Del Norte Child Care Council Newsletter Articles

Car Seat Safety

The last time you purchased a family car, you may have scoured consumer magazines to find a vehicle with the best crash-test performance and the most safety features - all in consideration of your child’s safety. But when was the last time you checked whether your child was using a car seat properly?

Many children between four and eight years old aren’t using restraints that offer the most protection in an accident, according to a study.

What does this mean to you? Car seat and booster seat guidelines can be confusing. Here’s what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:

Children should face the rear of the vehicle until they are at least 20 pounds and 1 year of age.
A convertible safety seat which is positioned reclined and rear facing for a child until 1 year of age and 20 pounds, and semi-upright and forward facing for a child older than one year if age who weighs 20 to 40 pounds, should be used as long as the seat fits the child well.
Booster seat should be used when a child has outgrown a convertible safety seat but is too small to fit properly in a vehicle safety belt.

Determining the appropriate restraint system for your child is important, but correct installation of a car seat or booster seat is also an essential task that many parents fail to do properly.

Check with Two Trees Healthy Start or the Del Norte Child Car Council about "car seat check days" where trained inspectors will check to ensure your safety seat is installed correctly.