Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The Dangers of an Unattended Child

 Every year many children die from hyperthermia. The most common cause of hyperthermia is heat stroke. Children are more susceptible to hyperthermia than adults. Infants and small children do not maintain their body temperature as well as adults do. Their bodies heat up five times faster than an adult.
One of the common ways that children suffer from hyperthermia is being left unattended in vehicles. The inside of a vehicle, even on cool days, can get dangerously hot and hot quick. Your vehicle is like a giant metal oven being heated by the sun. In 80 degree weather a car can heat up to 123 degrees in just 60 min. Even in 10 minutes the temperature in the vehicle can rise 20 degrees and 34 degrees in 30 mins, about the time it would take a care giver to run into the store.
Picture will take you to a video
Heat stroke will happen when the childs body cannot cool itself quick enough. The child's core temperature will rise to dangerous temperatures which can resulting in kidney or liver damage, brain damage, or even death. Children can go into heat exhaustion in temperatures as low as 90 degrees with heat stroke being possible at temperatures of about 105 degrees. Even with the windows down the temperature can rise and be harmful for children.

How big of a problem is this?
According to SafeKids 527 kids have died since 1998, with 49 of those deaths happening in 2010. On average 38 children die yearly from being left unattended in vehicles.
Most of the incidents are accidents made by distracted parents. Safekids says about 50% of children who die from hyperthermia are due to the child being forgotten by accident.
I know what your thinking, how could you forget your child. But it happens and it happens to good parents. It happens because a schedule changes, it happens because we are busy and stressed, it happens because we are tired, it happens because we are human and we make mistakes. Unfortunately those mistakes have consequences that these parents must live with, consequences that no loving parent should have to live with.

What are some steps parents can make to prevent this?

  • Never leave children in a vehicle to make a quick run into the store or gas station
  • Put your purse, briefcase, cell phone or something you always take with you on the floor board by your child
  • Ask your day care provider to please call you if you are 5 min later than normal. Make it a habit to keep in contact with all your child's care givers and make sure they know how dangerous an unattended child is in a vehicle
  • With all the wonderful technology of this world you can set your cell phone to remind you to check for your child in the vehicle. There is even an app for that! Baby Reminder is a free Iphone App that was set up to help remind parents the child is in the car.
Do whatever you need to do to remind yourself. Make it habit to check anyway, this is what I do, leave sticky notes, have your partner call you, whatever it takes. This can happen to you, even if you're the best parent in the whole world. Using these preventive steps will help you avoid making this mistake.

 Trapped in a Trunk
 According to SafeKids 30% of hyperthermia deaths are due to children becoming trapped in the vehicle's trunk. Children are very curious by nature. They like to play games and discover new places. Sometimes they are even looking for a missing toy. But this can quickly become dangerous when the family car is involved. Trunks are even worse than being left unattended in the vehicle. They are not just high in temperature but high in humidity and low in ventilation. It is estimated that 35-40% of children under 14 who are entrapped in a vehicle trunks do not survive. Its important that parents take steps to prevent children from being entrapped in vehicles trunks.

What are some steps parents can make to prevent this?
  •  Keep vehicles locked when unoccupied and keep keys out of reach of children
  • Never allow children to play in and around vehicles. Teach older children that vehicles are not playgrounds and they should never ever play in them. When children are in and around vehicles supervise them closely
  • Teach children about the glow in the dark trunk release in case they ever find themselves trapped in a trunk. Every vehicle since September of 2001 are required to have these.

Louisiana Law
SafeKids say that 17% of hyperthermia deaths are due to care givers intentionally leaving a child in the vehicle. In Louisiana we have laws making it illegal to leave children under 6yrs of age unattended in a vehicle. We are one of 19 states with a law against leaving children unattended in vehicles. In our law "unsupervised" is defined as a parent/guardian who is more than 10ft away from the vehicle or when someone who is 10yrs or older isn't with the child in the vehicle. If you ever see a child under 6yrs of age in a vehicle alone call 911 immediately. Police officers must remove the child, leave a notification, and wait with the child until the parent/guardian returns to the vehicle. Police officers are also protected from any legal liability by his action as long as they are considered in good faith. The person who has left the child unattended can be fined up to $500 and possibly sent to jail for 6 months for the first offense. Consecutive offenses will be charged $1,000-$2,000 and possibly sent to jail for 1-2yrs with or without hard labor. These are pretty serious punishments.

How to Tell if a Child is Suffering from Heat Exhaustion/Stroke and What to Do About It
 If you find your child or another child who has been left unattended in a vehicle or trapped in a trunk you should immediately call 911. Heat exhaustion is when the body is dehydrated and loss of salt through excessive sweating. Children suffering from heat exhaustion are normally profuse sweating, have pale skin that is cool to the touch but their core body temperature is high, rapid and shallow breathing, headache,nausea, vomiting or diarrhea,dizziness, weakness or fainting, lethargic behavior, and muscle cramps. If you find a child whom you think is suffering from heat exhaustion try and cool them off. Remove extra unneeded clothing, use cool damp cloth to cool them off, and see if they will drink some cool water. Seek medical care as soon as possible. Heat stroke is more sever than heat exhaustion. But they are similar. Signs that differ from heat exhaustion are core body temperature above 104, no sweating, hallucinations, trance-like or irrational behavior, and increased heart rate. If you find a child who is suffering from a heat stroke you should call 911 immediately. Try cooling the body off with cool water or even with ice but do not give fluids. Please seek medical attention immediately!

Visit SafeKids to learn more about the dangers of an unattended child.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Seat Belt

When it comes to installing car seats there are two ways to do it, either LATCH or with the vehicle seat belt. (Some Ford vehicles will allow the use of both seat belt and LATCH. But both the vehicle and the car seat must agree with this. The only car seat manufacture as of now that allows this is Combi. Check out this blog post from Lexlee's Kids.) The seat belt is just as safe as using LATCH. The vehicle seat belt is often needed in some situations. When that seating position doesn't have LATCH, or you cant get a tight installation with LATCH, or even vehicles that do not have LATCH. But not ever seat belt in every car is the same.
There are two types of main seat belts. A two point seat belt, also know as a lap only belt and a three point seat belt that is also know as a shoulder/lap belt.

Parts of a Seat Belt

Webbing
The fabric part of the seat belt

Latch plate
The seat belt part that connects the webbing to a buckle into the vehicle. The male portion of the seat belt.

Buckle
The buckle accepts the latch plate and holds the seat belt in place. The female portion of the seat belt.

Buckle stalk
The fabric/webbing that is connecting the buckle to the vehicle

Retractor
Retractors gathers and stores the extra webbing of the seat belt.


There are several different types of seat belts. Since 1996 vehicles have been required to have locking seat belts to help with the installation of child safety seats. Some lock at the latch plate and some lock at the retractor. When installing a car seat with a seat belt the seat belt must be locked in one of for ways; by the latch plate, by the retractor, by a locking clip, or by a belt shortening clip.

Types of Latch Plates

Locking Latch Plate
This is the type of latch plate that locks. The latch plate will lock either by a little bar mechanism that will not allow for the webbing to slide from the latch plate or a button on the latch plate that when turned will lock the latch plate not allowing the webbing to slide freely from the latch plate.

Swen on Latch Plate
This is a latch plate were it is sewn onto the belt. This type of latch plate does not lock.

Sliding Latch Plate
This is the type of latch plate that slides freely up and down on the seat belts webbing without locking.


Types of Retractor

Emergency locking retractor (ELR)
This is the type of retractor that locks only during an emergency. This seat belt will lock when you pull it too quickly, make a sudden stop, turn too quickly, or during a crash. But when you pull the webbing all the way out it will not switch over to a Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR). These types of seat belts are often found in the drivers seat.

Automatic Locking Retracor (ALR)
This is a type of retractor that locks automatically. Once you stop pulling the webbing out it automatically stops allowing you to pull any more webbing out, regardless if its the end of the webbing or not.

Switchable Retractor
A switchable retractor is an emergency locking retractor that when the webbing is pulled all the way out it becomes a automatic locking retractor.

If you are unsure of what type of seat belt your car has you can always find that information in the vehicle's manual.




Installing with Automatic Locking Retractor
Always read both the vehicle and the car seats manuals to know exactly how to install your particular car seat in your vehicle.

When installing with an automatic locking retractor (ALR) you thread the seat belt in one smooth motion through the car seats correct belt path and buckle the seat belt. Then press firmly down on the car seat. As you press down the webbing will feed into the retractor automatically locking. Continue to push down firmly on the car seat until there is less than 1" of movement when tugged firmly sided to side and front to back at the belt path.

Installing with a Switchable Retractor (video)
Always read both the vehicle and the car seats manuals to know exactly how to install your particular car seat in your vehicle.

When installing with a switchable retractor thread the seat belt through the correct belt path and buckle it in. Pull the shoulder portion of the seat belt all the way out of the retractor. You will often hear it click. Start feeding the seat belt back into the retractor, trying pulling it out of the retractor a few times to make sure it is locked. Press firmly on the car seat and continue to feed the seat belt into the retractor, removing all slack. Continue to push down firmly on the car seat pulling the seat belt and feeding it into the retractor until there is less than 1" of movement when tugged firmly sided to side and front to back at the belt path.
Troubleshooting: If you can not get the car seat snug enough you can twist the buckle stalk. Some vehicles will have very long buckle stalks making it difficult to get a tight installation. You may twist the buckle stalk up to three times but you want to use as few twist as possible. Thread the seat belt through the correct belt path, twist the buckle stalk up to three times, and buckle it in. Pull the shoulder portion of the seat belt all the way out of the retractor. You will often hear it click. Start feeding the seat belt back into the retractor, trying pulling it out of the retractor a few times to make sure it is locked. Press firmly on the car seat and continue to feed the seat belt into the retractor, removing all slack. Continue to push down firmly on the car seat pulling the seat belt and feeding it into the retractor until there is less than 1" of movement when tugged firmly sided to side and front to back at the belt path.

Installing with a Locking Latch Plate (video)
Always read both the vehicle and the car seats manuals to know exactly how to install your particular car seat in your vehicle.

When installing with a locking latch plate examine the latch plate to determine what type of locking latch plate your vehicle has; one with a button or one with a bar mechanism. If its the type with the button switch the button to the child position. Thread the seat belt through the correct belt path and buckle it. Push down firmly on the car seat and pull the webbing as tight as you can, removing all slack. Continue to push down firmly and pull the webbing as tight as you can until there is less than 1" of movement when tugged firmly sided to side and front to back at the belt path.
Troubleshooting: If you have a locking latch plate with a bar mechanism on a lap only belt and it will not lock because of the position the belt is laying you may flip the latch plate. Thread the seat belt through the correct belt path and buckle it. Push down firmly on the car seat (helps if you use your knee) and pull the webbing as tight as you can, removing all slack. Unbuckle the seat belt while continuing the push down on the car seat. Flip the latch plate to where the bar mechanism is facing outward. Buckle the seat belt back. Test the car seat for a tight install by tugging firmly side to side and front to back at the belt path. There should be less than 1" of movement in any direction. If there is more than 1" of movement unbuckle the seat belt and start over, this time pressing more firmly into the car seat.

What to do if neither the vehicles retractor or latch plate lock?

Locking Clip (video)
 Always read both the vehicle and the car seats manuals to know exactly how to install your particular car seat in your vehicle.

If you have a lap and should belt that does not lock at either the retractor or the latch plate then you will need to use a locking clip. (you may never use a locking clip on a lap belt only seat belt) All car seats come with a locking clip, if you have lost yours they can be purchased at Toys/Babies R Us or through the manufacture of the car seat.
To install a car seat with a locking clip you will need to thread the seat belt throught the correct belt path and buckle the seat belt. Press firmly down on the car seat and pull the seat belt to remove all slack. Pinch the seat belts webbing near the latch plate. Unbuckle the seat belt. Attach the locking clip within 1" of the latch plate. Rebuckle the seat belt. Then test the car seats tightness by pulling firmly at the belt path side to side and front to back. There should be less than 1" of movement in any direction. If there is more than 1" of movement remove the locking clip and start over pressing more firmly into the car seat removing more slack. Sometimes it can be easier to install a locking clip with two people. One person holds the car seat down and the other attaches the locking clip.

A locking clip is also used when a car seat has a tendency to tip or lean to the side. This happens sometimes with a lap and shoulder belt that locks at the retractor. The shoulder portion of the belt with continue to feed into the retractor locking and pulling the car seat to the side making it lean. To fix this problem instead of locking the seat belt at the retracor you would use the locking clip instead.

Lock Offs (video)
Always read both the vehicle and the car seats manuals to know exactly how to install your particular car seat in your vehicle.

Some car seats are equipped with lock offs. Lock offs are claps attached to the car seat that will clamp over the seat belt locking it in place. To install a car seat with lock offs you start by opening the lock off. Thread the seat belt through the correct belt path and buckle the seat belt. Push down firmly on the car seat and pull the seat belt tight, removing any slack. Place the seat belt it the correct lock off (you'll need to read the car seat manual to know witch part of the seat belt goes into witch lock off). Clasp the seat belt with the lock off. Then test the car seats tightness by pulling firmly at the belt path side to side and front to back. There should be less than 1" of movement in any direction. If there is more than 1" of movement undo the lock offs and start over pressing more firmly into the car seat removing more slack.

Belt Shortening Clip
Always read both the vehicle and the car seats manuals to know exactly how to install your particular car seat in your vehicle.

A belt shortening clip looks very similar to a locking clip. You would purchase a belt shortening clip from the manufacture of your vehicle. You may never use a locking clip in the place of a belt shortening clip, you may however use a belt shortening clip in the place of a locking clip. A locking clip is not nearly as strong as a belt shortening clip and can not preform the job of a belt shortening clip. Belt shortening clips are used on Emergency Locking Retractors (ERL) with sown on latch plates. The seat belts are unable to lock in a way to install a car seat without the belt shortening clip. Luckily many seat belts are not made this way. It is unlikely that you will ever need to use a belt shortening clip.
If you find that you will need a belt shortening clip I would contact a very experienced Child Passenger Safety Technician/Instructor to help you.





Seat Belt Tightener
These are a BIG NO NO! Do not use one of these. You don't need to. If installing your seat correctly you will be able to achieve a tight install. Seat belt tighteners can over tighten your seat belt, break parts of your seat belt or car seat, and can possible break free in a crash and become a heavy projectile. They are not tested with your car seat and you shouldn't use them, nor do you need them. Seek help from a Child Passenger Safety Technician if you aren't getting a tight installation.


You should ALWAYS read though your car seat's manual and your vehicle manual. Your car seat's manual will tell you exactly how to install your seat and your vehicle manual will tell you important information about its seat belts or LATCH. If you are having problems with installing your seat please visit a certified child passenger safety technician. You can find one at www.SeatCheck.org

Inflatable Seat Belts (video)
 Inflatable seat belts are a new option in some Ford vehicles. Many car seat manufactures do not allow you to install their seats with inflatable seat belts. You will need to contact the manufacture of your car seat and ask before installing your car seat or booster with an inflatable seat belt.


Seat Belt Strangulation
Seat Belts with locking retractors can be dangerous. Sometimes children will play with the seat belt, pull the seat belt all the way out and switch it to locking mode. They will wrap the seat belt around themselves and the seat belt with tighten and tighten as its fed into the retractor. This has been know to strangle children. To learn more about seat belt strangulation and how to prevent them visit this link.