by Amy L. Hatch
New guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics will keep kids in car booster seats even longer, and also recommend that children use rear-facing car seats up until the age of 2.
Babies need to face the rear.
The update is the first since 2002 and represents a significant change from the last round of AAP recommendations on car-seat safety. Previously, it was recommended that children be converted from rear- to front-facing car seats after the age of one, or when they reached the highest height and weight limits set by the manufacturer.
For toddlers and preschoolers, the AAP wants those children in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until they reach the maximum height and weight guidelines set forth by the manufacturer. Big kids will be in a booster until they are 4-feet, 9-inches tall or until the age of 12, whichever comes first.
Reagen Bradbury, coordinator of Safe Kids Champaign County, tells chambanamoms.com that she fully supports these new guidelines and that they will help to keep children safe.
“It is best practice for children to travel in rear-facing child safety seats until the age of 2, or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by the safety seat manufacturer,” Bradbury confirms. ”This is recommended for the optimal protection of the child. If a toddler is placed forward-facing in a safety seat to early, the force of a crash can jolt the child’s head causing spinal cord injuries.”
Some children outgrow their rear-facing seats well before they see their first birthday, but Bradbury says there are some options out there for kids who are on the higher end of the growth chart. She also recommends that kids who out-grow their seats be turned to face forward, but that a chat with the pediatrician might be in order beforehand.
“If you have a child that exceeds the weight or height limitations on the child safety seat before age 2, Safe Kids Worldwide has stated that it is best practice to turn the child forward-facing,” she says. ”For families that have larger children and are considering child safety seat options, they should look for child safety seats with the highest rear-facing weight and height limits on the market.”
The new guidelines are also likely to result in new designs for child-safety seats. The recommendations are based on research, Bradbury points out, and new research often results in innovations.
“I do think that manufactures will begin to change their designs to accommodate the new recommendations and meet the needs of the market,” she tells chambanamoms.com. “The new recommendations should lead to further testing and innovative designs. This translates into safer child safety seats for our babies, and that is fantastic!”
According to Bradbury, about 80 percent of all car seats, rear-facing or otherwise, are installed incorrectly. But Safe Kids Champaign County runs a free car-seat safety inspection station for parents, by appointment.
To make an appointment to get your car seat inspected, call 353-4932 — but be sure to do so well in advance if you are expecting your first baby, because the slots fill up fast and there is a long wait list.
SKCC will also be holding a child safety seat check at the Ready Set Grow event at the Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana on April 2.
“We encourage all parents to have their child safety seats checked and get occupant safety education from our certified child passenger safety technicians,” Bradbury says.
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Great info! Besides the new updated recommendations, the key here really is “about 80 percent of all car seats, rear-facing or otherwise, are installed incorrectly.” I think most parents don’t believe they are included in that, but it is the truth and in reality probably even higher than that. Thanks for keeping kids safe Reagen and everybody at Safe Kids!