American Academy of Pediatrics Changes Car-Seat Safety Recommendations

In an effort to reduce the devastating injuries suffered by children every year in automobile accidents, the American Academy of Pediatrics has updated their guidelines on car-seat safety.  The updates include the following recommendations:

·        Children should remain in rear-facing car seats as long as possible in order to better support the child’s head and neck.  Previous recommendations were to turn the seat around as early as 12 months of age. 

·        Children should use a harness until the height of 4’9”, which for many children will mean waiting until they are 8-12 years old to switch to the regular seatbelt.

·        Children should not sit in the front seat until they are 13 years of age. 

For the complete AAP Guide to Car Safety Seats, click here.