Health Dept. promotes child safety seats

Van Wert independent/contributor content

What type of child restraint is safest for a child to ride in?  How long should a child ride rear facing?  When should a child be moved to the next size child restraint?  What does the new Ohio law say about child restraints? These are some of the questions parents have about child passenger safety and the Van Wert County Department of Health has the answers.

Parents should pick a child restraint system that fits their child correctly and fits in their vehicle correctly.  Newborns typically fit best in a rear-facing infant seat with a five-point harness. Most rear-facing infant seats are designed to fit babies who weigh between 5 and 22 pounds, and can be installed with or without the base in the back seat of the vehicle.  A rear-facing child restraint should never be installed in the front passenger seat of a vehicle where there is an airbag that might deploy.

Once a child reaches the upper weight or height limit of the infant seat, they should be placed into a convertible seat. A convertible seat is a car seat with a five-point harness that can be used rear facing or forward facing.  On March 21, the American Academy of Pediatrics made the recommendation that children should ride rear facing until they are at least 2 years old or until they outgrow the rear-facing height or weight limit of the seat.  The seat should then be turned to the forward-facing position and should be used in that position until a child reaches the maximum weight or height limits for the seat in the forward-facing position.

When a child outgrows the maximum weight or height limit of a forward-facing car seat, it is time for them to ride in a booster seat. Effective October 7, 2009, Ohio passed a law requiring that all children ride in a booster seat until they are 4 feet, 9 inches tall or 8 years old. However, most children do not fit properly into a lap/shoulder belt until they are between 10 and 12 years of age.

The Van Wert County Health Department has all of the above-mentioned seats available for a nominal fee through the Ohio Buckles Buckeyes program funded by the Ohio Department of Health. Families who are WIC income eligible and live in Van Wert County qualify for this program. Those in need of a car seat or booster seat for a child can call the health department at 419.238.0808, extension 102, for more information.