Picking the Right Car Seat for Your Toddler
Get the latest Flash player
Keeping Your Toddler Safe in the Car
Picking the Right Car Seat for Your Toddler
Understanding the Features of Vehicles Made Before 1996
Understanding Vehicle Features Made Between 1996 and 2002
Understanding the Features of Vehicles Made After 2002
How to Install Your Toddler's Forward Facing Safety Seat
How to Secure Your Toddler in a Car Seat
Common Mistakes When Putting Toddler in Their Car Seats
Dealing With Fussy Children in the Car
One Minute Car Safety Seat Check for Your Child
Additional Car Safety Tips for Your Family
How to Keep Your Family Safe in the Car
Keeping Your Baby Safe in the Car
Keeping Your Toddler Safe in the Car
How to Keep Your Older Child Safe in the Car
How to Improve Gas Mileage
Improving Gas Mileage - Tires
Improving Gas Mileage - Wheel Alignment
Improving Gas Mileage - Clean Air Filter
Improving Gas Mileage - Fuel Injection and Spark Plugs
Improving Gas Mileage - Things to Do While Driving
Improving Gas Mileage When Driving
Improving Gas Mileage - Changing How You Drive
Improving Gas Mileage - Vehicle Maintenance
Improving Gas Mileage - Advance Planning
Improving Gas Mileage - Gas Saving Extras
Improving Gas Mileage - What Determines Gas Prices
SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. the national, non-profit organization dedicated to child passenger safety. Our mission is to help reduce the number of serious and fatal traffic injuries suffered by children by promoting the correct, consistent use of safety seats and safety belts.
Founded in 1980, SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. is nationally recognized for program excellence, training, and up-to-date technical materials. We provide consultation to advocates, parents, business leaders, the media, and professionals working in the fields of health care, traffic safety, and education.
Stephanie M. Tombrello, L.C.S.W., Executive Director of SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A., has been involved in child passenger safety since 1970. While shopping for a car seat for her infant daughter, she was shocked to learn that most of the models available in stores were unsafe. Stephanie and several other early pioneers in the field successfully petitioned the federal government to require crash testing for child restraints. She also wrote the petition which resulted in the federal requirement for manufacturers to provide shoulder belts in the rear seats of all post-1989 passenger vehicles.
In 1980, Stephanie founded a grassroots organization in the Los Angeles area which evolved to become SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. Under her leadership, the organization has become the premier resource for child passenger safety in the nation. Stephanie is a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technician-Instructor and was appointed in 1995 to the National Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Restraint & Vehicle Compatibility.
Picking the Right Car Seat for Your Toddler
Stephanie Tombrello: Hello. I am Stephanie Tombrello, Executive Director of SafetyBeltSafe U.S.
Transcripts
Stephanie Tombrello: Hello. I am Stephanie Tombrello, Executive Director of SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. We are talking about protecting your toddler young child while riding in the car.
Now I am going to talk about selecting the safety seat for a toddler or young child. There is a wide range of safety seats and other safety products that are appropriate for transporting children in this age range. These children vary quite a bit by size and weight, our first choice would be for them to ride rear facing as long as possible. This convertible seat goes to beyond 30 pounds rear facing and up to 65 pounds forward facing, which gives a lot of freedom for a family for use with the child in this category. First, you can use rear facing in a semi-recline position with the straps coming at or below shoulder level. You can adjust these particular seats. Strap level by turning a knob on the side of the top of the seat, so that's your adjustment system. It has of course latch and can be used with a safety belt. This one has a top tether that can be used both rear facing and forward facing so that's a feature that may be useful, particularly for the heavier child who is in the rear facing position. Once the youngster is too heavy for that position and the seat is placed fully upright and is used with the tether. There are also lock offs to hold the safety belt if it doesn't have its own locking system and that's true for the rear facing position as well. The retainer clip is placed between some rubberized materials, which in this case should be left on the seat. They are definitely needed when the seat is forward facing, but you don't want to loose them and there is no reason to take them off. I also would point out that these are nice, short neck protectors. They will interfere with the retainer clip or chest clip, but they will be just at the right place for comfort, for both the infant and the older child. Another choice if the youngster is either older or heavier than 30 to 35 pounds and can no longer ride rear facing is this child seat booster. This particular one, unlike the average one and can be used with the full harness system to 65 pounds. This one has adjustment system for the harness that's based on a locking -- I turned out for locking the back and then you have to move the straps. So you can adjust the height of the seat by holding up on it. However, the straps need to be moved and adjusted to shoulder level for the child and here you use the traditional splitter plate move the straps into higher and higher strap slots.
Some of these seats come with the extra padding for the younger children using the seat, but this can be removed. The adjustment for the harness is again in the front, which is an advantage for the parent who can reach and get a snug fit. Want to make sure of course that the retainer clip is around pit level.
So these are two different types. A convertible seat, rear facing and forward facing and a child seat booster used to 65 pounds with a harness, but after that you can remove the harness and use it as a booster seats. So both of these seats have two different usages, but they cover different kinds of protection for different phases of this toddler young child category.
Next, we are talk about how to make your child safe in a motor vehicle made before 1996.
Baby and Me Yoga
Baby and Me Yoga - Getting Centered
Baby and Me Yoga - Massage
Baby and Me Yoga - Warmup and Tummy Time
Baby and Me Yoga - Kegel Exercises
Baby and Me Yoga - Sun Salutations
Baby and Me Yoga - Tree Pose
Baby and Me Yoga - Ball Exercises
Baby and Me Yoga - Core Strengthening
(Add Comment)