Tag: Booster Seats
New Car Seat Recommendations Released
Last fall, we blogged about the importance of correctly using car seats and booster seats to keep babies and older children safe while driving. Just a few weeks ago, however, the AAP released new recommendations relating to car safety, and we wanted to share them with you.
The AAP issued two important revised recommendations:
(1) Parents are now advised to keep toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat.
(2) The AAP now recommends that children ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.
More detailed information on these guidelines can be found at the AAP’s website.
According to the CDC, in 2008, an average of 4 children ages 14 or younger were killed in motor vehicle crashes every day, and many more were injured. Willows Pediatrics is here to answer questions about car seats or child safety in general. In addition, most of our local communities offer car seat check services.
We hope you will take these new recommendations into consideration when putting your children in the car. Use your best judgment and try to adhere to the weight/height guidelines, even if the age guidelines might not be appropriate for your child. For example, as Dr. Czuzcka notes, “The new 4’9” advice to stay in the back booster seat would mean that my wife’s grandmother would be a in a booster seat until she died in her 80s!” In other words, while these are important safety recommendations, each child is unique and there are times when exceptions may be made. (Feel free to ask us about your own child and your specific concerns at your next appointment.)
Thanks for checking in today … and, please, drive safely!
From Infancy to Adolescence, Car Safety is a Must
Sometimes, especially with young children, making sure everyone is in the car and safely buckled up can be the trickiest part of the day! We know that just getting your children to an appointment at Willows Pediatrics can involve various forms of car seats, boosters and seat belts. So, to make sure all of our patients arrive here safely, we wanted to go over current car safety guidelines.
According to the CDC, in 2008, an average of 4 children ages 14 or younger were killed in motor vehicle crashes every day, and many more were injured. These statistics are sobering, but there is also reassuring news: proper car seat safety can make a huge difference. In 2008, restraint use saved the lives of 244 children ages 4 and younger and child safety seats reduce the risk of death in car crashes by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers ages one to four.
The AAP has put their car safety recommendations for 2010 on HealthyChildren.org.
Infant Seats
According to this very detailed paper, infants should be placed in rear-facing car seats and always in the back seat of the car. Infants should ride rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer. (At a minimum, under Connecticut law, children must ride rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age AND weigh at least 20 pounds.)