Dr Mom Don t hurry to graduate your child out of his car seat
Post on: 2011-11-02 By: admin
When you find out you're expecting, one of the first items you put on a gift registry is a car seat. It's a big and important decision. You've likely done a little research and some comparison shopping before deciding on "the one."There's a reason you put so much thought and effort into picking out this one single item: You want your precious newborn bundle to be safe.
So, when the new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics on car seats came out in March, I was surprised to hear that many parents were less than thrilled with the new findings and recommendations.The academy noted, for instance, that children younger than 2 who ride in a rear-facing car seat are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a major motor vehicle accident. They revealed that car crashes remain a leading cause of death in children ages 4 and older.Even without taking a hard look at the statistics, all we need to do is to take a look at what we do most of the day. We drive. We drive our kids to school, to day-care, to preschool, to soccer practice, to swimming lessons and on and on.We may deem the safety precautions and recommendations as inconvenient, but they matter. They matter every time because any trip could become that dreaded one time.I want your children, my children, your grandchildren, all children to be protected in the event of an accident.Children should ride in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least 2 years old.Once your infant has outgrown her infant seat, she can graduate to a convertible car seat that can be used both rear- and forward-facing. Keep your toddler in this rear-facing position until she reaches the maximum weight and height for that particular car seat.For many toddlers, they won't reach this maximum until well past their second birthday. My advice? Don't rush it. Your toddler won't mind rear-facing and no, it will not hurt for him to sit cross-legged or frog-legged back there.Keep your child in a five-point harness for as long as possible.When your preschooler graduates to a forward-facing seat from a rear-facing one, do your best to keep him in a five-point harness until he outgrows height and weight maximums. Do not rush to a booster.Many forward-facing harnessed seats can now accommodate children up to 85 pounds. My 6-year-old son still rides in a harnessed car seat, and he's not even close to outgrowing it. Do not rush to a booster simply because your child is 4 years old and 40 pounds. Keep him harnessed as long as possible.Keep your child in a belt-positioning booster seat until they reach 4 feet 9 inches.This typically occurs anywhere between 8 and 12 years old. Again, do not ditch the booster simply because your child is 6 years old and weights 60 pounds. At this age and weight, regular car seat belts do not fit children properly and may end up doing more damage than protection when it comes to a car accident.Children younger than age 13 should ride in the back seat.These updated recommendations may not necessarily correlate with your local laws. They go above and beyond the letter of the law.Children always long for that next milestone, whatever it may be. Transitioning to the next step in car seats is no exception. Knowing what we do about car seats and safety, there's absolutely no reason to rush. When it comes to our children, driving and car seats, let's play it safe.
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Dr. Melissa Arca, a local pediatrician who is also a mother of two, writes a blog, www.confessionsofadrmom.com. Read it at The Bee's online forum, sacramentoconnect.com.
• Read more articles by Melissa Arca
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