A Guide to Car Seats and Safety
Car accidents are the leading cause of preventable deaths and injuries to children in the United States. This can be a daunting prospect for first-time or new parents. But you can keep your children as safe as possible by ensuring they are in the right car seat every time you hit the road.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, proper usage of a correctly installed car seat can reduce the risk for injury in a crash by 71-82% for children, when compared with seat belt use alone.
If you are a parent or expectant parent who needs a car seat but are not sure where to start, there are several great resources available online, including HealthyChildren.org, from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
In general, the APP recommends that you follow these car seat guidelines for your children based on their age and size:
Infants & Toddlers
From your first ride home from the hospital, all infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing seat until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat manufacturer.
Toddlers & Preschoolers
When they have reached the proper height and weight, toddlers and preschoolers should use a forward-facing seat with a harness up to the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat manufacturer. Many seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds or more. The goal is that children use these seats until they are at least 4 years old.
School-aged Children
Once your child exceeds the height or weight limit for the forward-facing car seat, they should move to a seatbelt positioning booster seat. Additional signs your child is ready to transition to the booster is that his or her shoulders now sit above the top harness slots or their ears have reached the top of the seat. Once they transition to a booster, they should use this seat until they are 4 feet 9 inches tall and are 8 to 12 years old. In addition, no child should sit in the front seat of a vehicle until they are at least 13 years old.
After you select the right car seat, you need to be sure that it’s installed correctly. According to SafeKids.org, more than 70% of car seats are installed incorrectly. To install your car seat correctly, carefully follow the manufacturer instructions that came with the seat. If you are still unsure if you’ve gotten it right, or just want someone to double-check your work, there are child passenger safety technicians available across the country who will:
Review that your car seat selection is appropriate for your child’s age, weight and height and check for any car seat recalls or visible damage.
Review the car seat instruction manual and the vehicle owner’s manual.
Ensure that you are using the correct seating position for the car seat in your vehicle.
Walk you through installing the car seat and answer any questions you may have along the way.
Answer any questions you may have about when and how to move your child to the next stage of car seats.
Review safety tips in and around the vehicle.
To find a child passenger safety technician in our area, visit SafeKids.org.
