Car Seats for Children with Special Needs
Some parents of multiple birth children will face additional challenges if one or more children have special needs. These special needs may require additional considerations when selecting and purchasing car seats. Some of the special needs might be short term concerns – such as for a low birth weight baby or for a child who is in a cast. However, other special needs will need to be addressed over the longer term as the child grows and develops.
The following websites are excellent resources for learning what to do for babies and children with different specific needs:
- National Center for Safe Transportation of Children with Special Health Care Needs
- Child Passenger Safety Handbook: Handbook for Children with Special
Needs
- Automobile Restraints for Children with Special Needs: Quick Reference List
- Car Safety for Tiny Babies: Preemies and Low Birth Weight Babies Need
Special Care
Low Birth Weight Babies
Even though many mothers of multiples carry their twins to term, many other families are faced with the reality of having their multiple birth children arrive early. Many of these premature infants are able to come home by or before their original due date. However, parents may have a new challenge when they have to figure out how to safely transport a baby home who weighs less than the five pound limit on many car seats.
To plan for this possibility, parents may choose infant seats that can be used with babies who are less than 5lbs. Some car seats specifically state that the car seat may be used “from birth” while others have a 4lb minimum weight requirement. Even if you choose a car seat with a 5lb minimum, keep the receipt so that you can exchange the infant seat(s) if you need one(s) with a lower limit.
If your babies are born early or have any issues with breathing, your babies may undergo a car seat challenge at the hospital. When preemies are placed at the 45 degree angle and buckled into the car seat, some premature infants will experience bradycardia (slowing heart rate), apnea (stopping breathing), and/or desaturations (decrease of oxygen level in the blood stream). A car seat challenge specifically checks for these issues to see if you can safely transport your baby home. Babies who do not pass the car seat challenge may need an infant car bed to be released. These car beds may be available from the hospital or may be purchased online.
Other Special Needs
The specific needs of your child will impact which car seats are most appropriate for your child. Many of the current car seats available on the market will work with children with different needs. The best practice recommendations become even more important with children who have special needs, especially for children with low muscle tone. Parents can purchase car seats that rear-face a child to 35lbs and keep a child harnessed to 65lbs or more pounds to meet the child’s needs. However, there are certain situations when parents will need to purchase a special needs seat. Since these car seats can be expensive, it would be important to find out whether your medical insurance will cover the cost of the seat.
If you need to assistance with determining the appropriate car seat for your child’s needs, contact a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) who has expertise in car seats for special needs. You can find one on the National CPS Certification Website. Type in the city and state and put a check mark next to “special needs” to find technicians who have this additional training.