With winter upon us, it’s tempting to use a fleecy car-seat cover to keep your wee one warm. I found one to be a great alternative to bundling my son into a snowsuit every time we went for a drive. The South Jersey Traffic Safety Alliance has issued a statement, however, warning people to be careful when using car-seat covers:
Adding material under the child or between the child and the safety belt system of the car seat can cause slack in the belt system, possibly allowing the child to be injured or ejected in a crash.
In light of this fact, SJTSA encourages parents to read the car seat manual to determine what, if any, items may be used with the car seat.
Alternatives to the sleeping bag style of warmer are fleece with elastic edges that fit over the seat once the child is buckled in. These do not interfere with the safety features of the child safety seat.
SJTSA also recommends dressing the baby in three to four thin, tight layers instead of a bulky coat.
In related news, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that despite the requirement for all cars built since 2002 to have the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system for installing car seats, 40 percent of parents still use seat belts to install the seat. Many who do use the LATCH system don’t realize there are also important tethers that should be used along with the lower anchors. NHTSA will be meeting with “auto manufacturers, car seat manufacturers, retailers and consumer activists to discuss ways of making the system more efficient.”
In the meantime, read or reread your car-seat manual or find a certified person to help you install or adjust it.
I checked that website and, at least in my area, it lists public safety officers and other highly qualified persons, but parents should know that they can also go to their dealership’s service department for assistance with properly fitting a child seat, or booster seat. This may be a more convenient option for some people. In interest of full disclosure, I should share that I work for Ford (but do not speak for Ford), and GM and Chrysler also participate actively with the National Safe Kids Campaign (http://www.safekids.org/). Many dealerships coordinate child seat clinics during Child Passenger Safety Week, which takes place every year during the week of Valentine’s Day, and other times throughout the year. I do not know what the foreign automakers do (I imagine they must do something), but Ford family (Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Jaguar, Volvo, and Aston Martin) dealers will gladly help you with our products, and most will even help you with competitor products. All dealers are independently owned, and thus set their own policies, but Ford supports them with education and training materials to support their ability to assist parents meet their safety needs. For overseas readers, we even sell and install seats developed in collaboration with Britax at the european Ford and Volvo dealerships.
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