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Can someone clarify car seats/ny laws...etc
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Seta
LIF Adolescent
Member since 1/07 566 total posts
Name:
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Can someone clarify car seats/ny laws...etc
DS..is 4 months and in the Graco snugfit...I also received off my registry the Britax Marathon...which states on box 5-40lbs rear facing and forward facing 20-70lbs...
Just out of curiosity, what's the deal with NY state laws??? Is it up to two years rear facing? DS is soo tall already, I can't imagine the car seat working for him in the reverse postion, when the time comes for him to use it....aren't his legs going to get squished against the back of the back seat???
I know I am a little ahead of myself here, but I want to make sure it doesn't need to be returned...thx.
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Posted 7/17/12 2:12 PM  |
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Re: Can someone clarify car seats/ny laws...etc
Laws? The only law is that children must be in approved seats until they are 4, and a booster until at least 8. There's nothing in the law about rear-facing. However, the latest recommendations are to have them rear-facing until at least 2 years of age. It's for their safety. Even a low-speed accident with a forward-facing child can cause serious injury, since their necks can't support their heads during the collision. Weight isn't the issue, it's the age of the child, and the maturity of the neck.
Children are usually more comfortable having their legs crossed and bunched up, instead of dangling over the edge. Also, there are absolutely zero documented reports of leg injury in a rear-facing child in an accident because they were rear-facing. There are way too many reports of serious injury to toddlers who were forward-facing too early.
http://www.dmv.org/ny-new-york/safety-laws.php#Child-Car-Seat-Laws
Any child younger than four must ride in a federally approved child safety seat that's properly secured by a safety belt or a universal child restraint anchorage system.
As of November 24, 2009, all children younger than eight years old must be secured in a child safety seat restraint system. This includes safety seats, harness vests and booster seats attached via safety belts.
Any child younger than four, but who weighs more than 40 pounds, may be secured in a booster seat with a lap and shoulder belt.
If all safety seats are occupied, a child who would normally require a booster seat should instead be secured by a lap belt.
Every rider younger than 16 must use a seat belt.
http://www.dmv.ny.gov/occupant.htm
An appropriate child safety restraint system:
•Is required for all children until their 8th birthday as of November 24, 2009,. (Prior to November 24, 2009, the requirement applies to children until their 7th birthday), and
•Must meet the size and weight requirements for the child based on the Federal requirements and the recommendations of the manufacturer, and
•Can be a child safety seat, a harness, a vest or a booster seat attached with the vehicle seat belt system, but not the vehicle seat belt alone, and
•Should not be used in the front seat of the vehicle.
Message edited 7/17/2012 2:42:41 PM.
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| Posted 7/17/12 2:26 PM |
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ny55angel
car seat tech & geek :-)
Member since 2/06 4346 total posts
Name:
P
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Can someone clarify car seats/ny laws...etc
DS is 21 months and 32 inches. He is just over 28 pounds and still rear facing. safety wise it is whats best for him. His legs are barely bent when he is in his seat, and he has learned to hang them over the side. I plan on keepig him rear facing until at least his birthday, but want to try to wait until the new year. In an accident he would be propelled towards the front of the car, so I'm more worried about his neck being injured then his legs.
The laws are the minimum requirements, safety wise they don't protect kids much. The longer they are rear facing the better, the longer they are in harnesses the better, the longer they are in a booster with the seatbelt positioned correctly the better. As a parent though, as long as you meet the minimum for the law the rest is a personal decision.
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| Posted 7/17/12 2:35 PM |
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Seta
LIF Adolescent
Member since 1/07 566 total posts
Name:
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Re: Can someone clarify car seats/ny laws...etc
Good to know...thanks so much...I just wanted to make sure I fully understood..
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| Posted 7/17/12 2:45 PM |
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tara73
carseat nerd
Member since 11/09 3669 total posts
Name:
Buttercup
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Can someone clarify car seats/ny laws...etc
Try to remember, the laws are created to protect those children who otherwise wouldn't be protected at all. Think children who otherwise woiuldn't even be in a seatbelt, never mind a carseat.
They are not representative of best practice or even current recommendations. Carseats are still a relatively new thing and the recommendations are constantly evolving based on real life data. Laws are very often not up to date in this area. It takes forever to get a law through the state due to bureaucracy and politics.
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and NHTSA recommend that a child remain rear facing to the limits of the seat or at LEAST age two. The recommendation is based on skeletal development which is why the age is there over the old weight/age recommendation. Each step forward in car seats is actually a step back in safety, so we recommend not rushing forward.
Rear facing offers so much more protection than a forward facing restraint does for younger children. There are always exceptions, but the majority of children can remain rear facing in the seats that are available today on the market up to age 2 without issue.
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| Posted 7/17/12 5:41 PM |
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ml110
LIF Adult
Member since 1/06 5435 total posts
Name:
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Re: Can someone clarify car seats/ny laws...etc
yeah... i don't think there are any laws about rear facing... just suggestions from doctors, etc.
as far as their legs, i don't think theyre as squished as it looks. and kids can be more comfortable with their legs folded up anyway rather than dangling.
my friend said her doctor told her " its much easier for us to fix a broken leg than a broken neck... so keep them rear facing as long as possible." so... unless he starts REALLY complaining about it, or has other issues ( my friends 22 month old DD gets carsick, so its hard for them to keep her rear facing) I would keep him rear facing until 2...
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| Posted 7/17/12 6:54 PM |
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