An
emotional <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ"
target=”NewWindow”>video on YouTube by a mother who lost her son in
a car accident has sparked a debate among parents and car seat advocates. We’ve
received several questions from parents about the video and we wanted to
respond.

First, the accident described in
the video is indeed tragic and our hearts go out to this family. We understand
why parents in this situation would want to spread the word to prevent others
from suffering the same fate.

But . . .
the video makes several claims that we (as well as other safety advocates) don’t
agree with. Here are our
comments:

? Seat belt failure is
RARE, not common. By claiming seat belt failure is common, the video suggests
parents should use a five-point harness seat with LATCH instead of a
belt-positioning booster (which relies on the auto safety belt to secure the
child). While we agree that a child should be in a harnessed seat as long as
possible, that does NOT mean that belt-positioning boosters are
unsafe.

? Let’s repeat that again:
belt-positioning boosters are SAFE. The accident in this video (a roll over
where the child was ejected) has many variables that may have contributed to the
tragedy—but the car seat wasn’t to
blame.

? The Britax Regent (which
we discussed in our books and used to be called the Husky and Super Elite) is a
harnessed seat that can be used with a harness up to 80 pounds. BUT it can’t be
used with LATCH above 48 pounds. Most vehicles have a LIMIT on the weight of a
seat with LATCH—often it is 48 pounds or below. FYI: Honda’s limit is 40
pounds! While this video makes a strong case for harnessed seats, limits with
LATCH means that kids in a Regent may very well be held to the car by only a
vehicle belt . . . just like a belt-positioning
booster.

? Besides the Britax
Regent, there are two other seats that enable the use of a harness above 40
pounds: the Safeguard GO and Sunshine Kids Radian 65 (or 80). Again, how long
you can use these seats with LATCH or a top tether may depend on your vehicle’s
limits. Both of these seats are reviewed in the latest printing (2.2) of our
TODDLER BARGAINS book. Yes, the Britax Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard can
accommodate a child to 65 pounds with a five-point harness . . . but most older
kids outgrow this seat by height long before they reach 65 pounds. So the
SafeGuard Go and Radian are better
bets.

There is more to this debate, which
you can read on our message <a
href=”https://windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=13&topic_id=51461&mesg_id=51461&page=”
target=”NewWindow”>boards .

Again, we realize this is very
emotional. But remember: the safest seat for your child is the one that best
fits your child AND your vehicle. Get your seat inspected. Learn about the
different seat options—and pay attention to your vehicle’s limits and
restrictions.