With a 3 and a 5 year old, I thought I was way beyond any car seat questions. Totally above the fray, looking down from my perch as a parent of “bigger” kids. Honestly, after the initial infant-car-seat-baby-registry agonizing, I kind of checked out of the car seat process altogether. We were city folk, after all, and didn’t drive as often as your typical suburban family. And, really, there are so many other things to worry about when you’re raising these little humans! Day care, nannies, preschool, healthy eating, appropriate extracurricular activities, no screen time and plenty of intellectual stimulation! Car seat questions for my little city family? Whatevs.
When my younger daughter outgrew her infant seat, without even thinking much about it, we picked up a cheap booster seat for my older daughter, who was three, and transitioned the baby to the Britax Boulevard. I was almost gleeful as I ditched the 5 point harness and taught my big girl (who weighed in at just barely 40 lbs at the time) to buckle in on her own. We were happy with this arrangement for nearly three years. Blissfully ignorant, perhaps, about the fact that we were putting our firstborn at unnecessary risk every time we jumped in the car.
Then, a few weeks ago, after getting a few questions from friends and readers about car seats for bigger kids and hearing from my three year old who wanted a “big girl seat,” I decided to use the resources at my fingertips as the editor of a parenting blog and consult a car seat safety expert. I called Allana Pinkerton, Child Passenger Safety Advocate for Diono, and peppered her with questions. And when she started talking about the importance of a five point harness until at least 50 pounds (at that moment, my oldest, a tiny little peanut, was still only 44 lbs at age 5 and in a cheap, lap belt booster seat), the hollow in the pit of my stomach grew and grew. Why didn’t I do even a tiny bit of research before I put my kid at risk? Why did it take me 2 years to even ask the question? I read the directions on the booster seat and she fit into those “safety parameters!” The “we’re a city family” attitude just didn’t hold water. So, there it was: Parenting Fail of the Highest Caliber.
To my credit (as if I deserve credit on this subject), when I hung up the phone with Allana, I immediately 1) called my mother and confessed my parental neglect and 2) jumped online and ordered a new heavy duty five point harness car seat for my older daughter and crossed my fingers she wouldn’t make too much of a stink about being tethered more tightly than she had been for years. Incidentally, my 5 year old LOVES being back in the five point harness, so don’t be afraid to back track to a better seat.
So, without further ado, here is Allana Pinkerton’s expert advice on car seat safety. Her words and guidance really changed my life. Stay tuned for my review of the (spoiler alert) amazing Diono Rainier that Allana sent to us so my three year old could test it out for us!
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1) What is the most common misconception/misinformation about car seats and car seat safety that you come across in your work as a Child Passenger Safety Advocate?
One is that you can move a three year old from a harnessed seat to a booster seat (sound familiar?) or a five year old directly into an adult seat belt. Another misconception is that convertibles can’t be used for newborns. Most of them come with either very low harness slots or infant cushions for proper fit.
2) At what point can parents breathe easy and ditch the 5 point harness car seat?
It’s always a good idea to use the 5pt harness to the maximum weight limits of the seat. The harness spreads the crash forces over the larger, stronger bones of the body and therefore help decrease the risk of injury.
3) How long should our kids be rear facing and do you have a recommendation for the best rear facing seat with the longest life span (in terms of size/height of your child)?
A rear facing car seat protects the head, neck and vertebrae during a collision. Many convertible seats provide a higher harness weight limit at 35-50lbs. The longer the better, but everyone’s situation can be different. Many seats have a forward facing starting weight at 20-22 lbs and 1-2 yrs old. These seats meet the federal crash standards.
Ride safely and happily, everyone!!
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Mollie Michel is a South Philly resident and a Philadelphia public school parent. A recovering non-profit professional, Mollie is also an experienced birth doula, Certified Lactation Counselor, and the mom of two awesome girls and a sweet pit bull named Princess Cleopatra. In her spare time, she is usually trying to figure out how Pinterest works, training for a(nother) half-marathon with her dog at her side, or simply trying to keep up with her increasingly wily daughters.