The Tot Seat

Photos courtesy Safe Kids Worldwide

WE ALL GET OUR CARS CHECKED EACH YEAR TO ENSURE WE’RE DRIVING A SAFE VEHICLE. Well, Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children has special and important program that helps parents properly secure their most precious cargo.

The Kapi‘olani Child Passenger Safety Program works with parents, both by appointment and at public safety events, to teach them how to properly secure their child in their car seat. The free inspections ensure a certified child passenger safety technician checks the seats. The instruction is specialized to the size of the child—from when they’re newborn through the height and weight that they no longer require a safety seat or booster—as well as the type of car and car seat the family is using.

“The program itself has been in place at Kapi‘olani since the 1990s when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration developed the National Standardized Child Passenger Training Curriculum,” says Lisa Dau, RN, Injury Prevention Coordinator. “The motto is: keeping kids safe in and around vehicles.”

On average, Kapi‘olani checks between 500 and 600 car- and booster seats per year, through appointments and community events. Kapi‘olani also works with community partners such as the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, Department of Transportation and Honolulu Police Department.

Judging from recent statistics, this education is sorely needed. According to a 2017 Hawaii Child Restraint Use Survey, a report to the Department of Transportation, restraint use for infants and toddler (less than a year old through three years of age) went up from 55.5 percent in 2016 to 56.9 percent in 2017. However, those numbers are very low compared to the 94 percent restraint use nationwide. Even for caregivers who are using a car seat, misuse is an issue.

“The misuse rate can be as high as 90 percent,” says Dau. “What I find is
if a parent reads both the car seat instructions and the vehicle manual on installing the car seat, the parent will likely have the car seat installed properly ... Many manufacturers have videos on how to properly install their car seats on their websites. At a time where social distancing is important, it is encouraged that parents visit these websites.”

Dau stresses it’s important that parents feel confident in the use and proper installation of the child’s car seats. And some parents will return as their child grows, moving from one type of car seat to the next—rear-facing to forward-facing, then on to booster seats.

Getting these periodic checks help correct common mistakes that could result in injury. Dau says that typical signs of misuse are: (1) the car seat is not installed tight enough, (2) the car seat is installed using incorrect equipment for the car, (3) the harness on the child is too loose and (4) moving the child to the next level too soon, explaining that children should be moved according to their height and weight, not necessarily their age.

The Kapi‘olani program also helps with keiki needing adaptive car seats. “Most children will do well with a conventional car seat, however there are some children with special healthcare needs that require adaptive equipment to be used when traveling in a vehicle,” Dau explains. The Car Seat and Restraint Loaner Program for Children with Special Health Care Needs is provided through Kapi‘olani’s Rehab Department. It’s a resource for families with children who require specialized equipment.

The program recently received a boost thanks to a $5,000 donation from Farmers Hawaii. “We recently held our first volunteer orientation where we sponsored a child seat safety event on Feb. 29,” says Melanie Joseph, marketing manager for Farmers Hawaii.

“Farmers Hawaii has been supporting and helping make Hawai‘i’s streets safer for about 20 years now,” she explains. “We expanded to work with Kapi‘olani ... to provide them with the funding [for the] child seat safety program.” The funding helps provide for those safety checks, and when needed, adaptive car seats or for families who cannot afford a car seat.

Dau says that funding, like that provided by Farmers Hawaii, is always appreciated. “Volunteers are welcome to help with our community events,” she adds.

Car seat checks are done by appointment , (808) 527- 2588. Site locations, appointments and information on community events can be found at the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition’s website: kipchawaii.org. Want to get involved? Visit give2kapiolani.org