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Parents of Toddlers

Don't understand tethers on car seats?

21 years ago

I know there is something new going on having to do with car seats & tethers, but I couldn't quite get what it as about. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

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Comments (7)

trekaren
21 years ago
Um, I'm not sure why you started so many threads. But I will at least take care of this one.

Tethers are belts that come with carseats. Most cars made since the mid-90's have a place to clip this belt to behind the back seats. This keeps the carseat steady a lot better than simply using the seatbelts, although they still work together. Your carseat's toll-free helpline can tell you how to use it. Also drop by a dealer of the manufacturer of your car. They have someone who can show you how to install the seat.
michie1
Original Author
21 years ago
I read a little more about this in a Toys R Us flyer today. It seems my daughter's car seat does have the tether straps. My car is 5 yrs. old does & it doesn't have the anchor hooks & those can't be installed. The part that still confuses me is that I read that many older cans can have the tether hooks attached to them, but I'm not sure how that changes things much. Does that mean I'd still need to use my car's seat belt system or not? Does this make installing the car seat easier? - for example my sister & I often get together & put our girls' car seats into 1 of our cars so we can both drive around together. Has anyone has experience with this yet? I was wondering if I were to contact my car manufacturer to find out about having the tether hooks installed if that's going to make any difference at all.

Michie
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Oh, this is such a hot button for me! I am a retired/disabled paramedic who spent over 20 years working on the ambulance in the streets of Atlanta and then several more years in the ER and PICU at one of our large children's hospitals. During that time, I saw countless infants and children who were severely injured or deceased, simply because their parent was too lazy/stubborn/ignorant/etc. that day to put their child in a PROPER child safety seat. It is so very sad to see a parent lose a child in ANY situation. It is especially difficult to see it when you know they will have to live with the guilt for the rest of their lives. One thing that really frustrates me, too, is that many parents do not know that it is not just babies and toddlers who need to be restrained in a safety seat. ALL children should be in a safety seat until they are AT LEAST 80-100 pounds AND 4'9" tall. MANY parents don't know/understand this because in many states it has not been made into law. However, in order to keep your child as safe as possible, they must be restrained in a booster seat until they are big enough to fit properly in a regular seatbelt. Seatbelts are specifically designed for ADULTS ONLY. If a small child is in one without a proper safety seat, they can be decapitated by the shoulder strap that is sitting too close to their neck, they can have severe pelvic/abdominal injuries due to the ill-fitting lap belt or they can be ejected if the shoulder strap is placed behind their back, which many children are taught to do. MANY parents do this, not knowing that it completely renders the entire seatbelt non-operational as it interferes with the mechanism of how it is supposed to work. When I was still working with EMS, I was also a member of SafeKids of GA. SafeKids has SO much info about Child Safety, especially Child Safety Seats. Here are a few links you all might be interested in: (They also have pamphlets, posters, etc. they will sent you.) Car Seat, Booster and Seat Belt Fact Sheet Find A Safety Seat Inspection Station I hope things work out for your family and that your brother and SIL decide to do what is right for their precious little one! Blessings, ~Addy~ Here is a link that might be useful: SafeKids USA
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trekaren
21 years ago
The tether makes the seat much more stable than with a belt alone, but is still used in conjunction with the belt. It is possible to retrofit, so call the manufacturer and ask.

In my city, traffic is bad, and it's not a matter of "if" you'll have a wreck, but "when". So I have really enjoyed the added security of the tether.
michie1
Original Author
21 years ago
Oh Ok. "When you have a wreck" - what city do you live in? I used to work in NYC & thank goodness I never had to drive much there. The traffic & drivers were horrendous for the occassional time I had to drive intot he city so I know what you mean about"when you have a wreck". I now live on Long Island & this weekend we're going to drive into Chinatwon & the WTC area so I imagine we'll be stuck in plenty of traffic too.

Michie
trekaren
21 years ago
I'm in the Atlanta metro area, but luckily now have a commute that keeps me off the interstates. The roads are very risky around here, and I used to drive for a living, so I developed a lot of defensive techniques. But many of those go out the window when you have to get on the interstates around here. There was one particular year that I had three wrecks and DH had 1, and none were our fault. Two were interstate, one was on an entrance to an interstate and the other was in a parking lot (one of those couriers that drives the piece of junk courier trucks delivering to office parks came down the wrong way behind bushes in a parking lot and crashed into me.

Of all of them the only one I was injured in was the parking lot one because I was going so slow, and he was flying when he hit me.

When we first moved here years ago, we got hit by a drunk driver. That one was interstate, also.

We're not bad drivers, believe me. We're just all targets in this town!
nadine01
21 years ago
hi there,

i live in canada where it is the law to use the tether strap, you get fined and they won't let you leave till you properly strap your kids in. the idea with the tether is that you hook it onto an anchor that is drilled into the frame of your car. toysrus sells the anchors with instructions we had to install these in one of our cars and you can buy the tethers as well and they come with instructions on how to install. i cant believe that it is still not the law down there for these things to be in. i was involved in a car accident last year that took the whole front end off my car and my then 2yo dd was in the car with me in her car seat. the tether strap is desighned to absorb the shock from an impact and also helps keep the car seat snug so there is no jolting for the child. the fire man at my accident told me my dd recieved not a scratch because my her seat was properly installed and she was strapped in it, so i say spend the extra money and time and put this thing in your car.

nadine

mommy to chelsea 3yo and dempsey 6mo
trekaren
21 years ago
It is a law that all cars built after a certain year (I think 1999) all have the strap. There are kits you can get for older cars, but it is not a law that you must have it in there. I can tell you it sure makes the installation of the carseat a whole lot more sturdy and stable. My older car that didn't have the tether hook, left the carseat a bit wobbly no matter how tight I tightened the seatbelts.

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