Graco 8403 User manual

Any Questions? 1-
Infant Car Bed
Child Restraint
System
OWNER'S MANUAL
Model 8403
Your childs safety depends on you installing and
using this car bed correctly. READ THIS MANUAL!
Return this manual to the storage pocket provided on
the underside of the car bed for quick reference. © 1999 Graco 403-9-99 IS1904

1. Important Safety Information
1.1 About Your Child
1.2 About Using this Car Bed in Your Vehicle
1. About Airbags
1.4 When the Car Bed is Not Occupied
1.5 About the Life and Condition of this Car Bed
1.6 When the Car Bed is Not in the Vehicle
2. Choosing a Suitable Location for the Car Bed
2.1 Some Basic Requirements
2.2 Be Sure Your Vehicle Seat Meets All of These Requirements
2. Consider Accident Statistics and Information about Airbags
2.4 Be Sure Your Vehicle Seat Belt is Safe to Use
A. Seat Belt Systems that are NOT Safe for Use with the Car Bed
B. Seat Belt Systems that are Suitable for Use with the Car Bed
. Features and Components of the Car Bed
4. Positioning and Securing Your Child in the Car Bed
5. Securing the Car Bed in Your Vehicle
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Table of Contents
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6. Cleaning and Maintenance
7. Registering Your Car Bed
Contacting raco
Our goal is to make every product the best it can be! We are also committed to
supporting our products after purchase. If you would like to speak to Graco about
your product, please call our Customer Service Department at 1-888-224-6549
or visit our Internet website, www.gracobaby.com. Our knowledgeable staff is
ready to answer any questions you may have concerning parts, use or maintenance.
When you call, please have the model and serial numbers ready so your call may
be processed quickly and efficiently.
Keep this manual in the storage pocket
located on the underside of the car bed.
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1. Important Safety Information
No child restraint can guarantee protection from injury. However, proper use
of this car bed reduces the risk of serious injury or death to your child in the
event of a sharp turn, sudden stop or crash.
Do not install or use this car bed until you read and understand the instructions
in this manual and in your vehicle owners manual. Do not let others install
or use the car bed unless they understand how to use it.
1.1 About Your Child
!Premature and/or low birth weight infants usually have special medical
needs. Consult your doctor about how to transport your child and about
their need for supervision.
!This car bed is designed for use only by children who weigh 9 lbs.
(4.1 kg) or less and whose height is 20 inches (51 cm) or less. Using this
car bed with a child who is heavier than 9 lbs. or more than 20 inches in
height may increase the risk of serious injury or death. Once your child
outgrows the car bed, consult with your physician about transferring the
child into a rear-facing safety seat or another special needs product for a
larger child.
!NEVER LEAVE YOUR CHILD UNATTENDED.
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1.2 About Using this Car Bed in Your Vehicle
!Your child can be injured in a vehicle even if you are not in a crash.
More common events such as sudden braking and sharp turns can injure
your child if the car bed is not properly installed or if your child is not
properly secured in the car bed.
!Do not place apnea monitors, oxygen tanks, or other medical equipment
inside the car bed. Keep this equipment outside of the car bed, secured
under the seat or on the floor. If not secured, it can be thrown around and
may injure occupants in the event of a sharp turn, sudden stop or crash.
!There are many kinds of vehicles, seat belt systems, and occupant
protection systems. As a result, it is not possible for this manual to tell
you everything you need to know about putting this car bed in your
vehicle. You must carefully follow the instructions provided by the
vehicle owners manual as well as the information in this manual.
!Some vehicles do not have any safe location for this car bed, and many
vehicles have seat belt systems that must not be used with the car bed
because those systems will not safely hold the car bed in place. Again,
you must refer to both this manual and your vehicle owners manual.
!This car bed conforms to all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
!This Restraint is certified for use in Motor Vehicles. This Restraint is not
certified for use in aircraft.
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1. About Airbags
!With some child restraint systems, such as rear-facing infant seats, an
inflating airbag can strike the child restraint and kill or seriously injure
a child.
With regard to this car bed and airbags, our tests and investigations indicate
that an inflating airbag will not strike a properly installed car bed and result in
serious injury or death. Presently, Graco is not aware of any airbags that will
strike a properly installed car bed and injure a child. However, airbags offer no
benefit to children in car beds. Also, airbag designs are changing rapidly, and
it is impossible to say that new designs will not present a risk of injury or death
to a child in a car bed.
As a result, before placing the car bed in a seating location that has an airbag,
consider the following:
- Most rear seats do not have airbags, and according to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly restrained in rear vehicle seating
positions rather than front seating positions.
- Always follow the recommendations of your vehicle manufacturer. See your
vehicle owners manual and/or contact your vehicle manufacturer for more
information about using this car bed in a seating location that has an airbag.
- To avoid any possibility of injury from an inflating airbag, place the car bed
in a seating location that does not have one.
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1.4 When the Car Bed is Not Occupied
!The surface of the car bed can become very hot if the car bed is left in
the sun. Contact with these parts can burn your childs skin. Cover the
car bed with a blanket if it will be exposed to the sun, and always check
the surface of the car bed before putting your child in it.
!Never leave a car bed unsecured in your vehicle. An unsecured car bed
can be thrown around and may injure occupants in the event of a sharp
turn, sudden stop or crash.
1.5 About the Life and Condition of this Car Bed
!Replace this car bed with a new car bed after an accident of any kind.
An accident can cause damage to the car bed that you cannot see.
!After your child has outgrown the car bed, or has moved on to a rear-
facing infant restraint, discard the car bed. Never give this car bed to
someone else. Destroy the car bed and place it in a garbage bag to assure
that it will not be reused.
!Do not use the car bed after the expiration date stamped on the bottom of
the car bed shell.
!Do not modify your car bed or use any accessories or parts supplied by
other manufacturers.
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!Never use the car bed if it has damaged or missing parts. Do not use a
cut, frayed or damaged car bed harness. You can order a new harness by
calling 1-888-224-6549.
1.6 When the Car Bed is Not in the Vehicle
To avoid injury or death from suffocation, falls and other hazards:
!Always secure child in harness straps whenever
child is in the car bed.
!When carrying the car bed, use the handles at
both ends of the car bed as shown.
!Always place the car bed on a firm and level
surface. Never place the car bed on soft or plush
surfaces that may allow the car bed and infant to
roll over. If the car bed tips over, your child
can suffocate.
!Do not place car bed near the edge of surfaces such as tables or counters.
To prevent falls, stay within arms reach whenever the car bed is not on
floor/ground.
!Never leave child unattended while child is in car bed.
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2. Choosing a Suitable Location for the Car Bed
2.1 Some Basic Requirements
To reduce the risk of head and neck injuries in the event of a crash, your
childs head must be positioned as close to the center of the car as possible,
and never next to a door or the side of the vehicle.
Some seating positions in your vehicle are not safe locations for this
car bed. For example, none of the seats on the drivers side of the
vehicle are safe for this car bed.
n addition, there may be some vehicles that do not have any seating
positions that can be used safely. mproper placement of the car bed
increases the risk of serious injury or death.
Follow the instructions in this section and in your vehicle owners
manual to select a location for the car bed. f you are not sure where
to place the car bed in your vehicle, contact your vehicle manufacturer
or Graco Childrens Products nc., 1-888-224-6549.
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!Never place the car bed on the drivers
side of a vehicle (seats Aand B) Ê.
Only the center and passenger side
seating positions (C, D, E, Fand )
are potential locations for this car bed
if all other requirements are met.
!The car bed must be positioned so that
the childs head is near the center of the
vehicle.
This means that when the car bed is
properly installed, your childs feet will
always be toward the passenger side of
the vehicle Ë.
!Whenever possible, keep the seat next to
the childs head clear of passengers or any
objects, such as child restraints, boxes,
groceries, monitors, etc.
Ë
Feet toward
passenger side
of vehicle
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Ê