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Transporting Small Children
Infants Need A Car Seat
For children unable to sit up alone (under 9 kg) there is no safe
alternative to a child safety seats. The law requires drivers - be they parents,
grandparents, child care workers or volunteers - to transport an infant in a rear-facing
child safety seat. in this position the forces of the impact are spread over the entire
body and into the back of the car seats specifically designed for infants are easily
portable.
Toddler's Protection
Parents and guardians are required to use child safety seats for
toddlers (0-18 kg). Once the child can sit up unaided, and is over 9 kg they can travel
forward facing. the wide harness straps spread the forces of impact over the bony
structure of a toddler's body. All harness straps on child safety seats should be fastened
snugly to the body so the child cannot slip out. The seat's base is attached to the
vehicle by a lap belt and, for optimum security, the top fastened to the vehicle with a
tether strap.
Tether Straps Prevent The Seats From Tipping
In Canada, all child seats and convertible seats, used forward-facing ,
are required to be supplied with an anchor bolt and tether strap which should be bolted
into the metal structure of the vehicle. The tether strap prevents the child safety seat
from pitching forward or sideways in a crash or sudden stop. This is especially important
with seats that sit high on the vehicle seats or have a small base or have a plastic back
without the tubular metal.
If a child safety seat is being use in vehicle other than the parents
or guardian's, it may not be practical to install an anchor bolt. A volunteer
driver, for example, transporting children in child safety seats and unable to tether the
seats, should securely attach the seat to the vehicle by a correctly positioned lap belt.
And all other harnesses and straps must be securely fastened. This is acceptable under the
regulations.
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