Child Car Seats

Types of Child Car Seats

Styles of child car seats:

• Rear-Facing Infant Seat: from birth to about 1 year (10 kg or 22 lbs)
• Infant/Child Seat in rear-facing position: for heavier babies not yet 1 year
• Forward-Facing Child Seat: from about age 1-4 years (10-18 kg or 22-40 lbs)
• Booster Seat: from about age 4-8 years (18-27 kg or 40-60 lbs)
• Seat Belt: about age 8 (over 27 kg or 60 lbs); use the vehicle rear seat and a seat belt ideally with a shoulder belt

Child seats for special circumstances:

• Premature or low birth weight infants (link)
• Children with physical disabilities or acute medical conditions (link)

Premature or low birth weight infants & special needs infants.

These infants (particularly those with breathing problems) need special protection in vehicles. Recommendations from health care professionals for these infants:

• Generally, child car seats with a shield or arm bar do not fit a small child and should not be used. Infant-only car seats with a 3-point harness system may provide better protection for tiny infants.
• Child car seats should have a crotch-to-seat back distance of less than 13_ cm (5_ in.) and a lower harness strap to seat bottom distance of 25 cm (10 in.) or less.
• The shoulder harness should be routed through the lowest slots, with no more than the width of 2 fingers between the harness straps and the body of the child.
• Child car seat pads or blanket rolls placed outside of the harness may be used to support the infant's body. A small blanket or towel roll may also be placed between the crotch strap and the infant to keep the infant from sliding down in the seat.
• No padding should be used between the child and the seat back or underneath the child.
• If possible, the child car seat can be tilted back with a cloth roll placed beneath the "toe" of the seat at the "crease" of the vehicle seat, but only to a 45-degree angle.
• If there is a chest clip on the harness straps, it should be placed at the infant's armpit level, not under the chin.
• Harness straps must lie flat and be doubled back according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Children with Acute Medical Conditions
Most children hospitalized for medical problems continue to use their regular car seats. However, some conditions require special measures that parents should discuss with their child's doctor. Some children must travel with special medical equipment that should be secured to the floor of the vehicle or under the seat.

Children with Physical Disabilities
Children with physical disabilities may require a special car seat. In Canada, people with special needs have access to one of the widest ranges of support and therapy services, equipment, and medical intervention in the world. Being well informed about the options available is a first step in coping with the special challenges you face in protecting your child in a vehicle. Discuss your child's needs with your doctor. Check with your provincial health and social service authorities. These vary across the country. Or, you may want to contact your local Cerebral Palsy Association. The Association can advise you about what is available in your area.

Safety Regulations
All seats sold in Canada must meet Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) set by Transport Canada. The CMVSS require safe materials, instruction booklets and a National Safety Mark on the seat.

If you have experienced or suspect a problem with your car seat that will affect its safety, contact Transport Canada and ask for a Child Restraint System Complaint Form. Unless Transport Canada indicates they do not need to see it, do not discard the malfunctioning seat or problem piece of hardware.

Selecting the right seat: buy Canadian
All seats sold in Canada must meet Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) set by Transport Canada. This ensures that the movement of a child will be limited in the event of a crash, swerve or sudden stop. A European car seat or a car seat bearing a U.S. Statement of Compliance label should not be used in Canada unless the label indicates that it also meets the applicable Canadian safety standards.

The best child seat to buy is one that: fits your child, your vehicle, and your budget; is easy to install; and is easy to use correctly.

Points to consider before purchase:

• Why rear-facing seats? (link)
• Ease of use (link)
• Fit/Growth room (link)
• Type of harness (link)
• Comfort (link)
• Cleaning instructions (link)
• Compatibility with the vehicle (link)
• Lifestyle (link)

Why Rear-Facing Seats?
The back seat is the safest place for children because it is furthest away from the dashboard, steering wheel and windshield. The centre back seat position is the safest place of all.

It's unsafe for children to travel in the cargo areas of vans or station wagons. Loose objects that could injure the child (or any occupant) on impact are often stored in these areas, and must be tied down. Child car seats must always be buckled in, even when not in use, as they, too, can injure vehicle occupants.

Ease of Use
If you choose a seat that has a complicated harness system, you may be tempted to skip an important step when you're in a rush.

Fit/Growth Room

• The seat you choose must fit the child and should have adequate room for growth. With combination seats, you should be able to get a good fit of the harness straps from birth until the child is approximately 18 kg (40 lb.) With booster cushions that have abdominal shields, you should be able to snug the padded shield up against the child's body.
• A newborn may look rather small and lost in a convertible seat. Blankets or towels rolled and placed down either side on the outside of the harness system will help support the baby. A convertible seat may be less convenient to use outside the car, especially if you're loaded down with a diaper bag and other baby items.
• An infant's head should not be obscured behind an arm bar or T-shield.
• Child car seats for very small, or premature infants must be chosen carefully. If the shoulder straps are too high, they may cross the infant's ears and fit loosely across the body.
• A car seat with a seat back to crotch strap distance of 14 cm (5 _ in.) or less provides relatively good support for small infants.

Type of Harness
All harness systems are designed to prevent forward movement and to distribute the collision forces across a child's body. Therefore, one is not necessarily better than another. Four types of harness systems are available:

• Five-Point Harness: straps are placed over the strongest bony parts of a child's body. Two straps go over the shoulders, two across the hips, and one between the legs. These are joined with a buckle.
• Arm Bar and Harness Combination: places the two lap belts with shoulder straps that feed into the arm bar. Some arm bars swing over the child's head, others open to the sides for easier access.
• Abdominal Shield & Harness Combination: similar to the arm bar configuration except that the shield lies directly against the child's body.
• Retractable Harnesses: automatically winds up the shoulder straps to fit snugly. With this system, there's never a need to adjust the length of the straps.

Regardless of what type of harness system you choose, it must fit snugly, with no more than a width of two fingers between the child's collarbone and the shoulder straps. On all but the retractable harness models, the strap length will need to be adjusted by you as the child grows, and whenever switches are made from heavy to light weight clothing. Therefore, the straps should be easy to adjust and ideally, be accessible once the seat is installed in the vehicle.

If you choose a model that has an arm bar, check the width between the seat back and the bar. Ensure the space will accommodate a toddler in a snowsuit. Check for harness adjustment slots that can be adjusted to the child's height.

Comfort
Choose a seat that will be comfortable for your child on a long trip. You may want to consider a seat with winged sides that support the child's head when sleeping. The padded arm bar on some seats can be used as a small play surface. Seats without the arm bar allow a greater degree of arm movement. Many seats have reclining positions designed for use outside the vehicle. Check the manufacturer's instructions for further information.

Cleaning Instructions
Child car seats are covered with different materials. Consider how easy the covering will be to clean, and if it can be removed for cleaning. Remember, car seats may get covered with spills, cookie crumbs and sticky finger marks.

Vinyl coverings are easiest to clean but may become very hot in the summer. A blanket should be placed over these seats when not in use.

Compatibility with the Vehicle

• Does your vehicle seat belt fit through or around the car seat in the manner recommended by the manufacturer? Some vehicle seat belts have a large buckle that cannot be threaded through child car seat models with a narrow channel for seat belts. Other vehicle seat belts are not long enough to route around a wide-based child car seat.
• Is at least 85% of the seat base supported by the vehicle seat? Some vehicle models have a very narrow seat that is not compatible with a wide-based child car seat.
• If you choose a car seat model that has a swing-over arm bar, check for adequate overhead clearance with the vehicle's roof.
• Consult your Vehicle Owner's Manual for information about the use of child car seats with your particular vehicle. Information may also be found on a label sewn onto the seat belt that is visible when the belt is fully extended.
• If the seat belt in your vehicle is a "continuous loop" system which permits the latch plate to slide along the webbing, you may require a "locking clip" to prevent the seat's sideways movement. The clip may come with the seat or you may have to purchase one separately. Consult the manufacturer's instructions for further information about using a locking clip.

Lifestyle
How much can you afford? Regardless of price, all car seats sold in Canada must meet the same safety standards. Often higher prices indicate a more expensive fabric or more features such as built-in storage, a canopy, or a carrying handle. Think about which features suit your family's needs.

Consider the size of family you are planning. If you purchase an infant-only seat, will it be used again later or is a convertible model a better buy?

Consider the various vehicles in which the seat will be used. Will the seat need to be moved from vehicle to vehicle? Will it be used in a baby sitter's or grandparents' vehicle, and how will it fit?

Will it be required to serve as a temporary bed or highchair at someone else's home?

Will the seat be easy for other caregivers to manage?

Take your time and shop around. Talk to others about their preferences and experiences with different child car seats. If you're considering the purchase of a used seat or have any questions regarding the installation and use of child car seats, contact the CAA office nearest you. Remember, a child car seat can only protect your child in a collision if it is installed and used correctly on every trip.

Purchasing second-hand

If you choose to use a second-hand child car seat, consider the following:

1. The history of the child car seat: Ask the prior owner if the seat was ever in a collision or dropped (whether or not occupied by a child). If so, there could be hairline cracks in the plastic shell that cannot be easily seen. Such damage could cause the seat to crack further if it's in another collision. The general rule is that if the seat was in a crash, it should not be used by anyone. Have it destroyed.
2. The condition of the seat: A damaged child car seat will not protect your child. Check the plastic shell for cracks and chips; the metal frame for warping and broken or loose rivets; the harness straps for cuts, stretching, fraying and broken stitches; and the padding for tears. Check the seat against the instructions to make sure you have all the parts including the chest clip (if required), locking clip and tether strap. You may have to buy the anchor bolt assembly for the tether strap. It is available from the child car seat manufacturer, department stores, some automotive stores and children's furniture stores.
3. The manufacturer's instructions: The instructions will tell you how to use and install the child car seat correctly. Without them, you might make a mistake that could reduce the effectiveness of the seat and place your child at risk. Don't rely on the verbal instructions you get from the prior owner. Car seat safety checks or inspection clinics held across the country show that 80% of owners use or install their child car seat incorrectly. Keep the instructions with the car seat and show everyone who takes care of your child how to use and install the seat properly. You must follow the manufacturer's instructions exactly, each time you use the child car seat.
4. The compliance label: This label is attached to the side, back, or bottom of the child car seat. It should tell you which Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) the seat meets: 213 for child car seats, 213.1 for infant-only car seats, or 213.2 for booster seats. Combination or convertible seats which are used facing the back of the car for infants and then turned forward-facing for toddlers must meet both standards 213 and 213.1. Only seats that meet Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards can be used by Canadian consumers.
5. The date of manufacture & model number: Over the years, public notices and consumer information notices have been issued by Transport Canada and/or child car seat manufacturers. These notices identify safety defects or problems with child car seat. Find the label on the seat that shows when the seat was built, plus the name of the manufacturer and the name and/or model number of the seat. Then, contact your local CAA office or Transport Canada and ask if the seat has been affected by a public notice.
6. The age of the seat: Transport Canada, CAA and all child car seat manufacturers warn against using seats that are ten years old and older.
   • Transport Canada has found that the majority of child car seats this old do not have the necessary parts, labels and instructions to ensure proper use. A number of collision investigations involving the use of child car seats have shown that misuse and missing parts reduced the effectiveness of the seat.
   • The history of the older child car seat is not generally known. It may have been involved in a collision, abused or misused.
   • The manufacturer may no longer have available the replacement parts you need for an older seat.
   • If the compliance label is missing, manufacturers will not send you a replacement label because they don't know the seat's present condition.
   • Over the years, the plastic shell of the car seat can be affected by sunlight. The plastic can break down and become brittle or cracked and may not be visible to the naked eye.
   • Child car seats made before 1982 were known to have buckles that were easy for children to undo.

US car seats no bargain for Canadian consumers
It is illegal to use a U.S.-certified child car seat in Canada with or without a tether strap.

Some Canadian consumers have purchased a tether strap for use on a U.S.-certified child car seat -- CAA advises against this. Child car seat manufacturers build seats for distribution into U.S. and Canadian markets, but only those seats that meet Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) can be used in Canada.

There are several reasons why you should not use a U.S-certified child car seat in Canada:

• Provincial Highway Traffic Acts require that only seats certified to Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards can be used in Canada. You can be ticketed if you use a U.S.-certified seat.
• If the U.S.-certified child car seat becomes subject to a public notice of defect, Canadian consumers would not be notified of the safety-related problem unless they complete and return the registration card provided with the seat.
• Subsequent owners of the seat would never hear about a notice of defect. These notices can warn consumers of potential problems, and without them, a child occupant can be at significant risk.