Carseats!

Most of you have probably heard on the news that the AAP recently updated their recommendations for carseat use. Their statement can be found here. NHTSA also updated their recommendations. They can be found here.

In case you don't want to read it all, the summary is that children should:

ride rear-facing until at least age 2,

ride in a forward facing harnessed seat until they outgrow it (AND can sit in a booster correctly, otherwise a higher weight/height harnessed seat should be purchased),

and should stay in a booster until they reach 4'9", which for most kids is when the regular seat belt will fit them appropriately and usually happens between ages 8-12.

We've known and followed these practices already. We try to keep our kids as safe in the car as we can (car accidents are the leading killer of children). After our car accident, when K was 8 mths old, carseat safety has become a passion, especially for mommy. K and e both ride rear-facing. Once K turns four (if she's made it to 30 lbs by then), if she asks, we'll turn her, but otherwise she'll stay rfing until she outgrows her seat. So will e.

This is a recent example of why. The mom in this account is a CPST (child passenger safety technician, certified through Safekids). She is someone I have conversed with on car-seat.org (the largest on-line community of CPSTs and carseat "crazy" people) when I've had carseat questions or issues.

If you have questions or concerns, car-seat.org is a great on-line place to go and they can help you find a certified CPST in your area (most police officers/firefighters are not CPSTs and may give out incorrect information). You can also search for CPSTs in your area using the Safekids website.