Kiddo Update: Summer 2014

I'll just come out and say it, I'm a major slacker when it comes to blogging. Life seems to have a way of getting in the way. A kiddo update is overdue so here you go:

I'll go in birth order. Sean. He has finished his first year of homeschooling. His testing supplies should be here soon so that he can do his test next week. I don't know exactly what to expect but I have no worries that he'll do just fine. We're still schooling throughout the summer but just a lighter load. Right now he's working on a Summer Bridge workbook that's for bridging 1st-2nd grade. It's not easy enough for him to breeze through it but it gives him a little bit of a challenge. Last week he got his summer haircut. He at first wanted his head shaved but ended up just getting it buzzed. And lastly, this weekend we made a purchase that I didn't think we'd be making already. We bought Sean a booster seat. He still has plenty of growing room in his 5 point harness. However, Maddy is nearing outgrowing her's b/c of her height. Sean is a bit sensitive to the fact that his younger sister is so much taller than he is so we thought that it might be a good idea to switch Sean to a booster before Maddy. He meets the size requirement, the belt fits correctly, and he's mature enough to sit properly so I'm ok with it. He's super excited!

Above: freshly cut hair and our neighborhood spy

Below: the big boy in his new booster

Ms Maddy...She's also doing a bit of summer school as she prepares for her first official year of homeschooling next year as a kindergartener. The big milestone that she's hit is she has given up naps....for the most part. Bedtime was getting to be a huge hassle. Giving up naps has helped a ton. Though there are still some afternoons that at the end of naptime for the younger kids she crawls onto the couch and is out like a light. This summer Maddy is working on a preschool workbook to review the past year. I have a daycare child that has also given up naps so her and Maddy have the same workbook and they work together, Maddy teaching her some. Maddy's growing like a weed! She's already outgrown some of the clothes she got for her birthday in April!! It's insane! She's 5 and about the average height of a 6 year old. This past year she took dance again. Earlier this month she had her second dance recital. Oh my, does she love being on the stage!! She danced beautifully on stage once again. Too bad she only gets to do that part once a year. I really do enjoy watching her dance at her recitals. It's not just that she's following my footsteps but just watching the enjoyment she gets out of it. And the way she just glows when you tell her that you were watching. She loves having an audience.

Above: on stage at dress rehearsal

Below: before the big show! Can you see the excitement!?

Emily: the baby. Well, she's not much of a baby any more. I've been slowly night and nap weaning her and she kinda took the lead and started cutting back during the day as well. We've been at once a day (first thing in the morning) for a little while now and today, Monday, I realized that she has not nursed since Saturday morning. She hasn't even asked! We've also started potty training today. Last week one of my daycare kids started telling Em when he needed to go potty and asking if she needed to go. She would then tell me that she needed to go and they'd both get a try. I decided to run with that idea. Today she was dressed in a dress (then a shirt after she tucked the dress under her while on the potty) and a pull up. I set toilet paper next to her little potty in the bathroom. This made it so that she could do the entire process by herself. I got Sean and Maddy in on it too. Whenever any of us went to the bathroom we'd tell her and ask if she wanted to try. She went potty a lot today! There were a few times that she actually asked on her own to go and the only accidents were a pee accident during pick up time/dinner prep time and a poopy pull up. Not bad for her first official day! My baby's growing up...

Above: baby's first "ony"tail

Below: Cinderella needed a nursing break

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Car Seat Safety Revisited

Last March I wrote (with help from a car seat safety tech friend) a four part series on car seat safety. Car seat safety is my number one passion and I'm very out spoken about it. Friends know that I'll speak up if I notice a chest clip too low or straps too loose. Some even come to me with their car seat questions. I loved last year's posts because I believe I covered most, if not all, the basics. For that reason, I believe it's worth repeating.

If you missed it last year, here it is again:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

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Car Seat Basics: Part 4

A couple more things


Below are a couple commonly asked questions about car seat safety. Please don’t hesitate to add your own in the comment section below.

What should I do in the event of a crash?
Your car seat may need to be replaced in the event of a crash. Car seat manufacturers or insurance companies may follow the check list below for continuing to use the restraint after a minor collision - check with your insurance company and car seat manufacturer http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/childps/childrestraints/reuse/restraintreuse.htm

Don’t forget to check with your insurance company and car seat manufacturer. Some insurances replace car seats and some manufacturers will give you credit toward the purchase of a new seat or will exchange your damaged seat for a new seat.

On the same topic, you should also check with your vehicle’s manufacturer to see if the vehicle’s seatbelts and LATCH/tether anchors need to be replaced.

Should I register my car seat?
Yes! This way you will be notified if there has been a recall.

Is there any exception to the rule that straps should be below the shoulders when a child is rear facing?
Yes. In infant seats, not convertible seats, it is ok for the straps to be above the baby's shoulders if the baby's shoulders are below the lowest strap setting.


The rest of the series:
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

Car Seat Basics: Part 3

The safest seat is the one that fits your child correctly, installs correctly in your vehicle and is used correctly every time. The harness needs to be tight enough that you cannot pinch a horizontal fold at the collar-bone. The chest clip works in conjunction with a properly tightened harness, to ensure the harness remains in the correct position across the child's body in a collision. The chest clip is plastic - it will often break in a serious collision. But if it's kept the straps where they should be, then it's done it's job. The chest clip should be positioned at the armpit level of the child. Properly strapping your child in is extremely important as it prevents him from being thrown from the car seat in the event of a crash.


Third-party aftermarket products are also a safety concern. There is no legislation on after-market products, and these products are not crash-tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Most car seat manufacturers also state in their manuals to avoid using any product with the seat, that did not come with the seat.

Car seat bags, strap pads and head supports can all interfere with the harness routing or being tight enough. In a collision, the harness will be pulled taut, and fabric layers compressed, potentially causing your child to be partially or fully ejected from the seat. Cushions and head supports have slots for the straps and they may not line up right. This reroutes the straps which can also add slack.

What can you do?

Head support: Avoid after-market head supports that go behind the child - unless it came with your seat. If your seat did not come with a head support or your baby requires additional support, you can tightly roll up two receiving blankets and tuck them on either side of your child’s head, after tightly buckling them in. If baby's head flops forward when they sleep, double check to make sure their seat is at the proper angle (45° for a baby that can’t hold their head up on their own).

Car seat bags/winter coats: Avoid heavy coats and bundling systems that go behind the child. Shower-cap style infant seat covers are safe as they don't interfere with the harness. For children in convertible/forward facing seats, dress the child in layers. Fleece is thin, warm and ideal for using in the car. If your child is not warm enough, add a blanket, poncho or even a winter jacket backwards over the child.


Car seat poncho


Videos:
Snowsuits/Winter Coats and Car seats

Winter Coats and Car seats Don't Mix

The rest of the series:
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 4

Car Seat Basics: Part 2

A big misunderstanding I’ve found is when to move your child up to the next stage of car seat. Moving your child from rear-facing to forward-facing, and then from a 5-point harness to a booster seat are not milestones that should be defined by the child’s age. Every time your child moves up, they are potentially less safe. Here in VA, the law states that a child must ride rear-facing until 1 year and 20 lbs. That’s the bare minimum! Most convertible car seats allow your child to rear-face to 35lbs. I’ve even found some that allow children to stay rear-facing until 45lbs.


3 years old and still happy rear facing!
The reason behind keeping children rear-facing as long as possible, is to allow the seat to absorb the impact from a crash instead of their neck/spine. This is even more important for small children because their heads are huge in comparison to their bodies, and until the vertebrae begin to fuse (between ages 3-6), the spine can stretch farther than the spinal cord can. If an adult gets whiplash from a crash, imagine what would happen if our head weighed 50lbs, which comparable to how a toddler’s head/body is proportioned.

The question I hear the most is, “what about their legs?” Children find it perfectly comfortable to either cross their legs or hang them over the sides. Leg injuries while rear-facing are almost unheard of, but if they happen, they are easier to fix then neck injuries. A favorite quote of mine is Broken legs: cast it, broken neck: casket. Broken legs are a common injury in children in forward-facing seats, as their legs often impact the seat in front of them during a collision.


Your child is safest staying rear-facing until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of the seat - whichever comes first. When rear-facing, the general rule for height is that there needs to be at least 1 inch of hard shell above the child’s head. As always, check your manual to be sure. Lastly, the harness should be at or below the child’s shoulders when rear-facing.

Once your child is turned forward-facing, keeping your child harnessed as long as possible in a 5-point harness is key. The 5-point harness will evenly distribute the forces of a crash over the child’s entire body, compared to a seatbelt having only 3-points of contact. Look for a car seat that can keep your child harnessed until at least 50lbs. These seats have significantly taller top slots than seats that only harness to 40lbs, as 40lb seats are most often outgrown by height well before 40lbs.  A forward-facing seat is outgrown when either the child reaches the maximum weight limit, or when their shoulders are above the top slots.



Videos:
GMA: 5 point harness/booster

Rear facing/Forward facing

Rear facing/Forward facing: A grandfather’s story

The rest of the series
Part 1 / Part 3 / Part 4

Car Seat Basics: Part 1

First and foremost, I’d like to thank my editor
Car Seat Safety Technician, Raelynn Dalquist.

Soon after I found out that I was pregnant, I cracked open the books. There are so many things to make decisions on, from what kind of diapers to use, to what kind of car seat to buy. Ever since then, car seat safety has become a passion of mine. After all, isn’t our number one job as a mommy, to protect our child? The first thing I noticed is that there are so many things that most people don’t realize.

Did you know that you should never buy a second-hand car seat from someone you do not know? Do you know why? There are two reasons. First, you never can be sure that the car seat is in good working order. Sure the lady on Craigslist says it’s never been in an accident but how do you know? You also don’t know the seat was cared for correctly. For example, you are not supposed to submerge the harness in water as it can cause the webbing to deteriorate. Knowing the history of the seat is so important.

The second reason surprised me. Car seats expire! What? They aren’t food or medicine, how can they expire!? Plastics deteriorate over time, especially when sitting in hot cars, in direct sunlight. In addition, safety standards change over time, so what was safest 5+ yrs ago, may not be safe anymore. Many car seats have their expiration date stamped on the back. If not, there will be a date of manufacture  on the seat, and you need to consult the manual to find out how many years it’s good for. Most are good for 6 years, but there are some that are good for 7-10yrs.


You will sometimes hear parents choose a certain brand of car seat because it’s “safest.” The safest car seat is the one that fits your child, fits your vehicle and is used correctly every time. A seat should be installed tight enough that there is less than 1 inch of movement side-to-side or front-to-back at the belt path. Use LATCH or the seat belt, never both at the same time. Both are safe, so use whichever method allows the best install with your seat in your vehicle. Most vehicles do not allow LATCH usage in the center position, so check your manual. And while not required by law in the U.S., using the top tether when forward-facing reduces head excursion in a collision by up to six inches!

Always read your manual for not only your car seat but your vehicle as well. That is the only way to be completely sure you’re installing car seat correctly. Then take it to be inspected: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm

Lastly, while money should not come in the way of safety, sometimes it’s unavoidable. Luckily, there are places that can help. Sometimes local health departments, police/fire departments, local churches, WIC, and car and health insurance companies will sell car seats at discounted prices. The Kyle David Miller Foundation also has a program for parents that can’t afford car seats.

Some resources:
www.car-seat.org
www.kyledavidmiller.org

The rest of the series:
Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

VERY Important Car Seat Info

For your child's safety please read this and watch the videos.

We all know the laws about children and car seats…rear facing until 1 year and 20 lbs, and in some kind of car seat or boaster seat until the age of 8. However, that is only the minimum! There are reasons to keep your child facing backwards until they reach the weight limit of the seat and then stay in a 5-point harness until they reach the weight limit of that seat. There are some seats that go up to 80 lbs but you must read the label. You may see that the seat goes up to 100 lbs but that is not with the 5-point harness. The 2 seats that go up to 80 lbs are: the Radian80 ( http://www.skjp.com/products/skjp_radian_80.php ) and the Britax Regent ( http://www.britaxusa.com/products/product_detail.aspx?ID=9 ).