit, here are some links:
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Comparison Chart
- Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 (a popular one amongst my readers and friends)
- Diono Radian RXT (what I have my two girls in)

Here are some links that Teresa shared with me that I thought might interest you: 

http://blog.isisparenting.com/booster-seats-save-lives/

http://blog.isisparenting.com/forward-or-rear-facing-car-seat-or-booster-expert-advice-to-keep-your-child-safe/

Also, here's a great article that was in the "Pediatrics" journal a year ago. Teresa saw Dr. Lee give a presentation on her study at a MassPinn (Massachusetts Prevents Injuries Now Network) and her work is compelling:  http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/6/996

About Teresa Stewart, MS, MPH

Teresa holds a MS in Child Development from Wheelock College and an MPH in Maternal and Child Health from Boston University School of Public Health. She is certified by the American Heart Association as a CPR and First Aid instructor. Teresa is a member of the Safe Kids Boston Coalition and MassPinn (Massachusetts Prevents Injuries Now Network).  She combines those areas of expertise to help parents understand why our children do the mysterious things they do and how to keep them healthy and safe. Teresa also supports parents around sleep through her work as an Isis Sleep Consultant. Teresa is the mother of a daughter and toddler son and understands the joys and challenges of parenting.

My Little Monkey

As I have mentioned before, M has been a little late with all of her physical developments. Well, not all, but the whole being mobile thing (she never crawled, but scooted, and then didn't walk until 19 months) was a little delayed. So it wasn't until last month that she started to actually climb things, or as we like to call it "climby."

And this girl has not met an object that she doesn't like to "climby."

We started with the stairs. Now, our stairs are very steep hardwood stairs. I started letting her climb up the stairs on hands and feet, and she soon mastered that. Then we started standing while holding onto the spindles, which she now has down. She loves to "climby" the stairs so much she will put up a fight if you try to carry her up most times.

So, like the good parents we are, we have a gate at the bottom to stop her and the pooch from going upstairs. Sometimes that gate doesn't get shut all the way, be it due to me having too much in my hands, or from laziness. The other day I left M in the kitchen, and went into my studio to grab a few things to wrap a present. Now the studio is right off the kitchen. I didn't think anything of it, and just left her alone. I was gone for probably two minutes tops, and when I come out I hear "Hi Mama!" coming from above my head on the catwalk.

Lo and behold my little monkey climby-ed the stairs all by herself and made it up to the second floor landing and was standing there with her head poking between the spindles with this giant grin on her face. My heart went into my crotch. I ran as fast as I could up the stairs, and caught her just in time as she said "Mama, climby down now!" and started to sit on her butt to climb down the stairs. So big note to self - make sure the gate is closed at the bottom of the stairs always.

But now, even with the gate closed, she manages to find another way to climby the stairs. She learned today how to climb the outside of the stairs - as in the other side of the railing!! I caught her about three stairs up smiling at me saying "Climby stairs Mama!" How do I stop this from happening? Besides keeping an eye on her every second of the day, which I guess is what you are supposed to do right? HA!

I bought her a new big girl bed (no she isn't sleeping it it, we just lay in it during the day sometimes and sing songs - money well spent!) that has a scrolly pewter headboard and foot board. Well already she likes to stand on the bed and climby the headboard! I foresee many sleepless nights in our future.

She tried to climb the glass shelves next to the tv today too.

I take her to playgrounds and she doesn't want to climb up the normal things you are supposed to climb up, she just wants to climb up the slide.

I am afraid she is going to seriously hurt herself at some point...or being hanging from the rafters...monkey madness!! How do I control this?

My Little Escape Artist

Marlo on the monitor
another night - out of sleep
sack and half out of pjs

The other morning I was awakened by my husband around 6:00 AM, with a tap on my shoulder. "Honey, you have to look at this." In his hand he held toward me the video monitor and on it was a site to be hold. Dear sweet M was lying there naked, with just her helmet on. She had managed to zip herself out of her sleep sack (gunamuna!), unzip and completely remove her one-piece pajamas and then un-velcro her diaper. Ah, my little escape artist.

As of late she has been obsessed with any sort of fasteners and how they work. I now have to think more about what I put her because anything with a zipper stays on for about 2 seconds. She will immediately unzip whatever it is and take it halfway off. Then attempt to put it back on and zip it up for the next 10 minutes.

Overalls? One morning when were putting away laundry she sat there with her overalls in her lap and quietly for five minutes actually figured out how the fasteners work. I could see the steam coming out her ears as she held the two pieces in her hands and finally got them to go together. Now when I put them on her she just wants to get them off so she can fasten them again.

She has also actually figured out how to undo the chest buckle on her car seat, which is the same plastic prong fastener that can be found on many things in our house, including the dogs collar, which has become a favorite as of late. She also loves to help me do the fasteners on the strollers, and will then try her hardest to get out of them (she has not mastered this thankfully yet).

I spoke in an earlier post about shoes - she loves loves loves the velcro on her shoes, and loves taking them off to try and put them back on now too.

It seems to be anything that is holding her down, or covering her up, she needs to figure out how to get out of now. I have visions of her 15 year old self sneaking out of her window at night to meet up with a boy already. Hopefully then she will keep her clothes on!! :)